Senate committee calls for children's commissioner to protect rights
Canadian Press, November 2, 2005
OTTAWA (CP) - A Senate committee says Canada needs a children's commissioner to protect the rights of young people.
In an interim report Thursday, the human rights committee recommends that a commissioner monitor Canada's progress on implementing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The independent appointee, reporting annually to Parliament, would conduct ongoing reviews of federal legislation, services, and funding for programs affecting children and their rights.
Senator Raynell Andreychuk, who chaired the committee, says a commissioner is essential so children can tell their true stories to Canadians.
"We have come to the conclusion from our studies that children are without voice and without vote and consequently their rights have been impaired," she said.
The senators also call for an interdepartmental working group for children's rights to co-ordinate activities, policies, and laws.
The senators plan to continue hearings across Canada next year, focusing on children who are medically fragile, disabled, exploited and caught in conflict.
Father's suicide becomes rallying cry for fairness in court
April 1, 2000
BRANDON, Man. - Thirty-five years ago today, Lillian White gave birth to her youngest son. Yesterday, she knelt down and kissed his coffin at his graveside.
Darrin White committed suicide two weeks ago in Prince George, B.C., after a judge ordered him to pay his estranged wife twice his take-home pay in child support and alimony each month.
In death he has become a poignant symbol of family courts gone awry, of a divorce system run by people with closed minds, hard hearts and deaf ears.
Teen depression on the increase
More and More teens are becoming depressed. The numbers of young people suffering from depression in the last 10 years has risen worryingly, an expert says.
BBC, UK, August 3, 2004
Government statistics suggest one in eight adolescents now has depression.
Unless doctors recognise the problem, Read More ..uld slip through the net, says Professor Tim Kendall of the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health.
Guidelines on treating childhood depression will be published next year. Professor Kendall says a lot Read More ..eds to be done to treat the illness.
Family Conflict and Suicide Rates Among Men
by Dr. Hazel McBride Ph.D. June 9-10, 1995
Violence and Abuse within the Family: The Neglected Issues
A public hearing sponsored by The Honourable Senator Anne C. Cools on June 9-10, 1995 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Transcript of Dr. Hazel McBride's presentation on the relationship between family conflict and suicide rates among men.
Reasons Why Young Men Commit Suicide
PA News, U.S.A., By John von Radowitz, Science Correspondent, September 28, 2003
Broken marriages, living a single life and lack of income are the three factors chiefly to blame for a surge in suicides among young men, a new study has shown.
Suicide rates in England and Wales have doubled for men under 45 since 1950, but declined among women and older age groups of both sexes.
Researchers trying to discover why found that between 1950 and 1998 there were worsening trends for many suicide risk factors.
These included marital break up, birth and marriage declines, unemployment and substance abuse.
But those most associated with young men aged 25 to 34 were divorce, fewer marriages, and increases in income inequality.
Quebec men more likely to commit suicide than women
Rate is especially high among baby boomers, statistics reveal. Read More ..
The Centre for Suicide Prevention has three main branches:
The Suicide Information & Education Collection (SIEC) is a special library and resource centre providing information on suicide and suicidal behaviour.
The Suicide Prevention Training Programs (SPTP) branch provides caregiver training in suicide intervention, awareness, bereavement, crisis management and related topics. Suicide Prevention
Research Projects (SPRP) advocates for, and supports research on suicide and suicidal behaviour.
Invisible Suicides
StatsCan recently reported on a 10% increase in suicides. But StatsCan persists in ignoring the group of Canadians at greatest risk for suicide, as do the media and professional reports.
Suicide is a microcosm for those most under stress and most at risk of unresolved crisis in society. Suicides may logically be categorized as 100% citizens of Canada, and then as 79% male. The most critical measure of depression - suicide - is counted overwhelmingly in male corpses. For over 23 years widespread media and professional attention concentrated on 12,500 AIDS deaths, compared to little concern with 92,000 suicides.
by Brian L. Mishara, Ph.D. Past President, Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention and Professor of Psychology at the Université du Québec a Montréal. Read More ..
CYF project halves child suicide rate
The New Zealand Herald, BY LEAH HAINES, October 10, 2004
A three-year project by welfare and health agencies has halved the rate of suicide among some of the country's most at-risk children.
Researchers say the project has the potential to put a massive dent in New Zealand's youth suicide rate - currently the highest in the developed world.
The results of the Towards Well Being suicide monitoring project were due to be presented to an international conference on youth suicide this weekend and are expected to gain global attention. Read More ..
Family Conflict and Suicide Rates Among Men
by Dr. Hazel McBride Ph.D. June 9-10, 1995
Violence and Abuse within the Family: The Neglected Issues
A public hearing sponsored by The Honourable Senator Anne C. Cools on June 9-10, 1995 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Transcript of Dr. Hazel McBride's presentation on the relationship between family conflict and suicide rates among men.