Suicide crisis a symptom of “a hopeless situation”

Sean Carrothers was the third young person from West Belfast in a number of days to take his own life in the Colins area that has seen over 10 suicides in recent months. His father, Geard Mc Laughlin spoke out on why young people are becoming victims of suicide. He said it was because of the “hopeless” situation brought about by the recession.

Speaking to the Irish News when Stormont Ministers were in Washington with chief executives of major companies attending the US:NI Conference, he stated “They bring back 60 jobs, but what about normal people on the streets whose jobs are in the building trade. What about them? What is the future for them? What have they done for grassroots community? Nothing. It’s about young people with no jobs – no chance of getting a job. You have all these people 17 and 18, up to Sean’s age and maybe older who have nothing.”
Northern Ireland has the highest levels of suicide in Britain and Ireland with 200 people dying of suicide last year. In Britain, statistic show suicide rates from “most deprived” communities twice that of the “least deprived” and almost a third of unemployed young men say they have considered suicide.
Young people in West Belfast have responded to these deaths with action, organising a 500 strong vigil. They have been inundated with support from the local community showing a willingness of people not to shy a way from these issues. The Socialist Party and Socialist Youth support initiatives that can stop this epidemic in our communities. There is a need for emergency funding to provide counselling services etc. to those who are considering such desperate measures and those families and friends who see the carnage suicide can cause.
As has been outlined by those who have lost loved ones, the real underlying issues have to be dealt with, particularly youth unemployment which now stands at 19% but is much higher in some areas. The programme of cuts will mean thousands more people thrown on to the dole queues and benefits cut. Suicide can be tackled by fighting the cuts to public services and also struggling to change society from the profit obsessed system of capitalism to a genuinely socialist society based on solidarity and providing for everybody’s needs.

 

Total
0
Shares
Previous Article

High Court denies Omagh Meat workers the right to strike

Next Article

Sinn Féin’s neo-liberal economic “alternative”

Related Posts

May Day Greetings from the Socialist Party

WE WON'T PAY FOR THE BOSSES CRISIS

Trade unionists and other working class people face a future of rising unemployment and deepening poverty. Both the Westminster government and the Assembly Executive are implementing pay cuts, job cuts and attacks on living standards. As the elections comes to a conclusion we can say, with certainty, that whichever party wins, further major attacks on the working class and major industrial battles lie ahead.

In this:
-Why we need to build a working class alternative
- Free Ainur Kurmanov
- Join the Socialist Party today

Civil servants strike reports

Members of the PCS civil servants' union took strike action today to oppose the changes to the civil service compensation scheme (redundancy agreement). More reports to follow.

Barking
Management abandoned plans to open to people signing on and opened late for appointments, as most PCS workers stayed away in Barking.

PCS branch secretary Outer East London Dave Spagnol said:
"Thanks to pressure from PCS, management have made a number of concessions to their plans to cut the civil service compensation scheme.