Child mortality spikes in Homiel region, with suicide cited as a leading cause
In the first six months of this year, 15 children died from external causes in the Homiel region, compared to 16 such deaths during the same period last year.
The Homiel Regional Prosecutor’s Office reported that 15 minors died from external causes in the region during the first six months of the year, which is one fewer than the total for the entire previous year.
The primary causes of death included suicide, traffic accidents, and drowning. Additionally, two children lost their lives in a fire.
In total, 58 children died from external causes across the country in the first half of the year. The authorities are concealing suicide statistics, as the most recent data from Belstat only covers 2019. At that time, the suicide rate among individuals aged 15-19 was 8.8 per 100,000 population. In developed countries, a rate of 3-5 cases per 100,000 is considered normal.
A sociological almanac published this year highlights that over the past two decades, Belarus has transitioned from being categorised by the World Health Organisation as a country with a high suicide rate (over 20 cases per 100,000 population) to one with an average suicide rate.
In 2023, there were 1,384 recorded suicides, which is 15 cases per 100,000 population. In comparison, in 2019, the latest available data from Belstat reported 17.7 cases per 100,000 population.
