September 18, 2019
On Tuesday September 17, 2019, the Canadian Council of Child and Youth Advocates (CCCYA) released A National Paper on Youth Suicide that calls on governments at the national, provincial and territorial levels to take concrete action to prevent youth suicide in Canada.
The paper consolidates research by the CCCYA members that led to the identification of three broad findings related to youth suicide: the impact of traumatic childhood experiences, the importance of service integration and continuity and how the voices of children and youth needs to be at the front of change.
“Suicide is the second most common cause of death amongst young people in Canada,” said Del Graff, Alberta Child and Youth Advocate, and president of the CCCYA. “By ensuring communities are appropriately resourced, governments can play a key role in preventing these tragic deaths”.
As this year marks the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the CCCYA challenges federal, provincial and territorial governments to review their commitments to young people and ensure the required institutions and resources are in place to safeguard their rights.
We are well aware of the youth suicide crisis in the country and we continue to pay attention to this issue at both the national and local level”, states Annette King, Yukon’s Child ad Youth Advocate. “Developmentally appropriate, trauma informed responses need to be available when young people are in crisis”.
Read A National Paper on Youth Suicide at www.cccya.ca
The Canadian Council of Child and Youth Advocates is an association of government-appointed children's advocates, ombudsman and representatives with an explicit mandate to protect the rights of children and youth in Canada. The Advocates are appointed by their government as independent officers of the legislatures in their respective jurisdictions. The CCCYA draws members from 10 provinces and two territories: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Québec, Saskatchewan, and Yukon.
The Yukon Child & Youth Advocate Office is an independent office of the Legislative Assembly. The operations of the office are guided by the Child and Youth Advocate Act.
Children, youth or others concerned about a child or youth receiving services within Yukon Government can contact the Child and Youth Advocate Office at (867) 456-5575.