Minister of the Family, Women, Children and the Elderly Amel Belhaj Moussa said that 259 suicide attempts had been committed by children in 2022 compared with 194 in 2021, up 33%.

She pointed out, during a meeting organised to mark the end of child protection month, devoted to the presentation of data and statistics on the activities of child protection delegates in 2022, that 80% of attempted suicides had been committed by girls.

Belhaj Moussa said that a study would be conducted on this phenomenon by the Ministry of the Family to identify the causes of attempted suicides among children in a scientific and objective manner.

The overall number of reports of violence against children reached 8,135 in 2022, compared with 7,100 in 2021, while physical violence against boys accounted for 29% of all violence, compared with 20% against girls.

Child protection delegates had handled 109 cases of drug-using children and received 758 requests for mediation, the Women’s Minister said, noting that most mediation cas
es had involved theft, violence and damage caused to others, the minister indicated.

She pointed out that 848 cases of childbirth outside marriage had been recorded in 2022, compared with 802 in 2021.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse