Why a child would commit suicide

Recently, there were media reports that an eight-year old boy committed suicide in Palapye after his mother refused to take him to a kgotla meeting. The question is, where did an eight year old get the idea of hanging himself? It is a rare occurrence that a child that young commits suicide.

Senior Clinical Psychologist, Mahmudur Rahman tells Mmegi that children are very sensitive people who suffer emotional frustrations from a lot of sources that parents may not be aware of. 

He says that usually pressures are from classmates who bully them and teachers who are not very supportive or are too tough on them. He says that another thing that might not seem true is that parents push their kids away and frustrate them without even realising it.

Editor's Comment
Routine child vaccination imperative

The recent Vaccination Day in Motokwe, orchestrated through collaborative efforts between UNICEF, USAID, BRCS, and the Ministry of Health, underscores a commendable stride towards fortifying child health services.The painful reality as reflected by the Ministry of Health's data regarding the decline in routine immunisation coverage since the onset of the pandemic, is a cause for concern.It underscores the urgent need to address the...

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