Chefchaouen records average of one suicide a week, prompting demands for intervention

A rising number of deaths by suicide in the northern city of Chefchaouen is alarming activists and the local community, prompting citizens to demand authorities utilize the possible resource to enforce mental health support in Morocco.

The province of Chefchaouen is currently leading Moroccan regions with the largest number of suicides, as figures reveal that the region recorded 240 cases in the past seven years, an average of one suicide per week.

According to the data relayed by a variety of local NGOs, this shocking and regular increase in suicide cases have been “met with silence from the government,” laments the “Yes to Life… Youth Against Suicide” NGO.

The association added, in a statement published on its social media platforms, that “the reasons behind these suicides vary, and cannot be listed accurately, as by examining the types of suicides, we find that they are of different ages and both sexes, even among minors and children.”

The reasons behind this alarming rate of suicides in the region can be attributed to marginalization and unemployment, especially considering how most residents in the Blue Pearl lived off of tourist revenues, which since the spread of COVID-19 have been slow to non-existent.

The absence of job opportunities for young people of the region, and the inaccessibility of some of life’s simplest necessities such as water, electricity, infrastructure, and healthcare in the town’s outskirts are among the factors listed by regional activists.

In addition, the spread of drug addiction, poverty and isolation contribute to the spread of frustration and feelings of anxiety among the younger segments of the local population.

Hajar Chleih, head of the “Yes to Life… Youth Against Suicide” association, called for the need to intervene by “monitoring people who suffer from psychological or neurological disorders that require treatment, or who are living through harsh conditions, or who have been exposed to traumatic experiences, and contact officials for proactive intervention.”

Chleih said, in a statement to Hespress AR, that “cases of suicide in the region are experiencing a remarkable rise, but have yet to meet any action or intervention from authorities’ part,” calling on regional officials in the health sector “to give attention to psychological treatment, provide medication, and carry out treatment campaigns targeting mental patients, similar to other medical campaigns.”

The activist confirmed to Hespress AR that her NGO had previously submitted “an integrated program for the Ministry of Family and Solidarity in order to finance and support a number of activities aimed at monitoring the phenomenon and sensitizing its triggers and limiting them for a number of institutions, whether elected or otherwise.”

Despite Chefchaouen holding a significantly higher ranking in terms of numbers of suicides in Morocco, nationally, the situation is just as alarming.

A recent World Bank report monitored 7.2 suicides out of every 100,000 individuals in Morocco, which is a large number compared to the rest of Arab countries.

Parliamentarian Fadoua Mohcine Hayan of the Popular Movement Party had stated that the mental health of Moroccans requires more attention and action from the government, highlighting that a high number of people are suffering from mental illnesses that often go undiagnosed and untreated.

The parliamentarian cited the World Bank study, which indicates that approximately 42.1% of Moroccans experience psychological or mental disorders at some time, while 26% suffer from depression, and the rest suffers from other psychological diseases such as anxiety, mental disorders, and schizophrenia.

The parliamentarian called on the government to intervene to take measures to address this problem, especially since the phenomenon is constantly increasing, adding that “this data means that there is an urgent need for psychiatrists, especially since their number does not exceed 430 in the Kingdom.”