Sir, The family of Harry Armstrong Evans are right to call on universities to publish the number of suicides among their students (news and leading_artiticle,Nov 1).There is an epidemic in mental health conditions among our young people, with one in six children in England experiencing probable mental disorder. Many of these problems worsened during the pandemic, and universities are increasingly likely to find more of their students struggling with anxiety or depression. They have a duty of care to support them, which some are failing to meet. A “Harry’s Law” would be a positive step towards making sure universities understand their role in safeguarding students’ mental health. I hope our higher education institutions embrace it: doing so would save lives.
Anne Longfield Chair,
Commission on Young Lives; Children’s Commissioner for England 2015-21