World Suicide Prevention Day was marked on September 10th, and Mijas will join the commemoration on Friday 19th of September with a walk. The Sports Department, together with Afesol Salud Mental (Association of Families and People with Mental Illness on the Costa del Sol), is organising this initiative with aim is to raise awareness of the importance of good mental health care and prevention to avoid loss of life.

"With this walk, we want to highlight the importance of prevention in the face of this social problem", said the councillor for Sports, Mari Francis Alarcón (PP), at the presentation of the event on Friday, "because for many years mental health and the issue of suicide have been hidden away and we need to bring them out into the open, because without visibility and professional support it is very difficult to move forward".

Invisible death

The figures are stark: 11 people take their own lives every day in Spainain. Although the overall number of suicides fell slightly last year, 3,846 people still died by suicide. Among young people, the situation is worsening: in 2024, there were 209 suicides uner thhe age of 25, 15 more than in 2023. "It is an invisible death, one that is not talked about. It does not matter what social class you belong to, your financial situation, whether you are a man or a woman... this can happen to anyone", emphasised the president of Afesol Mental Health, Cristian González,

González emphasised the importance of support networks. “We are here, from the associative movement and also from public institutions, to help people and help them rebuild their lives. We are grateful to the Mijas Town Hall for organising this walk. They have also created a suicide prevention table with Social Services and have pioneered suicide prevention training for the local police, which we know has already saved lives".

At this table, the figure of the guardian officer stands out. "We work in coordination with Social Services, who are our main allies, but also with Afesol and the Fuengirola-Mijas Mental Health Unit to improve the mental health of the people of Mijas, because by improving mental health we also addres the problem of suicide", explained guardian officer Ángel Blanc.

Route

The walk will start at 10 hours on Friday 19th from the Torreón de La Cala, covering 6.5 kilometres along the Coastal Path. Participation is free and open to everyone. ‘"I encourage everyone to come, families, individuals, eveyone.  The route is easy and accessible, and the Coastal Path offers an idyllic setting by the sea. We need to raise awareness, and sport is a great way to do it", concluded the councillor for Sports.

Increase among young people

The suicide figures among young people are worrying, which is why Afesol, in coordination with the local police, educational centres and the Mental Health Unit of the Health District, has launched a programme aimed at young people. "I would like to remind you that suicide is the leading cause of death among adolescents and young people between the ages of 15 and 29 in our country", said Blanc.

For his part, the head of Afesol stressed that "we are carrying out a specific programme in all secondary schools and colleges on the subject of prevention, where talks are given to all secondary school students on mental health. Various topics are addressed, such as drugs, bullying, self-harm... all those issues that we have to talk about in a clear and concise manner, depending on the age group", explained the head of Afesol, who concluded by pointing out that "these are initiatives that help save lives".

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