Amidst the hustle and bustle of elections and corruption cases, the government, the teacher-parent community, and the cultural and religious leadership are drawing attention to a serious issue that Kerala has not discussed: the alarming increase in suicide rates among our children in the past few months. The suicide rate among Keralites is increasing every year. Kerala, which was ranked fifth in the country, later ranked fourth, and according to the latest report released by the National Crime Records Bureau, it is ranked third. Alcoholism and drug abuse are considered the main causes of suicide among adults in Kerala. Family problems, health problems, unemployment, and poverty are also considered reasons for people ending their lives. A study conducted by the State Youth Commission shows that in the last five years, most of those who committed suicide were between the ages of 31 and 40.
But why are so many children, from pre-teens to university students, rushing to leave their homes and country behind? More than 300 children, who welcomed the year 2025 with joy and weaved many childhood dreams, have ended their lives and returned before the year ended. Are there any investigations or studies being conducted in this regard? It is already too late for everyone to put aside all the din, put aside their differences and come together to think deeply about it and find a solution.The daughter who ended her life the other day in Kondotty Melangadi in Malappuram district was only 13 years old. The reason for this is reported to have been an argument over using a mobile phone. Last month, in Narani near Neyyattinkara in Thiruvananthapuram district, an eighth-grade boy was forcibly dropped at school by his family who had refused to go; after returning, he disappeared from life. No one can escape saying that these are isolated incidents. We have many such cases to count from every district of Kerala. In Thrissur district, three children ended their lives in the last week of February this year. In Kasaragod district alone, four students have committed suicide in the last 10 days: children who were brilliant in studies and extracurricular subjects, who were the pride of the country and schools, and who were the light of their homes. One of them was the one everyone was waiting for as a future prospect in chess. There are similarities in the manner of death as well; no one can find the reason.
Academic pressure and problems at home and school have long been considered the causes of student suicides. The number of children who are mentally injured in fights between adults at home and leave the scene has increased more than ever before. The number of those who are fed up with life has also increased due to discrimination by teachers and insults from classmates. However, the role of digital addiction and the cyber underworld in the doubling of student suicides in the past few years cannot be denied. Many children have disappeared in ways that parents, teachers, or even close friends could not imagine. By the time they realise that the sudden changes in children who were cheerful, playing, and excelling in their studies, and their subsequent behaviour according to someone else's orders, were signs of impending death, the script of life is irrevocably lost. After the Covid lockdown, the dependence on mobile phones has increased all over the world. It has changed our lifestyle and behavior in a way that has changed our lives. In the case of children, they have been addicted to mobile phones and their content in a very deadly way. There is no telling how many children have been pushed to death by dangerous, violent games and unknown people who take control of their lives. The children should not end up as obituary items in newspapers or mere names in the condolence resolutions of school assemblies. Urgent efforts must be made to put an end to the tragedy of suicide by giving priority to their rights, well-being and safety.