doug@terak.UUCP (Doug Pardee) (10/08/85)
> The problem is that teenage suicides have been increasing > dramatically in the past decade... I hear this all of the time, I guess it must be true... Anyhow, I also hear all sorts of explanations about the cause. But something that I haven't seen mentioned as a possible factor is the relatively recent push to "return the runaways". There *are* intolerable homes. There *are* teens who absolutely cannot be expected to live with their parents. But the Law says that they must. If they try to run away, to start a life of their own, they are tracked down and dragged back, kicking and screaming (okay, that's a bit melodramatic). Child labor laws prevent them from getting "legit" jobs. They have to resort to illicit means of support. This, in turn, brings them to the attention of the gendarmes. If we were serious about preventing teen suicides, we would give these people someplace to go where they would be assured that they would never have to go home again unless they wanted to. -- Doug Pardee -- CalComp -- {calcom1,savax,seismo,decvax,ihnp4}!terak!doug