Girl commits suicide by taking poison for a smartphone

RABAT: A girl committed suicide by taking poisonous pills for rats over non-fulfillment of demand for a smartphone by her parents, foreign media reported.

The incident took place in Morocco’s Larache town where the deceased girl was reportedly spending a prosperous life with her parents. According to the report, the girl had demanded her parents to buy a smartphone but she died of taking poisonous pills after her wishes were not fulfilled.

The suicide rate in Morocco is recorded as the highest in North African countries in a report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) in September last year.

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The report stated that Morocco shows 3.6 female suicide deaths per 100,000 people as the country recorded 1,014 suicides, of which 613 are women. The rates in other North African countries remained below 3.0. Libya showed the second-highest female suicide rate (2.3), followed by Tunisia (2.2), Algeria (1.8), and finally Egypt (1.7), it stated.

The country has the lowest male suicide rate. Per 100,000 people, 2.5 Moroccan males committed suicide. In comparison, Tunisia scored a rate of 4.4, followed by Algeria with a 4.9 rate. Egypt and Libya showed much higher rates. Egypt’s suicide rate reached 7.2, while Libya scored a high rate of 8.7.

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According to WHO’s data, “close to 800 000 people die due to suicide every year, which is one person every 40 seconds.”

“Suicide occurs throughout the lifespan and is the second leading cause of death among 15-29-year-olds globally,” says the organization. Globally, 79% of suicides occur in low- and middle-income countries.