Men want home front care to assume great responsibilities, says Falobi
Men need all the support they can get, especially from the home front and the family unit, in order to face the enormous burden placed on them by obligations, career expectations, societal influence, and peer influence factors.
This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Sanmi Falobi, Coordinator, of the International Men's Day (IMD) 2022 Nigeria event and IMD Ambassador, West Africa in Abuja
In the statement ahead of the IMD, which is celebrated every year on Nov. 19, Falobi said: "Although men are generally perceived to be strong-hearted and socialized to project strength, autonomy, dominance, and stoicism, there are many men dying silently and crying inwardly due to the enormous burden placed on them by family obligations and career expectations."
"These burdens and pressures often push men to the edge of their limits, with the resultant consequences being suicidal actions, gender-based violence, drug use, and engagement in criminal tendencies."
"The home front support is critical, sp that men are able to balance issues and play the expected role to lead by example".
Falobi said that in line with the global theme, the Nigeria LOC, in alliance with other partners, is calling on corporate organizations, governments, institutions, businesses, religious bodies, as well as the media, to initiate clusters of independent activities.
This, he said, is to highlight the positive values of men to their families, communities and the society at large.
"This is in relation to the context of their careers, families, health and mental wellness, socio-economic sustainability, as well as organizational or political leadership, as applicable, in commemorating the day.
"While noting that there are varied issues within the societal context that is still largely hinged on patriarchal ideologies, we cannot run away from the realities that bridging the gaps in gender inequality is a collective effort that will need to involve and engage mindset re-orientation and education.
"This is where men, across family leadership structures, workplace cadres, societal influence, religious and traditional positioning, governance, and political leadership, etc., have strategic roles to play."
"As such, an occasion like the IMD gives the opportunity to appreciate men who support women, as well as to broaden the scope of engagement to get more men to support women's causes, which is ingrained as one of the objectives of the six significant pillars in commemorating the day," he said.
The Supreme Court reports that the day celebrates worldwide the positive value men bring to the world, their families, and communities.
The IMD theme for 2022 is "Helping Men and Boys."
In the early 1990s, Thomas Oaster, the director of the Missouri Center for Men's Studies, invited organizations in the U.S., Australia, and Malta to hold small International Men's Day events during the month of February.
Oaster successfully hosted these events for two years, but his 1995 attempt was poorly attended. Discouraged, he ceased plans to continue the function. Australia followed suit, making Malta the only country to continue celebrating.
In 1999, Trinidad and Tobago celebrated the day, which was revived by Jerome Teelucksingh from the University of the West Indies.
He realized that even though there was a day for fathers, there was no day to celebrate men who didn't have kids or who were young boys and teenagers.
Teelucksingh understood the importance of positive male role models, as his father had been an excellent example for him, and chose to celebrate the IMD on Nov. 19, the day of his father's birthday as well as the day a local soccer team had united his country with their endeavors to qualify for the World Cup.
Since Teelucksingh's revival, IMD 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 now commemorated in over 80 countries globally.
