The Hellenic Society of Forensic Medicine (HSFM) carried out a study on child suicide and found that Greece has the lowest child suicide rate in Europe. The suicide rate among Greece’s minors is 0.4 per 100,000 for boys and 0.11 per 100,000 for girls. The study was conducted as part of the broader European-wide Policy Investigation in Europe on Child Endangerment and Support (PIECES) investigating the impact of policies relating to violence against children.

The highest rates in Europe were found in Lithuania that had 6.58 per 100,000 suicides for boys and 2.09 per 100,000 in Ireland for girls.

Though the news for suicides was optimistic, there was bad news as far as child murder was concerned with a 20% increase in Greece in the number of children up to 19 years old that fell victim to murder and other violent crimes from 2012-2013.

The PIECES initiative is primarily aimed at studying the impact of committees to evaluate child deaths in Europe, in order to prevent incidents of child abuse, accidents and suicides. Committees of this kind currently exist in the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden and Romania.

HSFM President Grigoris Leon lamented the fact that there was no committee along these lines in Greece, noting tht important actions were being put on hold due to the economic crisis. He said that programs evaluting the cause of child deaths would help the state take preventive action.