Some 513 students from various parts of Bangladesh committed suicide in 2023, according to a report published on Saturday (January 27).

The report also said of the deceased 32.2 percent of students committed suicide out of depression.

A private voluntary organization, ‘Aachol’ Foundation, published the report through a virtual press conference held at 11 am.

The report was published after collecting data from various national, online, and local newspapers of the country.

According to the report, female students accounted for 60.2 percent of these tragic incidents, with 309 cases, while male student suicides stood at 204.

School students accounted for 227 or 44.2 percent of those who committed suicide. The number of college students is 140 or 27.2 percent. Madrasa students are 48 or 9.4 percent and university students are 98. As a percentage, that is 19.1, as per the report.

Public Universities leads in suicide case

Among the 98 students of the university, 26 are from National University, 19 from public university, 14 from private university, 7 students from Science and Technology University, 2 students from Polytechnic Institute, 3 students from Engineering University, 1 student from Agriculture University and 15 others.  Among them, 5 students each committed suicide in Dhaka and Chattogram universities last year.

Main Causes Of Student Suicides

'Emotional distress' emerged as the primary reason behind student suicides in Bangladesh last year, contributing to over 32 percent (165 cases) of these tragedies.

Relationships and affairs were the second leading cause, accounting for 14.8 percent of the incidents.

Mental health issues were identified in 9.9 percent of the cases, while domestic arguments and abuse contributed to 6.2 percent and 1.4 percent of the suicides.

Other significant factors leading to student suicides included academic pressures and performance.

Family pressure regarding studies led to 4.5 percent of the cases, while exam failures and underachievement in public exams were responsible for 3.4 percent and 1.8 percent of the suicides.

Sexual harassment was also a critical factor, accounting for 2.5 percent of the student suicides, while another 0.8 percent of the cases were due to feelings of humiliation.

The virtual press conference was attended by Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Saidur Rahman, Associate Professor of National Institute of Mental Health Dr. Helal Uddin Ahmed, Associate Professor, Department of Criminology, Dhaka University, ABM Nazmus Saqib.

BDST: 1707 HRS, JAN 27, 2024
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