Togo, officially known as the Togolese Republic, is located in West Africa, offering a diverse landscape of lush savannahs and rolling hills to a stretch of coastline along the Gulf of Guinea.

Togo is home to the Ewe and Kabre peoples. The Ewe people are famous for their intricate Kente cloth and skilled weaving — the Kabre for their traditional wood carvings and sculptures. Intricate patterns and carvings also characterise their iconic mud-brick round houses. Vibrant rhythms of Togolese music and dance, accompanied by traditional drums and xylophones, celebrate the country's rich cultural traditions which keep alive the Indigenous African beliefs that play an important role in daily life, along with Christianity.

The legal system in Togo combines French Civil Law with Customary Law, the latter particularly in family matters. Like many other nations, Togo inherited colonial-era laws from France. During that time, suicide was a crime worldwide. Although France decriminalized suicide in 1791, it wasn't removed from the Catholic Canon Law until 1983, and has remained in the corpus of other laws around the world.

The World Health Organization (WHO) advocates for the decriminalisation of suicide and suicide attempts. Finding out more and removing such laws removes stigma and allows avenues for providing appropriate mental health support to individuals in crisis.

Criminalising suicide punishes distress. Decriminalising suicide saves lives.