High rate of suicide, child abuse, infant mortality among Canadian children: report

TORONTO -- Canada's global reputation as a healthy place to raise children is belied by statistics showing strikingly high rates of suicide, child abuse and struggles with mental health, a new report suggested Tuesday.

Health markers covering everything from infant mortality to obesity and poverty rates paint a troubling picture of child welfare in Canada, according to the report compiled by Children First Canada and the O'Brien Institute for Public Health.

The study, which analyzes data from major research organizations including Statistics Canada and the Canadian Institute of Health Information, said all orders of government need to do more to ensure that children benefit from the country's overall wealth and prosperity.

"Whether we're talking infant mortality or accidents or mental health concerns, all these statistics are deeply disturbing," said Sara Austin, lead director of Children First. "Canada's ranked the fifth-most prosperous nation in the world, yet when it comes to the well-being of children, we fall far behind," she said. "There's a big disconnect between the well-being of our children and the well-being of our nation."

Austin said this disconnect has been acknowledged in some international circles, pointing to a UNICEF ranking of 41 Organization of Economic Co-Operation and Development countries that placed Canada 25th on the list when assessing for children's well-being.

The various research agencies included in the latest report have documented many troubling markers of kids health over the years, Austin said, with mental health emerging as an area of increasing urgency.  (more...)

High rate of suicide, child abuse, infant mortality among Canadian children: report

We love our kids... differently

A national disgrace