A 16-year-old girl whose name has been withheld because she is a minor hanged herself in Pul-arok Village in Lakes State’s Rumbek East County after her brother stopped her from attending a local wrestling event on Tuesday.
Rumbek East County Commissioner Malual Anyuon told this publication that the girl was missing, prompting a search by relatives who found her dead body hanging from a tree.
“The girl was not around, and she was not at her place of residence. The people around searched for her until they found her hanging dead from a tree,” he narrated. “She is in primary six, and the cause of her committing suicide was explained by her father, who said the deceased was prevented from going to the local wrestling site in the village by her brother. Her parents were not around because they had gone to a marriage ceremony where they spent the night.”
Commissioner Anyuon urged parents and relatives to allow their daughters to attend and enjoy cultural events to avoid such incidents.
For his part, Daniel Laat Kon, a civil society activist in Lakes State, described the incident as very unfortunate.
“We heard about an underage girl committing suicide in Pul-arok Village after not being allowed to go watch local traditional wrestling,” he said. “This is very unfortunate, and I am calling upon county authorities to investigate this incident thoroughly.”
Laat revealed that suicide cases are very common and that they have been engaging the government to ensure that people who contribute to suicide are held accountable.
“There is a need for investigations, and parents are found to have contributed to the death, they should also be held accountable,” he stated. “We are still calling on international partners and UN organizations to support national organizations to come up with activities that can support our people by creating awareness and opening basic counseling centers that can help our communities.”