Suicide Among Canadian Aboriginal Youths: Rates, Causes, and Solutions
This is a 10 page paper discussing the high rate of suicide among Canadian Aboriginal youths and the possible causes and solutions to the problems. The suicide rate among Canadian Aboriginals living on reservations is more than twice the Canadian average of non-Aboriginals with the largest rate recorded for young Native males. Half the Native communities living in the Northern areas of Canada report suicide as one of the major problems in their community. The causes for the high rates of suicides among Aboriginals seem to relate to the historical treatment of the Natives which through the Canadian government’s attempt at assimilation, the Aboriginals lost ties with their traditional ways of healing and self-government and eventually the means to remain economically stable. These factors led to a high unemployment rate, overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions among many other negative factors which in turn led to an increase in the number of mental and physical disorders such as depression, and alcohol and substance abuse. Within the last decade, several reports from the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples and other Aboriginal-based task forces have outlined possible positive solutions for the recovery of the Aboriginal communities which will hopefully reverse the high suicide rates.
Bibliography lists 6 sources.
File: D0_TJftnat1.rtf
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