Suicide on rise among young people in northwest Syria
The organization says children account for nearly one in five recorded suicide attempts and deaths in northwestern Syria.
Children account for nearly one in five recorded suicide attempts and deaths in northwest Syria, Save The Children said on Thursday.
The UK-based charity documented a total of 246 suicides and 1,748 attempts during 2020. Among those who attempted suicide, 18% were between the ages of 16 and 20. Last week, partner organizations working with Save The Children confirmed that a 14-year-old boy committed suicide in a displacement camp in Hama.
The spike in suicides comes as the region faces an unprecedented economic crisis that’s left 12.4 million Syrians food insecure, the United Nations estimates. In addition to the stress caused by food and fuel shortages, Save The Children notes that the region’s war-torn communities are also suffering from high rates of domestic violence, child marriage, broken relationships and bullying.
“This is a desperately alarming situation,” Sonia Khush, the organization’s Syria response director, said in a statement. “After ten years of conflict, we are now seeing children resorting to taking their own lives.”
