As Antigua and Barbuda observes Suicide Prevention Month amid an urgent national conversation on child protection, the Wadadli Initiative for Self-care and Healing (WISH) is calling on the country to recognise the critical connection between childhood trauma, mental health and suicide prevention.

At the first National Child Protection Town Hall, officials disclosed that 287 reports of child abuse have been recorded so far this year, including approximately 30 cases involving sexual assault. Survivors also shared painful accounts of abuse, disbelief, victim-blaming and institutional failures that continued to affect their lives long after childhood.

These conversations cannot be separated from Suicide Prevention Month.

Childhood sexual abuse is a serious adverse childhood experience that can have lasting consequences, including depression, post-traumatic stress and an increased risk of suicidal thoughts or attempts. However, suicide is complex and is rarely caused by one experience alone. Not every survivor will experience the same effects, and survivors are not defined by what was done to them.

“When survivors tell us that they were abused, silenced, blamed or left unprotected, we must understand that these are not simply stories about the past,” said WISH Founder Chaneil Imhoff. “They are accounts of wounds that can follow people into adulthood when there is no safety, justice or meaningful support. We cannot say that we care about suicide prevention while dismissing the trauma that can contribute to emotional distress and hopelessness.”

WISH commends the Ministry of Social and Urban Transformation and participating professionals for beginning a series of national town halls focused on child abuse, neglect, exploitation and the systems responsible for protecting children. The organisation urges residents to participate as the conversations move into communities across Antigua and Barbuda.

However, WISH stresses that conversation must lead to measurable action.

This must include:

Accessible, confidential and trauma-informed mental-health care for children and adult survivors.

Stronger protections for children who disclose abuse.

Clear reporting and referral procedures across schools, churches, healthcare facilities, sporting organisations and other institutions serving children.

Appropriate psychological support throughout investigations and court proceedings.

Greater accountability for individuals and institutions that fail to report or appropriately respond to suspected abuse.

Public education about grooming, warning signs, consent, disclosure and the long-term effects of trauma.

Careful consideration of how the National Sex Offender Register can more effectively protect children and prevent convicted offenders from gaining access to vulnerable groups.

Sustained investment in the professionals and agencies responsible for child protection.

WISH is especially concerned about the victim-blaming that often follows disclosures of sexual abuse. A child cannot consent to sexual activity with an adult. Responsibility lies entirely with the person who caused the harm and with the adults and institutions that failed to protect the child.

Questions about what a child wore, why they did not disclose sooner, whether they appeared mature or why they maintained contact with the perpetrator are misplaced and harmful. Children may remain silent, delay disclosure or withdraw an allegation because of fear, threats, manipulation, dependency, shame or a belief that they will not be believed.

“Survivors should not have to present their pain perfectly in order to be believed,” Imhoff added. “Our first response should not be suspicion or interrogation. It should be safety, compassion and access to appropriate help. When a survivor is blamed for what happened, the shame that belongs to the perpetrator is unfairly transferred to the person who was harmed.”

WISH also reminds the public that speaking about suicide prevention requires more than encouraging individuals to “reach out.” Communities and institutions must become safe enough for people to reach out without being shamed, exposed, blamed or ignored.

Prevention means listening when a child’s behaviour changes. It means believing disclosures and reporting concerns. It means supporting survivors beyond the initial public outrage. It also means ensuring that professional mental-health care is available regardless of age, income or social standing.

The current child-protection town halls present Antigua and Barbuda with an opportunity to confront harmful beliefs, identify gaps in existing systems and establish clear national commitments. WISH urges the Government, civil society, faith-based organisations, schools, families and the wider public to treat child protection and mental health as interconnected national priorities.

During Suicide Prevention Month, WISH calls on the country to move beyond slogans and ask a more difficult question:

Are we creating a society in which people, particularly children and survivors, feel safe enough to tell the truth and supported enough to keep living?

Anyone who believes that a child is being abused should make a report to the appropriate authorities. Anyone who believes that they or someone they know may be in immediate danger of suicide should contact emergency services, visit the nearest hospital and remain with the individual while urgent professional assistance is sought.

Silence protects perpetrators, not children. Compassion supports survivors. Action saves lives.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: WISH: We Cannot Discuss Suicide Prevention Without Confronting Child Sexual Abuse.