Report highlights Traveller suicides

Updated: 22:27, Friday, 10 November 2006

Research by Catholic Youth Care has found that 18 members of the travelling community have taken their own lives in west Dublin over the past 18 months.

Launching research on the impact of the deaths, the organization said a further 17 suicides took place outside the area in the same period among relatives and friends of the west Dublin Travellers.

Local groups say the report highlights the need to fund a specialised suicide officer to service the community.

Staff from Catholic Youth Care interviewed 52 Travellers in Tallaght to find out about their experiences of suicide.

Interviewees reported a further 49 attempted suicides by males and 29 by females within the Travelling community.

Bereaved families cited depression, drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence and marital breakdown as the main causes of suicide.

Half of those interviewed had dealt with between three and six male suicides while a further five had been affected by ten suicides of male friends or family members.

The Tallaght Travellers Youth Service is calling for a dedicated suicide officer to be appointed in the area to help families coping with bereavement and to pinpoint vulnerable young people who may be at risk.

Catholic Youth Care applied for financial support for a suicide officer through the Dormant Accounts Fund earlier this year but the application was rejected.

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