Three hundred sixty-one school, college, university and madrasa students committed suicide across Bangladesh in the first eight months of this year, according to a survey by the non-governmental organization Aachol Foundation.
The findings of the survey were revealed at an online seminar, titled “Increasing student suicide rate: How to solve it,” on Saturday morning.
The organization said over the same period, 364 students committed suicide last year, and the overall number was 532.
This year, the organization collected information about student suicides from 105 national and local newspapers and online portals of the country.
According to the survey data, on average, about 45.13 students committed suicide every month in the last eight months.
Of the 361, there were 169 school students, 96 college students, 66 university students and 30 madrasa students. Of them, 147 were male students and 214 were female students.
Dhaka tops suicide list
Dhaka division saw the highest number of suicides till August - 31.3% of suicides were committed here.
Besides, 13% committed suicide in Khulna division, 14.10% in Chittagong, 8.90% in Rangpur, 10% in Mymensingh, 11.90% in Rajshahi, 8.30% in Barishal and 2.5% in Sylhet.
Female students had a higher suicide rate and were more likely to commit suicide.
Of the 361 students, 59.30% were girls.
Some 26.60% of the female students committed suicide due to emotional perturbation, 18.70% over love affairs, 8.40% due to mental imbalance, 9.80% due to family disputes, 5.10% due to sexual harassment, and 12.60% due to pressure and failure in studies.
More school-going students committing suicide
Considering the level of education of the students who committed suicide, the foundation found that the highest number (46.8%) of suicides were committed by school students. Of these, 112 were female students and 57 were male students.
Besides, 26.60% were college-going students, while the rate for university students was 18.30%.
Among those who committed suicide, 8.31% were madrasa students.
30 madrasa students commit suicide
Of the 361 students, 30 madrasa students committed suicide. Of these, 53.30% were female students. The suicide rate of male students was 46.70%.
Emotional perturbation was the reason behind the suicide of 40% of madrasa students. Sexual abuse was responsible for 13.30% of suicides and 10% of them were over love affairs.
Aachol Foundation Founder President Tansen Rose said: "In previous suicide data, we found that romantic relationships were more responsible for suicide, but this time different information is coming out. Emotional perturbation played a key role in the suicides. Suicide due to emotional perturbation raises concerns about how strong relationships between families and children are."
"Covid-19 played a big role in suicides last year. This year, even if there is no Covid crisis, the number of suicides increases our fear," she added.
National Institute of Mental Health Associate Professor Dr Helal Uddin Ahmed said: "The number of suicides in 2022 and 2023 is similar. However, not everyone experiencing emotional distress takes their own life. Many people face romantic disappointments, but not all of them resort to suicide. We will examine these issues while considering an individual's emotional tolerance level. The World Health Organization (WHO) emphasizes addressing suicide without using any kind of rhetorical words. It is essential to keep these factors in mind."
"We should focus on physical and mental health. Families as well as teachers need to be responsible for mental health.”
He further said: "It is essential for us to be attentive to both our physical and mental health. Alongside families, teachers should also take care of the mental well-being of students."