Mohamed Seif Eldin-Cairo
A student at the Faculty of Engineering at Helwan University committed suicide by throwing himself from the top of the Cairo Tower on Saturday, local media reported.
According to preliminary investigations conducted by the Egyptian authorities, the student was found to be in a bad psychological condition and informed his friend a few days ago of his intention to commit suicide.
Suicide rates have increased in Egypt in recent years, with the Egyptian Coordination for Rights and Freedoms (Civil Society Organization) monitoring a significant increase in the number of suicides, especially among young people (25- and 30-year-olds), by recording more than 150 cases during the last eight months .
Egypt ranks 96 globally in terms of suicides among young people, with the number of suicides per year exceeding 4,250, according to a study conducted by the World Health Organization in 2017.
24.7% of Egyptians also suffer from psychological problems, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) in April 2018.
Experts believe that the high rates of suicide among Egyptian youth, reflecting the reality of social, economic and political frustration.
In May, the Egyptian Ministry of Health launched a campaign entitled “Your life is worth living”, which included the opening of the first specialized government clinic to combat suicide.
The campaign aims to address the phenomenon and raise community awareness of the dangers of suicide and its causes and mechanisms of prevention and reduce mortality, according to the head of the Secretariat of Mental Health Hospitals in the Ministry Mona Abdel Maqsoud.