At 5.8 per 100,000 inhabitants., Colombia has one of the lowest suicide rates but in its indigenous communities it climbs to one of the highest. This is a phenomenon reported among ethnic minorities world-wide from the Sami in Scandanavia, to first nations communities in North America and Australian aborigines. They have all experienced cultural disruption.
On April 7, 2023, in the Embera Dobida community of Puerto Antioquia, Chocó, Yadira Birry, 16, took her own life with her paruma, a cloth used as a skirt. Her three sisters, María Camila Birry, Luisa Birry, and Noraisi Birry, stand by her grave, wearing the parumas Yadira left behind after her death.
In Colombia the suicide crisis among its Indigenous communities has reached alarming levels – according to UNICEF it is 40 times higher then the general population. with a particular impact on the Emberá people of Chocó. A combination of armed conflict, forced displacement, loss of livelihoods, and domestic abuse has created a state of despair, leading to a concerning rise in self-inflicted deaths.
In Bojayá, records show a growing trend. Between 2015 and 2020, 15 suicides were reported, but between 2021 and 2023, the number surged to 41, with more than 400 attempts. In 2024, at least 12 additional cases were registered, underscoring the persistence of the problem. In the community of Unión Baquiasa, since 2021, 17 suicide attempts and four deaths have been documented, while in Puerto Antioquia, more than 15 suicide attempts and one death were recorded in 2023.
The Embera Dobida community of Puerto Antioquia, in Chocó, Colombia, has 141 inhabitants: 31 men, 27 women, and 83 children, and it was founded approximately 30 years ago. It is one of the 45 Embera communities along the Bojayá River, where, according to the diocese, there have been 60 cases of suicide between 2015 and 2024, and more than 400 suicide attempts.
Rope to tie a dog at the house of Liria Cheito, who attempted suicide by hanging herself with her paruma (a traditional garment of her community) on April 7, 2023, tired of being mistreated by her husband
Luisa Chamorro, 17 years old, has attempted to take her own life twice—once in November 2024 and again on December 31, 2024, both times by hanging herself with her *paruma*. The last time, her husband Jarlison found her hanging and managed to save her life in the Embera Dobida community of Unión Baquiasa in the Colombian Chocó. Colombia
Behind these figures are the stories of young people who have made extreme decisions amid a backdrop of displacement and violence. In Puerto Antioquia, Yadira Birry, 16, took her own life on April 7, 2023, while Liria Cheito survived a suicide attempt that same day. In Unión Baquiasa, Yameli Numasa, 17, died in December 2021, while Jarlison Ñameson, 29, attempted suicide during the same period. More recently, Luisa Ignacia Chamorro, 17, attempted to take her life twice in 2024.
The phenomenon is not limited to Indigenous territories. In Bogotá, thousands of Emberá have been displaced by violence, but living conditions in the capital are far from a solution. Around 2,251 Indigenous people live in temporary shelters in areas such as Parque Nacional, La Rioja, and Parque La Florida. In the La Rioja building, a space designed for 120 people, more than 1,200 currently reside, creating severe overcrowding. In this environment, suicide attempts have also increased, with cases like Jessi and Ahitana, two Emberá women who have faced extreme conditions.
La Rioja is one of the three places in Bogotá where the Embera Chamí community displaced by the Colombian armed conflict lives. It is a building with a capacity for 120 people, but more than a thousand people live there in overcrowded and precarious conditions.
The mental health crisis in these communities continues to receive insufficient attention. Although humanitarian organizations have raised alarms about the situation, the state response has been limited. The lack of access to psychological care, combined with the precarious conditions in which many of these families live, makes a comprehensive intervention urgent.
The rise in suicides among Indigenous peoples is a silent tragedy that reflects the deep wounds left by armed conflict and institutional neglect. In documenting the experiences of the Embera women Santiago Mesa hopes to provide a space for reflection and dialogue, and seeks to offer a comprehensive view, showing both suffering and resilience, and promoting understanding and solutions for this ongoing crisis.
Liria Cheito attempted to commit suicide with her paruma (a traditional garment of her community) on April 7, 2023, tired of being mistreated by her husband. She is the mother of three children in the Embera Dobida community of Puerto Antioquia, Chocó. Colombia
Oniri Birry, 7, is the youngest daughter of Liria Cheito, who attempted suicide with her paruma on April 7, 2023, tired of being mistreated by her husband, in the Embera Dobida community of Puerto Antioquia, Chocó.
