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 19th 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.
