The besieged Syrian town of Madaya, located some 25 miles northwest of Damascus, is facing an uptick in child suicide attempts as the nation’s civil war ravages on, according to a human rights group.
Doctors reported at least six children and seven young adults have attempted to commit suicide over the past two months, Save the Children confirmed in a statement Thursday. The youngest of those was a 12-year-old girl.
There were virtually zero cases before the regime of Syrian President Bashar al Assad imposed the siege in July 2015.
"The long siege of Madaya and other towns is taking its toll on people’s minds as well as their bodies," said Sonia Khush, Syria director for Save the Children. "The pressure of living under these conditions for years on end without respite is too much to bear, especially for children."
A teacher in Madaya, identified as Rula, said the children at her school are psychologically "crushed."
"When we do activities like singing with them, they don’t react at all, they don’t laugh like they would normally," Rula said. "They draw images of children being butchered in the war, or tanks, or the siege and lack of food."
More than 250,000 children are currently living under siege in Syria, according to Save the Children. The United Nations warned in August that it was only able to deliver aid to two of the 19 areas it classifies as besieged.
Doctors have said hundreds of people "are suffering from psychological problems and mental illness including severe depression and paranoia, often brought on or exacerbated by the conditions they are living in," the statement said. The situation is worsened due to a lack of mental health care and basic medical treatment in the region.
The Assad regime has not permitted humanitarian relief in Madaya since April. The town gained international attention after more than 60 residents died from hunger and malnutrition.
Syria’s five-year civil war has killed an estimated 400,000 people since March 2011.