International Men’s Day

Joint Statement from the Minister for Education, Employment and Gender Affairs

and

The Minister for Community Affairs, Youth and Sports

 Delivered by

Honourable Tara Rivers, JP, MLA

Minister for Education, Employment and Gender Affairs

______________________________________________________________________________

19^th November 2016

On behalf of the entire Government and, in particular my colleague the Minister for Community Affairs, Hon. Osbourne Bodden, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the observance of the 19^th November as International Men’s Day (IMD), and to wish all men and boys in the Cayman Islands a Happy International Men’s Day. 2016 marks the sixth year since the Cayman Islands joined this movement which celebrates and honours men and boys for their achievements and contributions to all aspects of society, while bringing attention to the issues which they face both locally and globally.

This year’s theme for International Men’s Day is “Stop Male Suicide”. In all but a handful of countries around the world, the suicide rate for men is worse than that for women. Based on statistics provided by the official International Men’s Day website, when averaged out on a country by country basis, the rate of suicide for men is up to three times that of women. While this may not be new information, it is still quite disturbing. In addition, recent World Health Organization (WHO) data shows that, globally, male life expectancy at birth in 2015 was 69 years; for females, it was 74 years. This gap in life expectancy is an indicator that men’s health is a serious issue.

Here in the Cayman Islands there is also a gender gap in life expectancy, but the overall increase in those numbers is a bit more encouraging. Figures released in 2013 indicate that, on average, women in Cayman live to 84.7 years, while men live to 79.8 years of age. This trend can only be improved upon by ensuring that we all take responsibility for our health and overall wellbeing by making lifestyle changes that promote longevity, and accessing healthcare on a timely basis.

When it comes to male suicide prevention specifically, it is important to remember that a man’s life experience is uniquely different from that of a woman. Therefore, the strategies employed to address and prevent suicide need to take the issue of gender into consideration.

As a community, we need to be more effective when tackling the social issues that men and boys face, and demonstrate a greater willingness to challenge the stereotypes in our society that define the way they “should” behave and prevent many men and boys from seeking support or professional help when they need it for fear of being perceived as “weak”, “too emotional” or vulnerable. Suicide is a solution-based behaviour that some men turn to when dealing with problems they feel unable to fix, or cope with. Some of the social issues that affect men more profoundly in terms of suicide risk include unemployment, relationship breakdown, being separated from their children, being a victim of violence or abuse, alcohol and substance abuse, long-term illness, social isolation and mental health disorders. The failure of the collective society to effectively address these issues can leave both men and women feeling distressed and viewing suicide as a possible solution to the stressors or problems faced.

We need to get better at helping our men and boys. This means recognising the signs and reaching out to offer help, even when they don’t realise they need it, or say they don’t want it. It is indeed our moral responsibility to be our brothers’ keepers. Then, once the offer to help is accepted, we must ensure that we are meeting these at-risk men and boys where they are at, using gender-specific tools and approaches with which they can identify.

The Department of Counselling Services’ Family Resource Centre has once again organised some positive and meaningful events for men and boys in celebration of their day. I urge everyone to take part in these activities wherever possible and visit their Face Book page for more information. The Government is grateful to all the agencies, service clubs, churches and other community-based organisations for their efforts to teach us to learn, love and listen to the males in our Islands, which will ultimately lead to a healthier, balanced male population which positively impacts us all.

Actress Juliette Lewis once said “The bravest thing I ever did was continuing my life when I wanted to die.” Let us all strive to learn, love and listen more so that we can care more for the men and boys in our lives, and empower them to do the brave thing, not just on International Men’s Day but every day.

END

Events:

Throughout the month, a Men and Boys Connect Facebook Challenge involves posting a picture of men and boys connecting or making a difference. See the Family Resource Centre’s Facebook page for a chance to win prizes.

On Nov. 24, a “Raising Resilient Boys” interactive family skills session aims to teach parents and children how to work together and address common obstacles boys face. The session, from 6-7:30 p.m. will be held at the Family Resource Centre in the Compass Centre.