Letter to The New Paper:  SEX-VIDEO SUICIDE

Punish those who drive others to suicide

My letter to The New Paper (TNP) is published today, Monday 19^th September 2016.

Driving a person to the brink of insanity where one is forced to take one’s own life is a cruel thing to do, and I was moved when I read about the Italian woman in the report “Sex-video shame leads to suicide (The New Paper; Sept 17).

Love is a many-splendored thing, but when it turns sour, and hate and jealousy take control of broken relationships, a lot of things can go dreadfully wrong.

A wrong turn in life can turn one’s whole world upside down.

Depressed people who are ridiculed and humiliated will experience severe emotional pain mixed with guilt, unmanageable anxiety and anger.

When most people commit suicide, they don’t really want to die. They are crying out for help. 

I am glad that the authorities here have come down hard on men who filmed their lovers and then use the videos or photos to blackmail them when love goes bad.

But the Mental Capacity Act should have more bite to deal with those who are instrumental in causing a depressed person to experience a horrible death.

It is devastating for the families of those who commit suicide.

While we cannot put a price tag on a person’s life, the law should not only jail the criminal in such cases, but also make him pay compensation.

RAYMOND ANTHONY FERNANDO

Footnote:  Social media platforms such as Wechat, Facebook and Skype are being used by some individuals and syndicates to trap men into engaging in sex conversations and videos after which blackmailing takes place. The law must come down hard on such people who want to destroy lives and make a quick buck.