Series of Teen Suicides Shocks an Iranian City

A spate of suicides among teenage students in the city of Ramhormoz in Khuzestan province has sparked fear in the local community, and raised awareness about the lack of educational support available in the area. 

A 15-year-old girl in Ramhormoz hanged herself because she did not have a mobile phone, reporter Fardin Azarian told the Asr-e Jonub news network. Elsewhere in the country, teenagers have also taken their own lives because they have not been able to access online classes, learning tools and educational materials, but it has not been confirmed that this was the reason for the girl’s suicide in Khuzestan. However, the head of the Ramhormoz Education Department, Rahim Rostami, has said that out of 27,000 students in the city, at least 4,000 do not have the mobile phone required to continue their education. Online learning is on the rise across the country, particularly since the coronavirus outbreak.

According to local news agencies, there have been five similar suicides among students in Ramhormoz in the last month. Rostami said in one recent case, the family of the girl who took her own life refused to give her a phone so she could continue her education because of gender prejudice.

The educational official cited a range of reasons for the suicides, including "family disputes, prejudice, intellectual and emotional pressures, and failure to meet needs.” By “needs,” the official was likely referring to medical and healthcare needs, food, or access to education.