Dear Editor,
Just a quick reminder to the media that it plays a significant role in the campaign to tackle psycho-social issues like abuse and suicide. With respect to the latter, The Caribbean Voice (TCV) has been disseminating information on appropriate language, as activists, advocates and ‘suicidologists’ pointed out that the wrong language, traditionally used on the suicide landscape, needs to be amended as part prevention. And again, we appeal to please desist from using the term ‘commit suicide’ since it has negative connotations that imply that suicide is a crime (although on the law books this still remains and needs to be eliminated)). Instead ‘died by suicide’, ‘suicided’, ‘a victim of suicide’ are among the appropriate replacements. As a matter of fact, we urge that the media guidelines for reporting on suicide, crafted by the University of Guyana a while back, be part of the ongoing training program for all media personnel. Alternatively, the Mindframe guidelines developed in Australia and considered to be the best currently available, can be accessed and made a component of the journalist’s tool kit. It is available online at many sources, including https://mindframe.org.au/suicide/communicating-about-suicide/mindframe-guidelines.
Use of language also, allegedly played a role in the suicide of the 15-year-old St. Stanislaus student and thus TCV is calling for sensitivity training for all educators to include empathetic communication and an understanding that the approach to dealing with issues in schools must not include public shaming of students but should include the involvement of parents. In fact, this tragic and very avoidable loss of a life, cut down at the beginning of the adventure towards aspirations and fulfilment, emphasizes the need for counsellors in schools, another measure that stakeholders, including TCV, have been lobbying for. Hopefully, amidst her very extremely busy schedule, the Minister of Education will find it possible, sooner than later, to address this issue. On a final note, what is the status of the mobile counselling unit for schools that was launched under the previous government? Was this also just another picture op?
Sincerely,
Annan Boodram
The Caribbean Voice, Inc.