One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts has reached a new low – even for him!
He has described women attempting suicide or self-harm as ‘attention seeking’ while saying men who do the same are suffering a legitimate medical condition.
He made the comments during Senate Estimates.
Since … well forever … the discussions around suicide and self-harm has centred on men’s experience. Women have only been an after thought but that is changing somewhat.
Women attempt suicide or self-harm at much higher rates than men but men are more likely to die as a result of their attempts.
We do know that 19% of women who suicide do so after experiencing domestic violence while suicide rates among women who are raped or sexually assaulted are also quite staggering.
Research is slowly emerging showing how violence itself is a precursor to women ending their own lives or attempting to.
And the Federal Government is holding an inquiry into domestic violence related suicide as I write.
It’s perfectly okay to discuss differing rates of suicides – and their causality – among women and men.
But for someone in a position of influence and power to say women are attention seeking when they suicide or self-harm is grotesque.
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