JINHA

WAN – With an 11-year-old girl apparently hanging herself, the small rural district of Özalp in Van province has had its third alleged women's suicide in 15 days.

Fifth grade student Z.T., 11, was found hung with a rope in the neighborhood of Pîrmeyrem (Yumruklu, in Turkish). Her body has been sent to the province's capital of Van for an autopsy and gendarmes are investigating the event in the district, which has a total population of around 74,000.

Van province has a history of an extremely high number of alleged suicides of women and young girls. Given that families often cover up femicide by claiming that a woman committed suicide, women are calling for the full investigation of the alleged suicides.

(zd/cm)