Silent protest to be held in memory of suicide teen

A silent protest will be held on Saturday night outside the offices of the social welfare department in the memory of 15-year-old, Stylianos, who committed suicide last week, the Centre of Gender Equality and History said on Saturday.

The boy was found dead by his father last week at a farm in a village in the Nicosia district.

Following reports of abject poverty, psychological problems and domestic violence in the boy’s family, social welfare services have found themselves under scrutiny over whether they had handled the case properly and whether the boy’s death could have been prevented.

Following the tragedy, the boy’s younger siblings, eight and 10, were removed from their family home.

The protest will be at 9pm and attendees are asked to wear black clothes. There will be a candlelight vigil.

The centre said: “We will protest in silence and demand punishment for the perpetrators and change of laws to protect victims of domestic violence.”

On Wednesday, the cabinet ordered an independent investigation across four state agencies to determine if any had criminal or disciplinary responsibility after the suicide.

Speaking after the cabinet meeting, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Zeta Emilianidou, who tabled the proposal for a sweeping investigation, said it would be carried out by the Ombudswoman. The probe concerns the state mental health services, the education ministry, the police and the social welfare services.

It will cover the years 2007 until 2019.

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