The statistics below from the CDC paint a disturbing picture of where we are at as a society. Considering Women’s History Month, it pays to take a serious look at what our youth and young women and girls in particular face in today’s world.
We are coming out of a fearful and painful pandemic with lockdowns, schools having been closed, social isolation, economic hardships, and many deaths of loved ones and even orphanhood. Some point to over-reliance on social media by our youth as having contributed to depression and suicides. While there is some truth to that, with lockdowns and social distancing during the pandemic, access to social media was all many young people had.
However sexual and physical violence, depression, anxiety, and suicide risk among youth long preceded the pandemic. We have only to look at the long string of school shootings that preceded Uvalde, such as Sandy Hook, Parkland, and Columbine.
How do the CDC statistics for U.S. teen girls compare to Latina teens?
- Latina teens have the highest rate of suicide attempts in the U.S. (https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2016/07/05/159378/cdc-latina-teenage-girls-at-highest-risk-for-attempting-suicide-in-u-s/).
- Latinas reported a higher rate of attempted sexual assault than other racial or ethnic groups (https://www.pcar.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdfs/supporting_latin_communities_research_brief.pdf).
- 22% of Latino youth have depressive symptoms. That is higher than any group besides Native American youth,” according to a Salud America! research review.
As we contemplate the above grim statistics and try to respond to them, it is important to temper our reaction to the special role our youth and young women in particular play in our world. Some say the future is the youth. Some say the young are the canaries in the mine, who suffer first and warn the rest of danger. Certainly poverty, lack of physical and mental health care, pressures to fit in (acculturation), immigration concerns, and cultural factors all play a role.
Regardless, it is important to acknowledge that change for the good is necessary and long overdue, and that all human life is valuable and should be nurtured to the fullest. Studies have shown that improving the educational and living standards of women, particularly of girls and young women is the fastest and most durable way to lift everyone out of poverty and its discontents (Banker to the Poor, Muhammad Yunnus).
El Tribuno del Pueblo brings you articles written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Unsigned articles reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: tribunodelpueblo.org. We’re all volunteers, no paid staff. Please donate at http://tribunodelpueblo.org to keep bringing you the voices of the movement because no human being is illegal.
