Suicides in Chinese officials

Recently, suicide cases in Chinese officials were focused.

According to the media, at least 28 government officials have committed suicide in this year. The record will be worse than the last year.

Some experts say that it is due to control against graft in China. In recent years, President Xi Jinping is enthusiastic to anti-corruption campaign. Many officials are arrested to be prosecuted for violating the legislation. It is said that graft in Chinese officials had been very common. Jinping considers this tradition as a quite serious problem, and he is willing to extinct inappropriate behaviors in government officials.

If an official is prosecuted, not only the person is sent to jail, but also their family members are to be inflicted serious disgrace. Considering the fearful future, some officials commit suicide before the investigation proceeds, according to the experts.

There are several reasons for suicide. The government says that they killed themselves because of depression. But, I think this hypothesis that officials, at least some of them, commit suicide to avoid to be prosecuted.

Hindustan Times: Wave of suicides by Chinese officials indicate impact of Xi’s anti-graft drive

On the other hand, I am not sure the number of suicidal cases in Chinese official has an impact. Approximately 100,000 people commit suicide in China in a year. Officials who commit suicide is a part of them. The suicidal rate in officials may be smaller than that in public.

In China, women are more likely to commit suicide compared to men. It is a unique characteristic. Thus, men tend to kill themselves more frequently than women in most countries. Iraq and North Korea are rare exceptions other than China.

My past entry: Who publish report of suicide rate

I hardly indicate a rational explanation for the diversity. But, it seems cultural differences are responsible for it because it is highly likely that men are vulnerable than women regarding suicidal tendency.

Anyway, suicide is a tragic event. Even on the side of the government, it is no good to allow officials who were involved in the graft to kill themselves, because it delays the organizational investigation. Some amendment of the policy or procedure of persecution is needed, I think.