On May 19, 2021, Kira committed suicide. At 15 years old, José Manuel’s daughter took her own life while on her way to school in Catalonia. “Nine days later we found an e-mail with the message “death, die” in the school application in which teachers and students communicate,” says the father in an interview with this newspaper. The family filed a complaint with the Mossos D’Esquadra for an alleged crime of inducing suicide. “A statement was taken from ten classmates who confirmed that Kira had been a victim of ridicule for years because of her voice, because of her English that was superior to the rest, or even because of her makeup and way of dressing,” he says. Although the Provincial Court of Barcelona recognized the harassment, the case was archived. Even so, José Manuel has not stopped fighting against bullying and for the prevention of suicide in children and adolescents.
In recent days, José Manuel has traveled to the Canary Islands to offer the Regional Government’s Department of Education a decalogue against violence in schools, prepared by his organization, Trencats. “The most important thing for me has been to be able to convey what this bullying that destroys our children, that “silent killer,” is like,” he says. The increase in suicidal behavior among minors has put the population as a whole on alert. In the Archipelago, according to the latest data published by the Canarian Institute of Statistics (ISTAC), nine young people under 19 years of age took their lives in 2022: one girl and eight boys. Eight of them were between 15 and 19 years old. One, less than 15. According to figures from the World Health Organization (WHO), suicide is the third cause of death in people between 15 and 29 years old.
Along these lines, the WHO points to various risk factors for suicide, such as the misuse of alcoholic beverages, abuse in childhood or stigmatization about mental health that discourages seeking help. A report from the Canarian Health Service indicated that depression is the disorder most commonly associated with suicidal behavior. The WHO points out that between 65 and 90% of suicides and suicide attempts are related to some degree of depression. Along these lines, the organization warns that digital platforms can help prevent suicide, but also induce self-harm.
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José Manuel has focused his fight on child and adolescent suicide derived from bullying. “For years it has been explained that if violence is not repeated and lasts over time, it is not bullying. That is the definition,” he emphasizes. “It has become normalized that everything that happens until reaching that extreme is “childish things” or “coexistence conflicts.” The victim has even been blamed for not knowing how to “socialize,” says Kira’s father. According to José Manuel, the most urgent thing is to guarantee that the responsible authorities act from the first warning of violence. ”When a minor takes his or her life or suffers consequences for their mental and physical health, it is because no action has been taken from the first moment. “This must end,” he says.
The Trencats organization has transferred to the Canary Islands a series of recommendations that have already been brought to Catalonia. “Among them, that the repetition of violence is not a requirement to apply measures or open protocols,” they emphasize. Along these lines, the autonomous government has a Intervention protocol for suicidal risk in educational institutions, agreed between the areas of Education and Health. The document began to be applied in September, with the start of the school year, in all educational centers on the islands, both public, private and subsidized. The objective is to establish mechanisms for detection, assessment, intervention and coordination to act in the event of suspected suicide risk in the educational field.
The text indicates that to activate the protocol, warning signs are key: comments, behaviors or symptoms that may indicate that a person is at risk of engaging in suicidal behavior. One of the key points during the process is the interview between the student and the center’s counselor, which will determine the level of suicidal risk. “It should not be done hastily. Nor in a mechanized and impersonal way,” the protocol insists. In this interview, special situations that also require specific measures can also be identified. This is the case of situations of bullying, gender violence, child abuse or inappropriate use of social networks.
When there is a risk of suicide, vigilance on the part of the teachers is decisive, preventing the student from remaining unsupervised during breaks, in the bathrooms, when traveling to classrooms… In addition, remember the need to limit access to lethal means and monitor student attendance. The director of the center, as well as the person responsible for orientation, are the key elements within the educational field in this protocol. The involvement of the rest of the students is also essential. “If it is deemed appropriate and there is consent, a support group will be organized among the closest colleagues, so that they can support and help them socially and academically and avoid any situation of marginalization or harassment,” indicates the Canary Islands protocol.
In addition to the prevention mechanisms that must be activated in these cases, the protocol dedicates a space to postvention or how to act with the rest of the students and the educational community when a colleague takes his or her life. “Family members… Us… Life continues, and it continues the same, with the same responsibilities. Everything remains the same. Psychologists came to the house the first day. I appreciate it, but then we had to pay for the psychiatrist ourselves until today,” says Kira’s father.
During the presentation of the protocol, the Minister of Education, Poli Suárez, pointed out that deaths by suicide among students “are uncommon, at least in the Canary Islands.” However, he recalled that it is one of the leading causes of death among adolescents. “It is something that we must prevent at all costs and to which we must pay special attention,” he concluded. Along these lines, psychiatrist Francisco Acosta added that the protocol is a specific resource for prevention and action. For its implementation, the Canarian Health Service has trained more than 1,200 professionals. The Canary Islands also has the website stopssuicidioscanarias.com, which offers information to affected people, family members and friends. Furthermore, Spain has the line 024 for attention to suicidal behavior.
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