A boy hanged himself in Siberia’s Transbaikal Territory after seeing his father’s suicide, a spokesman for the regional investigation department said on Wednesday.
Child and teenage suicide in Russia came into spotlight after a series of suicides last month. On February 6 two teenage girls jumped from the roof of a high-rise building. The next day a 15-year-old boy jumped from the window of his apartment presumably after a row with his father. Subsequently, at least four other children committed suicide in about one week.
On Monday afternoon a seven-year-old boy hanged himself on a synthetic cord in his house. His stepfather and sister were in the house at the moment, but could not rescue him.
“After the boy witnessed his father’s suicide, he occassionally asked his mother what happens when you put a rope around your neck,” investigation department spokesman Yegor Markov said.
An investigation into the case is ongoing with incitement to suicide also being probed as a possible version.
From 1,500 to 2,000 teenagers commit suicide in Russia every year. The figure is three times higher than the global average.