News Details
Posted date: 12 Dec 2014
BOYS ARE SUFFERING IN SILENCE
According to a BBC report The number of young boys being admitted into A&E units in England for self-harm is at a five-year high.
The article written by Sima Kotecha reports that admissions [for self-harm] of boys aged 10 to 14 have risen by 30% - from 454 admissions in 2009/10 to 659* last year.
Kenlie Youngman, 15, began self-harming two years ago.
"I've never seen my biological father, so that's kind of one thing that made me want to self-harm, because it makes me think he didn't want me - he wouldn't accept me," he explained.
"I was also badly bullied which also led to self-harm.
"When I felt really down I would self-harm. I was cutting myself...and the thoughts and things that would get me down would just be released from me.
"But you know, they're not [released in reality], because they could come back to you another day."
His mother Donna Youngman discovered his self-harming when she noticed marks on his arms. She said teenagers hurt themselves as "a cry for help".
At CVM, we recognise the negative impact absent father’s can have on children and in particular, boys. We’re encouraging men to stand in the gap left by a missing father figure. Our objective is to get Christian men across the UK trained up to mentor the young men who need it most.
We’ve teamed up with the eXceL Project (XLP) who can provide this training. Find out more about training opportunities. Contact XLP.
* data from the NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre
