Eradication of Intimate Partner Violence against Men: The Role of Citizens’ Mediation Centre

            INTERNATIONAL MEN’S DAY – FOCUSING ON MEN’S HEALTH

                                           

                                                            

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INTERNATIONAL MEN’S DAY – FOCUSING ON MEN’S HEALTH

The Theme this year 2020, is Better Health for Men & Boys.

In 1968, an American Journalist named John P. Harris wrote an editorial highlighting a lack of balance in the Soviet system, which promoted an International Women’s Day for female workers but failed to deliver a male counterpart. Harris stated that though he agreed there should be a day to celebrate women, the day served as flaw within the communist system.

The present date of November 19 as International Men’s Day was revived by Jerome Teelucksingh from the University of West Indies. Since this revival, International Men’s Day has served to promote positive aspects of male identity based on the premise that men respond more constructively to positive role models than to negative gender stereotyping. The day is not intended to compete with International Women’s Day, but to highlight the importance of men’s physical and mental health and positive masculinity. (History of International Men’s Day)

International Men’s Day focuses on men’s health. Other focus of the Day are improving gender relations, highlighting male role models, and promoting positive expressions of masculinity. One of the key objectives of International Men’s Day being men’s health and wellbeing, here are some statistics aligned with that objective:

87% - The percentage of rough sleepers who are men.

73% - The percentage of people who go missing that are male.

76% - The percentage of suicides that are by men.

8.7% - The percentage of men who are alcohol dependent.

26% - The percentage of men who suffer from high cholesterol.

76 – The life expectancy of a man born in the U.S. (This is likely to be relatively “lower” in Africa).

22% - The percentage of men who have experienced mental health problems in the last year.

(International Men’s Day by Numbers)

In order to improve on the health and wellbeing of men, the authorities, and society at large must identify with the challenges of men that may be working contrary to their health and wellbeing, particularly as relate to Intimate Partner Violence against them. Apart from physiological deterioration of men’s health due to old age, another major source of men’s health challenges could be from domestic pressure. This is particularly true in Africa where there is insufficient social amenities that may relief men of some of the demands by their spouses, thus subjecting men to endless emotional and psychological depression. This lack is partly due to:

• Poor economic policies (Inflation rate rising to 2 digits in some countries).
• Inadequate food security.
• Poor housing policy.
• Poor infrastructural development.

If men can take the courageous step of speaking out rather than suffering in silence, many of the domestic abuses from their spouses would have been resolved to a reasonable extent, at least psychologically.

In his press release: INTERNATIONAL MENS DAY THURSDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2020 – Better Health for Men and Boys, Warwick Marsh from Australia and global Coordinator for www.internationalmensday.com said, “We live in the days of a ‘silent men’s health crisis’. What can we do? Prevention is better than cure. People who laugh actually live longer than those who don’t laugh. Good health comes when mind, body and spirit are in total harmony.

You see a healthy (man) outside starts from the inside. Dwayne Johnson said, ‘Regardless of who you are or what you do for a living, depression does not discriminate… you gotta talk about it, you’re not alone.’ So, talk to your friends… talk to your doctor.”

Although many African countries are yet to be recognized as part of the world countries officially celebrating International Men’s Day, it is believed that the recent renewed advocacy on a stop to Intimate Partner Violence against Men will ultimately get to the authorities on the need to protect and listen to men on what they are passing through domestically; as an unhealthy man is an unhealthy family and unhealthy family is an unhealthy nation.

Men face a lot of pressure in society – for example, they’re expected to be providers, and to refrain from asking for help or sharing their feelings. International Men’s Day is all about addressing these problems and redefining masculinity. (Why We Love International Men’s Day).