Changing the Narrative on Suicide Means Talking About What Came Before

Content note: This article discusses suicide, childhood sexual abuse, exploitation and human trafficking.

Each year on September 10, World Suicide Prevention Day reminds us that suicide is preventable and that each of us has a role to play.

The 2026 theme, ‘Changing the Narrative on Suicide’, calls on individuals, communities, organizations and governments to move away from silence, stigma and misunderstanding and toward openness, empathy and support. Its call to action is simple but powerful: Start the Conversation.

At Voice Found, we believe that changing the narrative also requires us to talk about what can lie beneath a person’s distress.

For survivors of childhood sexual abuse, exploitation and human trafficking, thoughts of suicide do not emerge in a vacuum. They may be connected to the effects of trauma, betrayal, coercion, violence, shame, isolation and the loss of safety or control. Survivors may also face disbelief, judgment, inadequate services or systems that require them to repeatedly recount what happened in order to receive help.

The pain is not evidence of weakness. It is a response to both what a person has endured and the ways in which our families, communities and systems have failed to protect or support them.

The connection cannot be ignored

Research consistently indicates that people who have experienced childhood sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and human trafficking face an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours. The trauma itself can have profound and lasting effects, often compounded by shame, isolation, fear, stigma and a lack of appropriate support.

In our own work at Voice Found, we have seen the depth of pain that survivors can carry. We have also seen how that pain may intensify when someone is not believed, cannot access the help they need or is expected to simply “move on” once the immediate danger has passed.

But increased risk does not mean an inevitable outcome.

Survivors are not defined by what happened to them, and trauma does not erase a person’s strength, possibility or future. When people are met with safety, compassion, meaningful connection and appropriate long-term care, healing is possible. Hope can return and lives can be rebuilt.

Starting the conversation

Many people worry that asking someone about suicide will put the idea in their mind. It will not. A direct, compassionate question can create an opening for someone who has been carrying unbearable pain alone.

Starting the conversation can sound like:

• “I’ve noticed that you don’t seem like yourself lately. How are you really doing?”

• “You have been carrying so much. Are you feeling hopeless or thinking about suicide?”

• “Thank you for telling me. I’m here, and we can look for support together.”

The goal is not to have the perfect words or to solve everything. It is to listen without judgment, take the person seriously and help them connect with appropriate support.

Avoid minimizing their pain or demanding details about their trauma. Instead, believe what they are telling you. Stay present. Ask what they need. Respect their choices wherever it is safe to do so.

Our response must go beyond crisis

Changing the narrative requires more than encouraging individuals to reach out. We must also ensure that meaningful help is available when they do.

For survivors, support cannot end when an immediate crisis has passed. Suicide prevention includes access to trauma-informed healthcare, counselling, ethical peer support, stable housing, income, culturally appropriate services, justice navigation and long-term recovery support. It also means creating services that do not shame, blame or retraumatize the people seeking help.

Governments, funders and institutions must invest not only in crisis intervention, but also in the conditions that make safety, healing and hope possible.

Prevention begins before the crisis

If we are serious about preventing suicide, we must also prevent the violence and exploitation that can contribute to lifelong distress.

Preventing childhood sexual abuse and human trafficking is suicide-prevention work.

That means:

• Teaching children about body autonomy, consent, safe and unsafe behaviour, and how to seek help.

• Ensuring adults know how to recognize grooming, exploitation and changes in a child’s behaviour.

• Believing children and survivors when they disclose harm and responding without blame.

• Helping young people build safe relationships, healthy boundaries and digital literacy.

• Challenging attitudes that normalize sexual violence, exploitation, victim-blaming and the sexualization of children.

• Supporting families and communities to reduce isolation and strengthen protective relationships.

• Holding people who cause harm accountable while addressing the social and systemic conditions that allow abuse and exploitation to continue.

• Funding survivor-led prevention, early intervention and long-term recovery services.

These actions will not eliminate every suicide, but they can prevent harm, reduce risk and create stronger pathways to safety and healing.

A conversation can be the beginning

This World Suicide Prevention Day, let’s start the conversation—not only about suicide, but also about trauma, violence, exploitation, prevention and the supports survivors need to build the futures they deserve.

Ask the difficult question.

Listen without judgment.

Believe survivors.

Help someone connect with support.

Advocate for systems that respond before, during and long after a crisis.

And work with us to prevent childhood sexual abuse and human trafficking before they happen.

Changing the narrative begins when silence ends. Conversation becomes compassion and compassion becomes action.

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide: Call or text 9-8-8 anywhere in Canada, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If there is immediate danger or an urgent medical need, call 9-1-1 or go to the nearest emergency department. Learn more about 9-8-8.

If you are experiencing human trafficking or are concerned about someone else: Contact the confidential Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010, available 24/7 in more than 200 languages. If it is an emergency, call 9-1-1. Learn more about the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline.