Child Suicide and Harsh Punishment in Germany at the Turn of the Last Century

At the turn of the century in Germany, there was general disquiet concerning the increasing numbers of child suicides. This concern gave raise to two important questions: What kind of children commit suicide and what does this say about the way they are brought up? Figures indicated, that fear of punishment and maltreatment in general were the most frequent causes for children ending their lives. However, suicidal children were believed to be mentally ill as well as the weak product of a lax upbringing. So the concern about child suicide resulted in a plea for stricter upbringing. The child was blamed for its suicide, not the practice of harsh treatment.