A suicide cluster in young men is a not an early warning sign of unacknowledged child sexual abuse in past decades. It is too late when it emerges. It was the suicide clusters in Ballarat that finally revealed the full extent of organised abuse in Catholic schools in that community over almost four decades.

Boys who are victims of child sexual abuse take much longer than girls to disclose and are much more likely to attempt suicide.

With many Tasmanian institutions like the AFL and schools refusing to acknowledge the huge numbers of victims harmed by the paedophiles that they harboured over decades, these victims will be unlikely to receive the counselling and therapeutic services that they most desperately need.

The refusal to acknowledge victims denotes ongoing callousness that will almost certainly lead to a fresh generation of victims.

Key takeaways

1. Monitoring of suicide statistics may provide opportunity to intervene early to prevent a cluster occurring.
2. Recognition of victims is foundational to justice and prevention.