A pair of 12-year-old girls jumped to their deaths Tuesday in the Moscow region town of Lobnya, prompting a children's rights ombudsman to call for a federal program to address the problem of youth suicide.
The girls' bodies were found Tuesday night with wounds characteristic of a fall, the Investigative Committee said in a statement. Witnesses told investigators that they saw the girls jump from the roof of a 16-story apartment building with their hands clasped together.
Moscow region prosecutors have opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths for signs of foul play, the statement said.
The girls jumped to their deaths because they were afraid of being punished for skipping school for two weeks, media reports said.
Children's rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov said Wednesday that the problem of youth suicide should be addressed on the federal level.
"We must find out what pushed the children to commit such a frightful act. It has been said on multiple occasions that youth suicides have become one of the troubles of our time. It's obvious that this problem must be solved on the governmental level. A comprehensive program is needed," Astakhov said in comments carried by his press service.
Prosecutors have investigated past incidents of youth suicide for signs of criminal wrongdoing, including the cases of two St. Petersburg children jumping to their deaths in October and of two 18-year-old girls jumping from a 14-story building in Moscow a month before, Gazeta.ru reported. No guilty parties were identified in either case.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
