Call for Government Action this World Suicide Prevention Day
EMBARGOED TO MONDAY 9TH SEPTEMBER: Racism and exclusion of Travellers must be addressed to reduce unjustifiable suicide rates in our community, says the Galway Traveller Movement. The Government must act now to end the spiralling levels of suicide in young Travellers in particular, says GTM spokesperson, Nora Corcoran.
The latest available figures for Traveller suicide date back to 2010, only cover adults, and indicate that suicide accounts for 11% of all adult Traveller deaths. But community representatives say the figures today are probably significantly higher, and that suicide rates amongst young male Travellers in particular are at crisis levels.
Traveller organisations are calling for a National Traveller Mental Health Strategy to combat the devastating suicide crisis within the community.
Nora Corcoran says the shocking figures are the result of decades of structural inequality which have created unemployment levels of over 80% in the Traveller community. “Can you imagine growing up in a society where you only have a one in five chance of ever getting a job, just because of your ethnic identity.”
“Travellers face the highest levels of racism and discrimination of any ethnic minority in Ireland, in employment, accommodation, education, and access to justice. This has a direct impact on mental health in our community and has created the suicide crisis.”
“Groups like GTM are forced to provide an emergency response to the crisis, when it is the Government’s responsibility to take action now to end it. We need a national Traveller Mental Health Strategy that is fully resourced and implemented on the ground and we need it now.”
Una Reynolds, Health Coordinator at GTM says, “theexperiences of daily and systematic discrimination accumulate over one’s life and are carried across generations.”
Over 80% of Travellers have been affected by suicide, while almost 90% are worried about suicide in their community, says Ms Reynolds. “The Traveller suicide crisis is now at an epidemic level and the incidences of youth suicide are becoming ever more frequent. If this was any other sector of society, a taskforce would be set up.”
Last week, psychotherapist Thomas McCann became one of the first male Travellers in Ireland to be awarded a Ph.D. Dr McCann is a founder of the Traveller Counselling Service, a community-based counselling service for the Traveller community. He says the community is frustrated because Government awareness of the Traveller suicide crisis has not translated into action
“Recommendations have been made and reports have been published, but this has not created the change which is so urgently needed. The lack of any real action has a negative impact on Traveller mental health. It adds to the burden of racism and exclusion when it comes to employment and accessing goods and services.”
Dr McCann raises the role that social media now has on mental health and the suicide rate. “The long-quoted figure of the Traveller suicide rate being six times that of the settled population is almost certainly underestimated by now. Social media has become a constant in our lives in the intervening years. It’s negative impact on vulnerable young Travellers cannot be understated and has been directly linked to our growing rate of youth suicide. I join GTM in a call for a national Traveller Mental Health Strategy this World Suicide Prevention Day.”
If you are affected by the issues raised above, please contact the Traveller Counselling service on tel: 01-8685761 mobile: 0863081476 or email: info@travellercounselling.ie
