June 16, 2013

Nunavut youth suicide: the legacy of colonialism and genocide


Another major study has revealed the genocidal experience of Aboriginal nations in Canada and especially the Inuit people. Rebel Youth reprints the following directly from the report: 

In Nunavut, the rate of death by suicide among Inuit increased markedly over the last two decades, and it is currently just over 120 per 100,000 people.

56% percent of suicides in Nunavut are committed by men younger than 25, compared to 7% in Canada.

The rise in Nunavut’s rate of death by suicide is almost entirely the result of an increased number of suicides by Inuit younger than 25. The rate of death by suicide among Nunavut Inuit aged 15 to 24 has increased more than six-­‐fold since the early 1980’s.

Beyond actual deaths by suicide, rates of suicide attempts and suicidal ideation (thoughts of committing suicide) appear to be very high in Nunavut. Recent data collected at the Qikiqtani General Hospital indicate that injuries caused by suicide attempts account for almost half of all the injuries among people age 20–29.

Results from the Inuit Health Survey show that 48% of Inuit in Nunavut have thought about committing suicide at some point in their lives, whereas 29% reported having attempted suicide at some point in their lives...

In Nunavut, the rate of death by suicide among Inuit ... is currently just over 120 per 100,000 people, 10 times the Canadian suicide rate.

The 56-page report is called Qaujivallianiq Inuusirijauvalauqtunik, or Learning from Lives that have been Lived. You can download the report in full here in pdf, and view it online below this CBC news here.
- Comments

2 comments:

  1. Its easy to put blame on others, I think if you look at the poor parenting skills, drinking, drugs, sexual assults, rape , and the list goes on and on, you will find that your problems start right in your homes ! so stop blaming others and fix your problems !!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous, we don't usually post racist comments but we are posting it because your argument comes back again and again, from the ruling class, to justify what has and is happening to Aboriginal people.

    First, its a racist generalization to tar all aboriginal families with the same brush; just as non-Aboriginal people are struggling with these same problems as individuals, families, and communities so to do Aboriginal peoples strive to raise their children with dignity.

    Nobody disagrees that there is a crisis of social and living conditions on and off reserves and this study shows the suicide rate is much higher among the Inuit.

    You would think that would lead to a call for immediate action, but instead you blame the victim.

    Instead, you forget all the history and back-story which created these conditions as if people, having "free will" could set outside of centuries of colonial oppression and genocide.

    The root of these problems did not come from the Aboriginal peoples themselves.

    So stop blaming other people for social problems they did not create!

    Join the struggle, led by Aboriginal peoples through actions like Idle No More, for their sovereignty and self-determination!

    One of the major obstacles to that goal is reactionary political parties and the domination of big business over all politics.

    We can only assume you are are part of the non-corporate majority.

    So unite to fix something which is your own problem too: corporate rule!

    ReplyDelete

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