Save the Children documents alarming upward trend in suicide cases among children and adolescents in northwestern Syria

HMOTH, Syria — Save the Children documented 246 suicides and 1748 attempted suicides in the first three months of 2021. Even more distressing, the Save the Children statistics show that one in five children in northwestern Syria commits suicide.

According to the organization’s latest report, the suicide rate during the last months of 2020 jumped by 90% compared to the beginning of 2020. Nearly half of those who committed suicide were 15 years old or younger. An additional 20% of suicides were of adolescents and young adults between 16 and 20 years old.

The latest confirmed case was of a 14-year-old displaced child in Hemto (Hama) late last month.

Regarding child suicide causes, Director of CoTeam Mental Health Center in the Netherlands, psychologist Aram Hasan, stated that there are many causes, including economic and psychological factors. The war has caused the migration and displacement of millions of Syrians.

As for girls, Hasan stated that they fall victim to early marriages that affect their mental and physical health negatively. In many parts of Syria, abuse of women and girls is systemic and economic and educational opportunities are often closed off to them.