20-yr-old Egyptian Student Jumps off 614 ft Cairo Tower Committing Suicide
Mangaluru: A 20 year old Egyptian student committed suicide on 30 November 2019 after jumping off Cairo Tower. The tower is one of Cairo’s most famous landmarks. It was designed by the Egyptian architect Naoum Shebib and built between 1954-1961 on the Gezira Island. As per sources, this young Egyptian man, had booked a ticket to the Tower and jumped off the building’s fence. Initial investigations showed that the young man, who was studying at Helwan university , suffered from some psychological issues. Nader had informed a friend that he intended to commit suicide. Even though the incident happened 10 days ago, but presently Video footage is circulating online of this student.
Egypt has always been listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to have the lowest suicide rate, at less than five suicides per 100,000 people. Social media users have been circulating the video of the incident, showing one of his friends trying to save him but, the victim insisted on jumping. Suicide cases in Egypt is often registered as accidental deaths by families of the deceased, as it is considered a sinful act.
In a widely shared post on Twitter Nader said he decided to kill himself after five years of study because university took away his soul, his life, his mind. According to the Egyptian Coordination for Rights and Freedoms, more than 150 people, around 25-30 of age have committed suicide in the last eight months, several by jumping in front of trains. Suicide and mental health public services are underfunded, professionals don’t have adequate training and social stigma prevents people seeking help.
Sources reveal that Suicide rates in Egypt have shot up in the last two years as the cost of living and the unemployment rate have skyrocketed. In August the Egyptian National Centre for Criminal and Social Studies found that 25 per cent of Egyptians suffer from mental illness due to the high rate of poverty, which pushed 60 per cent of these to consider suicide.
Not just in Cairo-Egypt, even here in our town we see and hear quite a few suicides committed by youth. What should we do next? Every day we hear a different story but with the same outcomes, whether jumping off a bridge, or hanging or lying on a railway track, hearts will be broken eventually. Suicide is a subject that many don’t take seriously or even acknowledge. However, how are we supposed to address one of the leading causes of death worldwide? This is why we need to become more informed and broaden our understanding regarding this issue. We should also do our very best to offer people the help they need in their darkest moments, and the best way to start is to talk about important issues like this more, raise awareness and be understanding of one another’s struggles.
Inputs from :See-Egy English News