Facebook launches suicide prevention tools in India

June 15, 2016 19:28

Social networking giant Facebook has introduced tools and educational resources to help people in India who may be struggling with self-injury or experiencing suicidal thoughts.

These tools are already available in countries like the US, Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

First launched in the US with the help of Forefront, Lifeline and Save.org, the tools were developed in collaboration with mental health organisations and with inputs from people who have personal experience with self-injury and suicide.

"We are rolling them out in India in collaboration with local partners (AASRA and The Live Love Laugh Foundation) in English and Hindi," Facebook said in a statement.

With the help of these new tools, if someone posts something on Facebook that makes a user concerned about the person's well-being, they can reach out to the person directly and can also report the post to the US-based firm.

"We have teams working around the world, 24/7, who review reports that come in. They prioritise the most serious reports like self-injury and send help and resources to those in distress," it said.

Vulnerable users will then be encouraged to connect to the AASRA India helpline or the Live Love Laugh Foundation or a friend or seek self-help advice from resources and tips provided on how they can work through these feelings.

Facebook has also introduced 'Help a Friend in Need' guide to help people identify when someone is distressed and what steps to take to get help.

The guide also offers suggestions on how to approach their friend, what to say, how to react and what to avoid. It gives people the skills to reach out without fear of making the situation worse.

The guide will be available in English, Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi, Sinhalese, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu and Marathi.

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

Real Madrid book Champions League final date with Dortmund

This sets up Real Madrid final against Borussia Dortmund, who knocked out Paris Saint-Germain in the other semi-final.

Missing 'Tarak Mehta' actor Gurucharan Singh operated over 10 bank accounts

50-year-old Singh is believed to have been visiting his parents in Delhi and was expected to return to Mumbai. However, the actor has not been heard from since April 22.

Salman home firing: HC nod for 2nd PM of accused who died in police custody

The direction came on a petition filed by Anuj Kumar's mother Reeta Devi, who sought a fresh examination.

Salman home firing: Shooters unaware of target until ....., say police

The Mumbai police's crime branch, during the interrogation of the duo, found Pal and Gupta were given the shooting task by Anmol Bishnoi, the younger brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, but they had no idea they had to fire at...

Chaos at airports as Air India Express cancels 100 flights; 15K flyers hit

Discontent has been brewing among a section of the cabin crew at the low-cost carrier for some time now, especially after the start of the process of merger of AIX Connect, formerly AirAsia India, with itself.