Thiruvananthapuram:The rate of suicides of children below the age of 18 in Kerala shows an alarming trend. 158 children have committed suicide in the state this year. Malappuram district reported the maximum number of suicides. The suicide rate of girls is more than that of the boys. 90 girls have committed suicide this year.
The failure in the functioning of ‘family’ as an entity as well as certain lacunae in the society in general causes serious problems in the effective and healthy nurturing of children. Children lack the much needed physical and psychological support they expect from home, society and friends.
Nowadays children are unable to cope up with even minor forms of stress and often struggle to handle failures and rejection, unlike in the past and this has led many of them to take the grave decision of ending their lives.
As per the statistics of the State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB), the number of children who committed suicide during the lockdown period from March 25 to July 10 in 2020 is 66. The number of child suicides in the corresponding period of the previous year is 83. However, although the figure is lesser this year in comparison to the previous year, the fact that so many children committed suicide while remaining at home under their parental/family’s care during the lockdown period is alarming and this beats the popular notion that better parental presence and care are deterrents to children committing suicides. In 2015 the number was 297 and in 2016 it was 242.
The report also stated that out of the total children who committed suicide, 141 children did not have any form of serious psychological problems. Even students who excelled in academics tried to commit suicide. Most suicides were reported in middle-class families.
The fact that 93 percent of these students did not show any such tendency in the past also increases the seriousness of the issue. Those who committed suicide include students who excelled in academics, students who worked as student police cadets and even the students who received medal of excellence from the President of India. The report was filed by a 5-member committee headed by Sreelekha IPS.
