Men's Issues and International Men's Day

International Men’s Day is marked with debate, policy launches and many awareness events on issues that affect mainly men. Men are more likely to be victims of violence and less likely to report sexual abuse, rape and domestic violence. Men also suffer challenges faced as parents particularly new fathers and separated fathers and this is not often talked about openly.

Men in general are less likely to acknowledge illness or seek medical help for both physical and mental health illnesses. Due to our culture, men are less prone to talk about their feelings leading to mental health issues. This needs to be dealt with from an early age within our education system by challenging traditional gender stereotypes, that gender is not a barrier, and inclusivity.

An increasing amount of young men who are feeling the burden of mental health issues are taking their own lives for a variety of reasons. Sometimes these suicides are not even acknowledged, with doctors writing ‘accidental death’ on death certificates. By sweeping it under the carpet we keep pretending it is not happening and nothing tangible is being done.

Mental health has been neglected in Gibraltar for far too long and awareness and data visibility is lacking. This has pushed those affected to an even greater vulnerability and allowed the problem to get progressively worse after decades of mismanagement. The human cost to mental health is huge with the ultimate price being loss to life.

Together Gibraltar believes a full review of the Mental Health Act in consultation with health experts needs to be carried out and provide precise recording and access to statistics that will enable services to appropriately deal with emergency mental health and discharge processes, and to continue with appropriate long term after care support.

Together Gibraltar notes and welcomes the proposals brought forward by Samantha Sacramento, Minister for Equality on the launch of a consultation process to deal with parental alienation, reaching out to schools to talk about gender stereotypes and looking into the high rates of male suicide.

Men and women can work together to promote healthy families and a healthy community for all.