8-year-old girl commits suicide

An eight-year-old girl reportedly committed suicide after her aunt reprimanded her for dirtying herself with ash while playing with other children at home.

According to local leaders, Rebecca Aber reportedly hanged herself with a rope on a tree at their home in Rom Village, Pageya Parish, Koro Sub-county, Omoro District on Saturday.

Aber was a Primary Two pupil at St Anthony Nursery and Primary School in Omoro.
Mr Denis Awidi, the deceased’s father, told Daily Monitor yesterday that on the fateful day, he had gone to attend a wedding ceremony about 7km away from home and left his daughter at home with her grandmother.
“My fellow catechist who was to lead prayers had forgotten his Bible behind. So he asked for a favour from me to help him with mine but I had also left it at home. When I rode back home, I found my daughter in a hut crying while her head was covered with ashes,” Mr Awidi narrated.

He said he could not ask his daughter why she was crying because he was in a hurry to return to the wedding party.
“I told my mother to find out what had happened to her but an hour later while I was away, she called me on phone that my daughter had committed suicide,” Mr Awidi recounted.

Her sister watched her die
According to Mr Awidi, the deceased confided in her six-year-old sister that she was going to kill herself and she should not tell anyone about the plan.
“Her young sister watched how she [deceased] climbed the tree, tied the noose and hanged herself till she breathed her last. It’s a very unfortunate scenario…,” he said.

He revealed that plans were underway to hold a clan meeting to find out why the girl committed suicide and why ash was poured on her head.

INCIDENTS
According to police records, last year more than 15 people mostly men committed suicide in Koro, Odek, Lakwana and Lalogi sub-counties. This prompted Omoro District administration and Acholi Religious Peace Initiative to hold end-of- year prayers at Lapainat Primary School last month.