A young woman holds a duck that was killed for consumption by the Embera Dobida community of Puerto Antioquia. Due to the armed conflict, this community is isolated after 2 p.m., unable to go to the forest for crops or travel the rivers because armed groups have imposed curfews.
Marneli Birry, 10, is braiding her mother Liria Cheito's hair. Liria attempted to commit suicide with her paruma (a traditional garment of this community) on April 7, 2023, tired of being mistreated by her husband
Yameli Dumaza took her own life at the age of 17 on December 26, 2021, hanging herself with her *paruma* in the Embera Dobida community of Unión Baquiasa, Chocó. In this photo, she is posing with her dance teacher.
Luisa Birry, 21, is the eldest sister of Yadira Birry, who committed suicide in 2023 in the Embera Dobida indigenous community of Puerto Antioquia, Chocó. Luisa attempted to take her own life before her sister did.
The Embera Dobida community of Puerto Antioquia, in Chocó, has 141 inhabitants: 31 men, 27 women, and 83 children, and it was founded approximately 30 years ago. It is one of the 45 Embera communities along the Bojayá River, where, according to the diocese, there have been 60 cases of suicide between 2015 and 2024, and more than 400 suicide attempts.
Puerto Antioquia is one of the 45 Embera communities along the Bojayá River
The Embera Dobida community of Unión Baquiasa in the Colombian Chocó is accessed via the Atrato River, then the Obogado River, and finally the Toguado River, also known as the Iguana River. The community has approximately 580 inhabitants, and the first recorded suicide dates back to 2021.
Luisa Chamorro, 17 years old, lives in the Emberá community of Unión Baquiasa, in Colombia’s Chocó region. She attempted suicide for the first time on November 27, and nearly a year later, she tried again on December 31, 2024. She prunes the grass on her land during a heavy rain storm
Sardines caught by children from the Embera Dobida community of Puerto Antioquia. Due to the armed conflict, this community is isolated after 2 p.m., unable to go to the forest for crops or travel the rivers because armed groups have imposed curfews.
In the Embera Dobida community of Unión Baquiasa in the Colombian Chocó, the first recorded suicide occurred on December 26, 2021, involving 17-year-old Yameli Dumaza.
Luisa Chamorro, 17 years old, prepares a lemonade in her home in the Embera Dobida community of the Colombian Chocó. Luisa has attempted to take her own life twice—once in November 2024 and again on December 31, 2024, both times by hanging herself with her *paruma*. The last time, her husband Jarlison found her hanging and managed to save her life.
Jarlison Ñameson, 29 years old, and Luisa Chamorro, 17 years old, are a married couple who have both attempted suicide. Jarlison attempted in 2021, while Luisa has tried twice—once in November 2024 and again on December 31, 2024, both times by hanging herself with her *paruma*. The last time, her husband Jarlison found her hanging and managed to save her life. Both are Embera Dobida from the community of Unión Baquiasa in the Colombian Chocó.
Ahitana, 23, is a woman from the Embera Chamí community, displaced to Bogotá from her territory in Chocó due to the armed conflict. She lives in La Rioja, one of the three places the community occupies in the city. She has faced a hostile city, mistreatment, and few opportunities. She has attempted suicide several times, the most recent on April 1, 2024.
Martiliano Machy is the jaibaná (physical and spiritual healer) of the Emberá community of Unión Baquiasa, in Colombia’s Chocó region, as he performs a treatment on Luisa Chamorro, 17 years old, who attempted suicide on January 1, 2025.
Martiliano Machy, *jaibana* (physical and spiritual healer) of the Embera Dobida community of Unión Baquiasa in the Colombian Chocó, performs a spiritual treatment on Luisa Chamorro, 17 years old, after she attempted to take her own life on December 31, 2024, at midnight.
A child from the Emberá community of Unión Baquiasa, in Colombia’s Chocó region, holds a bird he hunted with a slingshot.
On April 7, 2023, Yadira Birry, 16 years old, took her own life in the Embera Dobida community of Puerto Antioquia, Chocó, marking the first recorded suicide in this community. Her family gathers at the school where she ended her life to honor her memory around candlelight.
The Embera Dobida community of Puerto Antioquia, in Chocó, can be reached by boat via the Bojayá River.