Good afternoon, hon House Chairperson, all protocol observed. Young people in South Africa remain and will continue to
remain one of the most vulnerable groups in the country. Schools are literally crumbling from its infrastructures to the quality of the character of young people that come out of those crumbling buildings.
We can debate these issues for days, but the truth is, there is no sense of urgency to tackle violence, sexual assault and substance abuse in schools, because if there was urgency and political will, we would see some form of change by now. To change a system that clearly doesn't work, we must start with innovative ideas that look at what barriers young people face that impede on living and growing up in healthy environments.
One of these barriers and a critical one, is access to professional mental health services. The real gateway drug is trauma and therefore, we must ensure that minds are healed and supported from the onset of any and all trauma experienced. This cannot be negotiable. The high amounts of young people suffering in silence and suffering alone from mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress, to mention only a few, are too significant to ignore.
If we do not prioritise the minds of children, we will see a growing increase of suicide deaths, an increase in vulnerability to violence and substance abuse, and reduced ability to be able to function on a range of aspects. It is the future generations that will continue to suffer. The more we ignore the importance of mental health, the more we condone the serous risks to young people and those around them.
Research demonstrates that children are more susceptible than adults to addictions and to developmental effects on the brain. The evidence shows that early detection of mental health conditions does indeed increase the amount of support and treatment young people would need. When we start taking mental health seriously and focus resources on early detection and treatment, we will see a decrease in the reliance and risk to addiction and substance abuse, a decrease in interpersonal conflict stemming from traumas and experiences and a decrease in violence in schools.
In turn, this will contribute to a more balanced, productive and healthy generation. Raising awareness, educating society on symptoms and identifying indicators on those more susceptible to be at risk of development of mental health conditions, and removing the stigma attached to mental health, must be prioritised. Resources must be focused on providing access to mental health services. Focus must be
characterised by political willingness to stop turning a blind eye and pretending it doesn't exist.
Focus means national, provincial and local government departments such as education, health and social development restrategise on programs and initiatives that work on early detection, support and treatment. Many adults, and some in this Chamber, suffer from mental health conditions or processing childhood traumas that could be managed. So if that's the case, imagine a 15 year old teenager who may not even know that they are struggling with mental health.
How does she ask for help when she doesn't understand what is happening to her? How do we sit here as leaders of the country and make her suffer in silence? We must be deliberate in attempts to ensure and prioritise early detection and that young people have access to mental health services on a continuous and permanent basis, and not just now and then.
Pulling yourself out of a dark mental space is one of the most difficult things anybody could do. It takes strength and takes resilience to get up every morning and face the world alone. Many young people are facing these challenges, and I don't think many
would understand this. It's time to take mental health seriously. I thank you. [Applause.]