Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds globally. An obstacle to preventing suicide is a lack of awareness of suicide as a major public health problem and the surrounding taboo to openly discuss this issue (WHO, 2017). To support young people to speak out about suicide, Fundación Anar Peru has teamed up with Netflix series ’13 Reasons Why’ which address the issue of suicide and teenagers.
The complexity of the issue of suicide requires collaboration between a range of different stakeholders, including the media and child protection agencies. The collaboration between Fundación Anar Peru and Netflix is a great example of this!
The series promote information and links to child helplines, including Fundación Anar, at the end of the episodes. Young people and parents who follow the series can call Fundación Anar Peru for psychosocial support and advice. Read more on the series’ website.
This collaboration will hopefully lead to young people and parents feeling more comfortable expressing their thoughts and concerns, and will ensure that they are getting the help they need from trained child helpline counsellors.