Sixteen suicide cases had been reported among children from early 2023 to July 10, in addition to 176 attempted suicides, most of them among girls, Minister of Family, Women, Childhood and the Elderly Amel Bel Haj Moussa said on Tuesday. Speaking at a study day on the social empowerment programme for families, she pointed to a rise in the number of home births using traditional methods. The National Institute of Statistics recorded 9,106 cases of home births in 2020, Bel Haj Moussa specified, indicating that the governorate of Manouba had been in the lead with 3,213 cases, followed by Kairouan with 1,092 cases. The programme for the social empowerment of families, launched in 2019 and covering 18 governorates, has helped study the phenomena seen within families and conduct a sociological analysis, she explained. Sociology experts presented a series of proposals and recommendations at regional and national level, with the aim of helping develop working mechanisms for the implementation of programmes in various regions. The importance of ensuring better coordination between stakeholders and developing the legal aspect in Tunisia in order to combat these phenomena were among the points raised during the event.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse