Growing Suicide Rates Among Minors Worrying
Often when people think of suicide, they often associate the vice with older individuals who face multiple challenges associated with adulthood. However, the tide has shifted, and we are witnessing a rise in the number of suicides among minors.
Last year alone the nation was rocked with several suicide cases. Arguably the most talked about suicide case was of the Form 4 student from St Faith High School in September of 2022 after being accused of practicing Satanism. On the 6th of November a 11-year-old girl from Mabuthweni suburb (Bulawayo) hung herself after having a misunderstanding with her mother over why she had failed to bring food to her mother’s workspace.
Yet again in December of 2022 a 13-year-old girl inhaled a pesticide one fateful afternoon, was rushed to Guruve hospital, and proclaimed dead upon arrival. The young woman claimed she had done so because her divorced mother was neglecting her.
Some sources have claimed that the COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a wave of anxiety and depression that has creeped its way into institutes of learning (full article published on 4 May 2021 on The Conversation). With addictive drugs, alcohol and pressures of social media flooding not just school but all corners of our lives, children are under attack. Clearly this is an issue to be heeded and concrete solutions to deter this social evil need our collective collaboration as a nation.
