Suicide And Suicide In Canada

From the late 1800’s to 1996 more than 100,000 aboriginal children attended residential schools in Canada. At a majority of these government operated schools there were reports of emotional, physical, sexual and spiritual abuse along with punishment for cultural activities. Residential schools were implemented to liberate aboriginal people from their savage ways in order for them to survive in the modernizing society.1 To a majority of the current Canadian population, impacts of residential schooling are a part of a distant past, disassociated from today’s events, this misconception. Long lasting impacts as a result of residential schooling include minimal education leading to poverty, stigmatization by the non-aboriginal public, abuses of aboriginal rights in areas such as land and the environment and the growing loss of Indigenous cultures in younger generations. With the continuing misconception of the history and lasting impact of residential schools conflict between Indigenous people and the Canadian Government has not ceased, but increased.

150 000 Aboriginal children were taken to one of the 130 residential schools across Canada from the 1870s to as late as 1996. In the book Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese, an Aboriginal boy named Saul Indian Horse is conflicted by discrimination for the colour of his skin after attending a residential school. Residential schools have a strong impact on Aboriginal People across Canada. Residential schools affect Aboriginal People’s mental states, families and as individuals.

Residential schools ruined families' trust, children's lives, and generations to follow. Residential schools had an impact on Indigenous people resulting in fear, loss of identity, and loss of knowledge and traditions revealed in The Marrow

Residential schools have left many scars on the Indigenous peoples, including their physical health to this day. Residential

Aboriginal people represent less than 3% of the total population in BC. Yet, they account for more than 9% of all suicides in BC (Chandler). The numbers of suicides amongst aboriginal youth are even more alarming – nearly one-fourth of all youth suicides in BC are committed by aboriginals and more than half of all aboriginal suicides are committed by youth (Chandler). The fact that indigenous communities in Canada have the highest rate of suicide of any culturally identifiable group in the world implies that these alarming statistics may not solely be a result of aboriginal communities belonging to a minority cultural group. I will attempt to build a speculative hypothesis behind the significantly high suicide rates amongst aboriginal

Their violent outbreaks and abuse towards loved ones, depression and anxiety have definitely been a factor to this as it has lead to suicide and fatal deaths of the Survivors because of the school system. “However, perhaps the most telling legacy of the residential school system is the frequency with which Survivors have died an early death. This is seen not only in the high incidence of suicide but also in the large number of deaths due to violence or alcohol-related cause.”(Stout 32). Suicide is never the answer, as we hear on a day to day basis. Can you believe that this is what the Residential school system lead the Survivors to? “The overall suicide rate among First Nation communities is about twice that of the total Canadian population. For Inuit, the rate is still higher: six to eleven times the rate for the general population. Aboriginal youth between the ages of ten and twenty-nine who are living on reserves are five to six times more likely to die by suicide than non-Aboriginal youth.”(TRC Introduction-7). The residential school system has driven so many people to believe that their life is not even worth living anymore. That is how badly the schools have impacted these

Students as young as 3 would be sent off to schools where they would be beaten and sexually abused as a punishment for misbehaving. Emotionally, students were traumatized witnessing other students, friends and siblings beaten sometimes to death. Even though the government funded the schools, many still lacked of health requirements that were necessary resulting in overcrowding, poor sanitation and poor food quality, often leading to death. Studies show that 24 percent of children who were put into residential schools died and up to 75 percent of children died after being sent home due to illness and/or completing the residential schooling. Schools started off with as many as 150,000 students with only 80,000 surviving today (Truth and Reconciliation, 2014). Even though residential schools are now closed aboriginal attendee’s still suffer, many induced with depression, PTS (post-traumatic stress), different forms of addiction, and even suicidal

Aboriginals are at higher risk of diseases than those of non-aboriginal descent. "There is a higher rate of respiratory problems and other infectious diseases among Aboriginal children than among non-aboriginal children" (Joseph, 2012). A lot of families lose their children when they are young that can cause mental illness in the family. Another factor is poverty among aboriginal communities. Due to the employment factor and the lack of education aboriginals have had times getting a job or they have to work for minimum wage.

Their reports highlight the alarming number of Aboriginal children who were schooled from the1870s until the last school closed in 1996. Many children died while attending Indian Residential Schools (IRS) and many more were subjected to abuse and neglect from school officials. Since the inception of the IRS system, both indigenous and non indigenous families raised concerns surrounding the treatment of children who attended these

Residential schools are still having long term and intergenerational effects on Indigenous people culturally, physically and emotionally/mentally. In the 19th century the Canadian government established a program to assimilate Indigenous people into the Canadian society and christianity. During this dark time in Canada's history, many Indigenous children were forced to attend residential boarding schools where they suffered various forms of abuse and neglect. Many children left these schools broken and no longer capable of living a normal life. Although these schools have all been closed down, the trauma caused has been passed down through the generations and is still affecting Indigenous people today.

For many survivors of residential schools, alcohol has become a solution to escape their past. However, over 50% of Indigenous peoples are alcoholics. This poses a threat in their health (mentally and physically) as well as their influences on their children. Valuable parenting skills and transmission of language and culture have been lost from removing the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children from their parents, for extended periods of time. Many Aboriginal people now do not speak their traditional language currently, and lost their cultures. Parents who experienced abusive behaviours from residential schools now pass their abuse and trauma to their children. There are high levels of self-abuse, caused by the sense of worthlessness that teachers taught students at residential schools. This impacts Aboriginal communities greatly, even after so many years. First Nations women attempt suicide eight more times than other Canadian women, and First Nations men attempt suicide five more times than other Canadian men. All of these long-term impacts are still present today, caused by Indian Residential

There are still many Canadians out there who don’t know much about residential school. All Canadians should learn more about our past and the many terrible things that occurred to First Nations people while in residential schools, and even out of the schools. For many years First Nation Children were taken away from their family and sent to residential schools, which were run by religious institutions. The school’s main goals were to get rid of the Indian in a child, and they would strip them naked of who they were and where they came from. The book Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese gives us a clear insight into all the hard times that a child might have to go through while in a residential school. The book also shows what their lives would

Suicide prevention is an important topic to be discussed in academia as suicide has become a big social problem affecting the lives of the individual and the surrounding people. Suicide can be looked as an act of selfishness, consequently leaves perplexity among family and friends, but from a sociological perspective, it is a multifaceted issue. The article from the Current, brought into light how the Indigenous community Canada have higher rates of suicide compared to the general population, especially amongst the youth. The feeling of anomie and experience of racism puts immense stress on aboriginal youths, and this experience is replicated in the sociological imagination of the history and biography of Indigenous people.

It is well-known that the health issue of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has been constantly discussed and analysed up to the present. Indigenous Australian experience poorer health outcome compare to other population in Australian, and also they experienced significantly higher rates of mental illness within their communities, and the suicide rate approximately more than double higher than for the general population (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare,2009). The purpose of this essay is to discuss the factor that associated with higher rate of mental illness and suicide behavior regard to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the concept of cultural, social and emotional well-being that triggers this phenomenon.

Residential Schools were systems set in place by the Government of Canada and enforced by Christian churches as a way to approach the “issue” of the First Nations. They were used by the government to assimilate the Aboriginal children into European culture. It is significant that Canadians remember this time in history because it's not so far in the past. We see the repercussions to this day. This source shows the perspective of the Government, and supporters of the Government. On the other hand Aboriginal people may disagree, they are still greatly struggling with misfortune due to Residential Schools. The perspective shown in the source should be looked into considering the government's insufficient response to the legacies left behind by Residential Schools. For example we see higher prison rates, more drop outs, and family abuse more than most cultural groups in