A social issue. During a meeting of the children's rights delegation at the National Assembly, on January 15, the HOR deputy from Moselle Nathalie Colin-Oesterlé et Anne Stambach-Terrenoirelected LFI of Haute-Garonne, have been appointed rapporteurs of a information mission dedicated to the mental health of minors.
The appointments took place under the aegis of Perrine Gouletpresident of the delegation for children's rights, during a round table on underage prostitution with the hearing of the associations Act against minor prostitution (ACPE) and the Nest Movement. The debates are accessible here.
75% of mental disorders begin before the age of 24
In a report published in 2021, the Defender of Rights affirms that the mental health minors has long been a taboo, locked in a definition too restrictive on the one hand, and within a poorly regarded psychiatric sector on the other hand. A double relegation which has the direct consequence of multiple attacks on the rights and higher interior of children.
Whether it is adolescents treated in hospitalof young children required to wait several months before being followed in a dedicated center, children victims of institutional or intra-family violenceof young people in the care of child welfare (ASE), but also young victims of harassment or caught in addictions.
For the independent administrative authority, these situations must question us collectively about our duties towards children, particularly the most vulnerable. Because, “the link between the child's mental health and effective respect for their rights remains a struggle”. Rights that prepare minors for their future lives as adults and citizens.
Therefore, tend towards a broad and preventive approach of anything that could harm the child's mental health would be the best way to guarantee all of their rights. The mental health and well-being of the minor should be considered a “priority of public policies”insists the Defender of Rights.
-To take the full measure of mental health, it should therefore be understood by considering all the factors that affect it (family environment, school, emotional relationships, living conditions, social networks, etc.). “The urgency is there, we can no longer ignore it,” the report concludes.
As a reminder, on October 10, former Prime Minister Michel Barnier presented four priority objectives to promote mental health, a major national cause for the year 2025: destigmatizationthe development of prevention and early detection, improving access to care et support for those affected.
In a recent file, UNAFAM indicates that 75% of mental disorders begin before the age of 24. In 2021, emergency room admissions for suicide attempts among adolescents increased by more than 40%. An alarming reality exacerbated by the health crisis which would have revealed a structural discomfort.
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