India: 31 children commit suicide every day in 2020; experts accuse Covid-19 – News

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“Family problems,” “love affairs and” illness “(1,327) were the leading causes of suicide, according to government data.

By PTI

Posted: Mon Nov 1, 2021, 10:28 AM

On average, 31 children committed suicide every day in India in 2020, according to government data, with experts pointing out that the Covid-19 pandemic may have dramatically increased the psychological trauma children face.

According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau, 11,396 children died by suicide in 2020, an increase of 18% from 9,613 deaths in 2019 and 21% from 9,413 in 2018.

“Family problems” (4,006), “Love affairs” (1,337) and “Illness” (1,327) were the main causes of suicide in children (under 18). Ideological causes or hero worship, unemployment, bankruptcy, impotence or infertility, and drug abuse were other reasons for suicide in some children.

Prabhat Kumar, deputy director, Child Protection, Save the Children, said COVID-19 and the resulting school closures and social isolation, coupled with anxiety among seniors, have further exacerbated the mental health issue and brought it to the fore.

“While we as a society are aware of tangible elements such as education and physical health for building national human capital, emotional well-being or psychosocial support often takes a back seat. The growing number of suicides among children reflects a systemic failure. “

“It is a collective responsibility of parents, families, neighborhoods and government as a whole to provide a supportive ecosystem where children can hope to realize their potential and realize their dreams of a bright future. To commit suicide, on the contrary, is an antithesis, “Kumar said.

“Mental health stigma and an extremely low number of mental health professionals per capita require urgent attention. Covid-19, and the resulting school closures and social isolation, coupled with anxiety among seniors, has further compounded the problem and brought it to the fore. Save the Children calls for collective action to nurture an encouraging and supportive ecosystem for children and young people, ”he added.

Commenting on the topic, Priti Mahara, director of policy research and advocacy at CRY-Child Rights and You, said that from the onset of the pandemic, it was one of the main concerns she might have a impact on children’s mental health and psychosocial well-being. -being, and recent data from the NCRB actually underscore fears that the pandemic has dramatically increased the psychological trauma children face.

“As the NCRB data reveals, a total of 11,396 children (5,392 boys and 6,004 girls) died by suicide in 2020, which represents 31 deaths per day or about 1 child commits suicide per hour”, a- she declared.

“The children have experienced tremendous emotional stress and trauma due to home confinement and lack of interaction with friends, teachers or anyone in a position of trust due to prolonged school closures and social interactions. limited, ”she said.

Many of them went through a hostile environment at home, many others saw their loved ones disappear and were confronted with the impact of the fear of contagion and the worsening of the financial crisis at the family level, she declared.

Many children also experienced tremendous uncertainty related to program completion, exams and results.

“A large number of children, especially those living in the shadow of multidimensional poverty, have struggled to take online courses and have been severely affected by the digital divide, while many others have suffered. overexposure to the internet and social media and have been the victim of online bullying and related cyber crimes, ”she said.

“All of this, combined with general anxiety over the uncertainty of the future, must have been too much for their young and tender minds to bear,” she added.

Akhila Sivadas, executive director of the Center For Advocacy and Research, said models of alternative care and counseling should be developed in collaboration with key stakeholders and every effort should be made to transmit the learnings to a representative sample of society so that everyone takes responsibility for curbing this practice.

Mental health expert Prakriti Poddar, Managing Director at the Poddar Foundation, said parents need to understand how fragile their children’s mental well-being is and be proactive in assessing it.

“Teachers also need to be trained in identifying symptoms and patterns of mental problems. Apart from this, educational institutions should put in place psychological counseling programs to help students deal with their problems confidentially. Each child has a different coping mechanism. Therefore, the counseling programs should be flexible, to meet the needs of each child individually. If necessary, a student should be referred to a mental health professional for prompt intervention, ”Poddar said.

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