ManxPACT, a charity working on suicide prevention, is planning a peaceful demonstration outside the Legislative Buildings on Prospect Hill in Douglas from 12:00 to 14:00 on Tuesday 20 October, according to Isle of Man Today.
The group, whose name is short for People Actioning Change Together, says government action on suicide prevention has not gone far enough. Juan Moore, who founded the charity, said it wanted “clear, measurable objectives that can be assessed with transparency”.
The gathering is intended to unite the community and “demonstrate the depth of feeling on this emotive subject”, he said.
The demonstration comes after Tynwald’s Social Affairs Policy Review Committee laid its report on suicide before the court in July. The committee examined 16 overlapping three-year spans, running from 2006–08 to 2021–23, and found the Manx figure outstripped England’s in all but three. Its most recent data showed 13.9 deaths per 100,000 people on the island, compared with 10.7 in England.
The committee also highlighted a gap in spending. On the island, 9% of the health budget goes on mental health services, while the equivalent share in the UK is 13.8%, the report said.
Mr Moore said it was “heartbreaking” that islanders kept describing poor experiences when they sought help from suicide prevention services here. Raising awareness alone was not enough, he said, and the charity wanted concrete proposals to be looked at.
“We are calling for funding to match UK levels, a community hub in each region and a duty clinician scheme for the crisis team,” he said.
ManxPACT has urged anyone whose life has been touched by suicide or mental ill health to come along, along with all those who back stronger suicide prevention and mental health services.
