18/01/2025
As more information comes to light about the incident in Cloverdale that led to the death of Rabin Rawal and others, I reiterate the calls that we have made for many years in WA.
There is a significant need for transcultural mental health services and networks to be funded and established. We know from the data available that incidences of suicide are higher in certain community groups. South Asian communities in particular appear to have much higher incidences than mainstream society. There are a number of reasons for this and it is probably inappropriate for any of us to speculate as to what these are.
However, what is abundantly clear is that the people undertaking the acts of suicide and self-harm are dealing with mental health issues and have not sought counselling. Often this is because that counselling is not available either in language or appropriate cultural settings. And our languages are sometimes not as nuanced as the English language is to provide descriptors of conditions without stigma.
But, given the level of “super diversity” that we have in this state and country, we cannot rely on the Anglo Celtic paradigm of service delivery to ensure the people who need the services are able to access them.
I again call on governments of every persuasion to address this significant need as an urgent priority.
Suresh Rajan
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