A woman from Kedisan village in Bangli regency reportedly attempted suicide because she was jealous of her husband’s first wife. Thankfully, she survived.
Bangli Police spokesman, Sulhadi, told Tribun-Bali that the incident took place on Friday evening. The woman, identified as Ni Putu Martini, called her husband, identified as Nengah Warda, and she could be heard crying on the line.
“He suddenly got a phone call from his wife [while he was out]. He picked it up, and she was crying. He decided to immediately go back to his house,” Suhaldi explained.
Nengah reportedly came home to find Martini hanging from a wooden plank on a ceiling by a piece of waist sash, which prompted him to seek help getting Martini down.
By the time Nengah returned with help, Martini was already lying on the floor.
“We suspect she might have fallen because the cloth used to hang herself became untied,” Sulhadi said.
Martini did not seem to sustain any injuries from her suicide attempt, though she reportedly experienced shock. Sulhadi added that, based on statements from a number of witnesses, Martini might have attempted suicide because she was disappointed with Nengah and jealous of his first wife.
“We’ve told the victim and her husband to talk their problems through and resolve it nicely, we also told them that no one should do anything that might harm one’s self or others,” Sulhadi said.
According to a 2004 study on women’s movement in Indonesia, polygamy among Balinese Hindus is described as a “common occurrence.” However, the practice of polygamous marriages are rarely included in national marriage law debates.
Indonesia currently does not have a dedicated government-run suicide prevention hotline, so if you or anyone you know is suffering from depression and/or contemplating suicide, you can get help from several local NGOs dealing with mental health and suicide prevention, such as saveyourselves.id.
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