An event marking International Men’s Day (officially on 19th November) was held for the first time this year at the Market Square in Northampton, and was well organised and hosted by Northampton Borough Council, with stalls from a variety of organisations, charities and companies.
International Men’s Day is celebrated in over 70 countries worldwide and is an occasion for men to celebrate their achievements and contributions to society. The Day focuses on improving men’s health, along with the aims of improving gender relations, promoting gender equality and highlighting male role models. It started in Trinidad and Tobago and was heralded by the then UNESCO Director of Women and Culture of Peace Ingeborg Breines as “an excellent idea and would give some gender balance”.
This year’s theme and focus for the Day was mental health. The charity Samaritans have published figures that showed that in 2014 (the most recent data) 6,122 registered suicides occurred in the UK, with at least two-thirds of those being male. I was also spoke on BBC Radio Northampton whilst I was at the event to raise awareness about all these issues.