Shafaq News- Baqubah

Suicide rates among minors in Iraq’s Diyala province have risen markedly since last year, the local office of the High Commission for Human Rights said on Wednesday.

Salah Mahdi, head of the commission’s office in Diyala, told Shafaq News that around 15 minors have taken their own lives during this period, with cases involving individuals aged between 15 and 16, and as young as nine years old, describing the figure as a “serious indicator” that requires in-depth study and concrete measures to address the underlying causes.

Mahdi explained that the main factors behind the cases include domestic violence, psychological problems, academic pressure, and addiction to electronic games and social media platforms, adding that the Human Rights Commission’s office is monitoring these cases and organizing lectures, seminars in schools, public venues, universities, and government institutions “to examine the phenomenon and discuss ways to confront it.”

Earlier, a source in the Diyala Police Command had revealed that the province registered more than 40 suicide cases in 2025. In recent weeks, Diyala has recorded several suicide cases, including two female secondary school students born in 2010 in the cities of Baqubah and Baladruz.

Read more: When life feels closed from all sides: Iraq’s rising suicide cases