Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 12: At least 66 children have ended their lives in Kerala since the Covid-19 lockdown began on March 25 with youngsters facing stress unable to bear the unprecedented situation where schools are shut and friends are out of reach to share their woes.
According to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, there has been an increasing instance of suicidal tendencies among children in the state due to various reasons, including parents scolding them over mobile phone use and failure to attend online classes.
This has prompted the government to launch a teleconsultation facility for children facing stress and also cautioning parents against hurting their sentiments while being concerned about welfare of their wards. It has also ordered a study into the issue. "Among the children an increasing instance of suicidal tendency is being witnessed which will become an extremely serious social issue.
Since March 25, when the national lockdown was imposed, 66 children, below 18 years of age, have ended their lives due to various reasons", Vijayan said. A mother scolding her child for not attending the ongoing online classes, or a parent questioning a child for downloading a sleazy video on the smartphone or the constant rift between the parents were among the reasons which triggered the suicidal tendency, he said on Saturday.
As the schools have not yet re-opened due to the lockdown, the children are unable to meet their friends and share their problems. Vijayan said though the parents were intervening keeping in mind their child's welfare, it was essential to ensure that the young minds were not hurt in the process. To helpthe children facing issues relating to mental pressures, 'Chiri'atele-counselling initiative has been started by the government under its Our Responsibility to Children Programme (ORC), a planned community intervention that connects with people between the age of 12-18 years. The state health department has also launched "Ottakalla Oppamundu" (You are not alone,we are with you) programmeto help children facing any kind of mental distress and to prevent the suicidal tendencies among them.
Health Minister K K Shailaja said under the psychosocial support assistance, her department has so far reached out to 68,814 children and 10,890 children have been given counselling. The changes in the behaviour of their children should be noted by the family members and if they find something amiss, the district psychosocial help desk should be informed, she said. A 15-member team of Students Police Cadets will be constituted in each of the 14 districts to help the children needing any assistance,police sources said. Education should not be a competition, but a means to gain knowledge, Vijayan said.
A society's future lies with the children and it is the duty of the society and the government to ensure their physical and mental well being. Taking a serious view of the situation, the state government has constituteda committee headed byFire and Rescue Services DGP R Sreelekha to conduct a study on child suicides in the state. The aim of the ORC was also to create a multi collaborative platform for government and professional agencies, parents and teachers to equip youth with appropriate know-how to face challenges, officials said.
Speaking to media persons Sanjeev Matandoor, Daskhina Kannada district unit president of BJP, said that some youths were forcibly converted to Islam but no action was taken to curb what he termed conversion racket.
Comments
This is a advance education era. Most of the grown up childrens are well capabe to understand what is good what us bad. What is God's Creation and what is not. In our Inpendence country every one have right to choose their choice.
Orthere no need to interfere or they have right to do any forcefull act fo
Convert the rest or to do forcefull Ghar Wapsi.
Trust street mongers will stop these non sense activity.
Some one faught with his father n left home. Some mentally group's trying to create communal tension in South Kanara surroundings.
State Govt n dept must take strict action n send them behind bar for at least 6 months period is the only right remedy.
Jai Hind
bjp has no other issue and that is the reason they take up converion issue. Its cleared by Police Dept that no case of forced conversion taken place in Suliya. Based on this, Police should ban hate mongers from giving any speech and ban these terrorist organisations.
More & More people converted to Islam in USA & Britain so that they can create another Afaghanistan & Syria
Bopanna...
I feel you need more education on God... U look dumb when u dont study about your enemies.. Dont just depend on cheddis fed info on islam...
Use your own intellect and read your enemies book The QURAn...
I will help U ... read online theQuranProject , well explained for people like you... Try it man.
Another pillar of Islam
1. Bombs
@Sangeeth, Mangalore
Yes! they converted because of listening to zakir naik's speeches. Because he speak the truth. and they liked the truth.
Entire Karnataka incluidng Dakshina Kannada is crying for drinking water. But these shakunis are worried about religious conversions.
I want to ask the bunch of jokers in this forum - Viren, Yogesh & Sangeeth
Your voice speaks that you are really worried of growing popularity of Islam
Why do you think people are forcibly converted? Are they illiterates ?
You will agree to the fact that in this modern age, each product has its own USP and just imagine why there are more Airtel subscribers in the country compared to other telecom providers ?
Are the customers compelled to subscribe for their product ? In this age, every individual are smart enough to decide which one suites him.
So it is foolish to tell people are being converted forcibly
Yogesh...how innocent Hindus became chaddis...this is mind wash from terrorist group RSS
@Yogesh
UK's No 1 News channel
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1343954/100-000-Islam-converts-…
@Yogesh proof for yogesh
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1343954/100-000-Islam-converts-…
http://www.ibtimes.com/muslims-america-more-latinos-converting-islam-us…
CELEBRITIES WHO CONVERTED TO ISLAM, SO MANY
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_converts_to_Islam
And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him) ?3:85?.
In this Ayah ?3:19?, Allah said, asserting that the only religion accepted with Him is Islam,
No other religion book says. We dont benifit by converting u people, u are getting benifitted.
At the end of the day, those who doesnt follow and practice islam. He will be the loser.
More educated person is converting to islam than non educated ones.
Highest people are converting islam is from britain and america. There is no pint of force converting.
After 9/11 to prove quran wrong. many started to studing quran, they found that it is the true peace religion. And the terrorists are doing anti islamic. Against islam. So many people converted stil now people are converting.
Many big celebrities like mohammed ali, tyson, tony blairs sister are all converted to islam
please note that hindus converting to islam because of some hate speeches made by hindu leaders like kalladka
@VIren
U should Thank Arabs, the word Hindu is given by Arabs.
The actual Religion is named as Sanathan Dharm. Which nobody Follows.
@viren
How Hindu Population is Increasing, Show me a single Person who converted from Islam to Hindu.
i think u r just telling Opposite,
Plz Check, Ur family Members might have converted to Islam.
Police should arrest all PFI goons , hindu population is increasing day by day and PFI aware about it
Just say in ur heart, La ilaaha illalla Muhammed arra Soorula, u Have passed first stage of islam. No body can stop it.
This is the power of islam.
The Five Pillars consist of:
Shahadah: sincerely reciting the Muslim profession of faith.
Salat: performing ritual prayers in the proper way five times each day.
Zakat: paying an alms (or charity) tax to benefit the poor and the needy.
Sawm: fasting during the month of Ramadan.
Hajj: pilgrimage to Makkah.
No other religion book says so.
Hindus make idols, But i think, the man who makes the idol. is greater than idol.
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