Parents of Student Who Died by Suicide Push for Legal Duty of Care in Universities

The parents of Natasha Abrahart, a physics student who took her own life after alerting university staff to her suicidal thoughts, are campaigning for higher education providers to have a statutory duty of care for their students. Bob and Maggie Abrahart’s daughter was suffering from severe social anxiety when she died in April 2018, after being required to give a public presentation at the University of Bristol despite expressing her distress, via the Mirror.

Natasha, 20, had reached out to university staff three months before her death, stating: “I’ve been having suicidal thoughts and to a certain degree attempted it.” However, she was not excused from the presentation, and her anxiety escalated. On the day she was due to present, Natasha tragically died by suicide.

Bob, 68, and Maggie, 62, are determined to bring change as thousands of students begin a new university term. “After Natasha died, we were appalled to learn she was the tenth of eleven students to die at Bristol University within an 18-month period. It felt like a lot of these students suffered death by indifference, and we don’t think that’s acceptable,” Bob said, reported by the Daily Record.

In May 2022, the Abraharts won a lawsuit against the University of Bristol, claiming the institution violated the European Human Rights Act by discriminating against Natasha’s disability, severe social anxiety. They were awarded a £50,000 settlement after a judge found breaches of the Equality Act 2010, but the ruling did not address whether the university owed Natasha a duty of care under negligence law.

The Abraharts are now leading the ForThe100 campaign, advocating for duty of care to be a legal requirement for universities. The campaign, named in memory of the approximately 100 students who die by suicide each year, supports bereaved families and offers practical and emotional aid. Last year, ForThe100 filed a petition with 120,000 signatures, prompting a House of Commons debate in May 2023. However, the government decided against changing the legislation.

Despite this setback, Bob, a retired geography lecturer from the University of Nottingham, is resolute. “Universities owe a duty of care to their students,” he insisted. Natasha’s severe anxiety was not evident at home, Maggie explained, as social anxiety can be situation-dependent. At university, however, it became paralyzing, preventing Natasha from speaking in public.

The inquest into Natasha’s death revealed that her fear of public speaking worsened when she moved to a shared flat in her second year. Despite enjoying some university activities, she struggled with one-on-one interviews after lab work and failed to cope with the presentation requirement, which she expressed in an email to staff: “I wanted to tell you that the past few days have been really hard, I’ve been having suicidal thoughts… I want help to go to the student health clinic or wherever you think is a good place to go.”

The inquest also revealed that Natasha was referred to a GP in February 2018, and the doctor strongly suspected severe social anxiety, referring her to the crisis team. However, she was still waiting for assessment when she died and was required to complete the presentation.

Maggie recalled the moment they learned of Natasha’s death as “the worst moment of our lives.” Bob expressed frustration: “I’ve had students who’ve struggled with speaking in public, and I’ve always found a way around it for them. Why couldn’t someone have done that for Natasha?”

The University of Bristol responded, stating, “We care deeply about all our students and staff, which is why the mental health and wellbeing of our community is at the heart of decision making across the University. We continue to develop and improve our services to support those who need help.”

The Abraharts remain committed to their campaign, striving to create a safer environment for students in higher education.