âStripped of being a childâ, suicidal thoughts on rise amid Cape Flats gang violence
By IOL Reporter
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Cape Town â Suicidal thoughts, depression and anxiety have increased significantly among many Cape Flats children as bullets fly indiscriminately and with regularity in gang-related violence. They are mentally scarred by the fear of being hit by a stray bullet â becoming yet another victim like the 8-year-old shot in the head in Manenberg over Easter while playing with friends.
Some even ask why they werenât rather left to die than have to live with a disability. In one case, a 7-year-old recently injured himself jumping through a window when experiencing an anxiety attack sparked by being a shooting victim nearly two years ago.