The semicolon has turned into more than a pesky piece of punctuation.

It’s now a symbol of hope for anyone who has ever attempted suicide, self-harmed or supports those who have.

The semicolon was chosen as the symbol because it used to separate major clauses in a sentence; in other words, “The semicolon is used when a sentence could have ended, but didn’t,” according to the Semicolon Movement.

“Your sentence is not over yet,” it adds, encouraging supporters to “put a semicolon on your wrist or wherever you feel would mean the most. Every time you see it think of something that makes life worth living.”

“The author is you and the sentence is your life,” adds the non-profit Semicolon Project which began as a one-day event on 16 April 16 2013 “to remind ourselves and others that our story isn’t over.

” However, the community support was so strong that we’ve chosen to continue the cause,” the non-profit Semicolon Project says on its website. “We aim to inspire and encourage people to do one of the hardest things imaginable: ask for help when they need it most.”

The group has pegged 16 April again this year as the day on which the suicidal, depressed, anxious, bereaved and their supporters to again draw a semicolon.~TM