The announcement by Minister Mervin Wyatt-Ras that the Government is working on a National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan is a step I support.
Mental health is not a matter of opposition versus government. If there is a serious plan that can prevent suffering, identify problems earlier, and save lives, Parliament must help make it better.
However, there is a question that cannot go unanswered: why does the national survey start only at age 18?
This is particularly important when we look at the data Aruba already possesses. The latest Follow-up Post-COVID Youth Monitor (Jeugdmonitor), a national study conducted by IPA and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, included 2,344 students, primarily children between approximately 10 and 14 years old. While the study did not measure suicide directly, the mental health results are impossible to ignore.
Nearly 29% of students worry frequently. Almost 34% worry about their future. 24% are frequently nervous. 18% feel lonely, and nearly 18% frequently experience sadness. Among female students, the issue is clearly more pronounced.
The same study concludes that the students’ mental health has deteriorated compared to the previous measurement. The researchers recommend repeating the monitor every three years and considering its expansion to secondary education, as mental health issues and risk behaviors can increase during puberty.
So the question is simple: if we know that mental health issues begin long before age 18, how can we prepare a National Suicide Prevention Plan without having current, specific data on our minors?
I am not asking to simply open the 18+ survey to children. This must be done professionally. A survey for minors requires age-appropriate questions, privacy protection, proper consent, and above all, an immediate response protocol to assist a child if they indicate they are at risk.
That is precisely why the Government must create a separate component for youth. Aruba is currently developing a new Youth Monitor (Jeugdmonitor) for young people aged 12 to 23. This is a perfect opportunity to connect these efforts rather than creating two separate systems.
My request to Minister Wyatt-Ras is constructive: proceed with the 18+ survey, but also integrate a scientifically validated study for our children and youth.
A National Plan must look at the problem before it reaches a crisis point. Prevention is precisely that: not waiting until a child turns 18 to start listening to their voice.