A young girl is among the two who ended their lives in Balochistan’s districts Gwadar and Kech, the sources have said.
According to reports, a 17-year-old teenage girl committed suicide in the Hoshap area of district Kech. The police identified the girl as Saba d/o Muhammad and said they are further investigating the incident.
The local sources said that teenager ended her life due to familial pressures., which is the leading cause of suicide among women in Balochistan among other issues such as mental health problems.
In a separate incident, a young boy committed suicide in the coastal city of Gwadar. The boy, identified as Moeed, was a student and a resident of Kalach. The suicide motive is not yet clear.
It is pertinent to mention that suicide rates in Balochistan have seen a worrying rise in the past few months, especially among the youth. While there is no research literature on the topic, mental health experts argue that more and more young people are deciding to end their lives due to various unaddressed mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, ADHA, PTSD etc.
They say that the rampant insecurity in Balochistan has created an atmosphere of fear and anxiety where the youth, students specifically, are constantly looking over their shoulders. The experts say that the stigma surrounding mental health problems has also worsened the crisis – the youth avoid seeking professional help out of the fear of being called “weak.”
The leading cause of suicide in women is a combination of mental health problems and societal and familial pressures.