- Conference
- 2024 National LGBT+ Conference
- Date
- 16 July 2024
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Conference notes that suicide is the biggest cause of death in young people under the age of 35 and in men under 50 in the UK. In 2020 over 6,000 people died by suicide in the UK and 75% of those who took their own lives were men. This equates to 16 people, 12 of whom are men, losing their lives to suicide every day of the year.
Over 200 school children take their own lives every year. In 2018, 597 young people between the ages of 10 and 24 took their own lives. Under the age of 35, the number rose to 1,866. That equates to over five young people per day.
Every year many thousands more attempt or contemplate suicide, harm themselves or suffer alone, afraid to speak openly about how they are feeling.
The Mental Health Foundation notes that whilst mental health problems can affect anyone, they’re more common among people who identify as LGBT+. They further acknowledge that identifying as LGBT+ doesn’t cause these problems, rather it is caused by discrimination, homophobia or transphobia, social isolation, rejection and difficult experiences of coming out.
Conference further notes that Papyrus is the national charity for the prevention of suicide in young people. They deliver awareness and prevention training, provide confidential support and suicide intervention through HOPELine UK, campaign and influence national policy, and empower young people to lead suicide prevention activities in their own communities.
Conference notes the above and instructs the LGBT+ committee to work with the national disabled members, national Black members, national women’s committee and the national young members forum and the NEC (national executive council) to
i) Contact the charity PAPYRUS to find ways in which we can support and promote the work they do
ii) Provide support such as fundraising donations from conferences and collections to Papyrus
iii) Develop and deliver a campaign to ensure our young and LGBT+ members are informed of support available to them in relation to mental health and suicide prevention
iv) Use Mental Health Awareness Week in May and Men’s Mental Health Week in June to promote positive action on mental health
v) Create an online portal to provide information and resources, available to any member who needs assistance
vi) To explore holding voluntary workshops at LGBT+ conference 2025 on suicide prevention
vii) Encourage UNISON College to hold courses for LGBT+ self organised groups (SOGs) and LGBT+ branch officers on mental health and suicide prevention.
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