by Curlan Campbell
- 19 November is International Men’s Day
- Grenada set precedent by staging International Men’s Day Regional Conference
- St Lucian Minister of Equity, Social Justice and Empowerment encouraged men to effect meaningful change in society
On 19 November each year, World Toilet Day is an official United Nations international observance day, the same day designated as International Men’s Day, not included on the United Nations calendar that recognises International Women’s Day on 8 March.
Michael Stewart, Ambassador and Coordinator for International Men’s Day Caribbean, pointed to this glaring example of how the pursuit towards advancing gender equality has moved from one extreme to the other, where gender affairs policies and programmes implemented have been skewed mainly towards women, inadvertently neglecting men in the process.
Speaking at the opening ceremony to mark the start of the International Men’s Day Regional Conference held on Thursday, 16 November at the Radisson Grenada Beach Resort, Stewart advocated gender equality be replaced with a new focus towards gender equity to ensure fairness of treatment for women and men together, according to their respective needs. “International Men’s Day is not on the UN calendar. In fact, on the United Nations calendar is World Toilet day; that even toilets have a day. What does that say in that time that we are saying men matter?”
“Some women argue and advocate for equality. We as men, we are advocating for equity. Equality means individual groups and people are having the same resources and same opportunities. Equity talks about recognising each person with their differences and their circumstances and allows the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome. That is what we need. And as the minister said, partnership, and I noticed that even the equal sign of the equation is not even equal. One is on top, and one is below. So equal is an elusive dream. And that’s why we will always be knocking heads if you’re asking for equality,” Stewart said.
The first of its kind in the region, Grenada has set the precedent for the observance of International Men’s Day by staging The International Men’s Day Regional Conference, which kicked off 4 days of activities that culminated on Sunday, 19 November. The theme chosen was “Men Matter: Embrace, Empower and Elevate all men throughout Grenada and the Caribbean Region.”
Joachim Andre Henry, Minister of Equity Social Justice and Empowerment of St Lucia, delivered the keynote address and encouraged men to take charge of their personal and professional lives to effect meaningful change in society. “I charge all of us to take responsibility for shaping the lives of young men and to take note of all of our deliberations and actions,” he said. “While we do so, we also need to take pride in recognising the impactful contributions that we have made for ourselves, our family society, and by extension, the region.”
“Caribbean men, all is not lost…We are not finished. We have made significant and positive contributions to our families, communities and nation, building our lived realities and the roles that we play are crucial in shaping the social and economic fabric of the region. We are here to continue to build on the legacies and those who have gone before us, notwithstanding the need to improve to do better,” Henry said.
Grenada Minister for Social and Community Development, Housing and Gender Affairs with responsibility for Community Development and Housing Philip Telesford has called for men and women to forge alliances in mutual respect and partnership to reinstate strong family values in the building of communities. “There must be a positive transformation in the way we do business of our own lives. This is the right time for us to make these moves, otherwise, we will end up with a future that we did not design. We will end up with a future that is carved out for us by someone else. We know the values of family. We know the value of female folks standing side by side in partnership in mutual respect. We know what a partnership means for us. And therefore, we must accentuate this in everything we do and every decision that we make.”
As part of the International Men’s Day Regional Conference, panels of men discussed critical issues affecting men in society, particularly mental health, crime, dysfunctional family dynamics, among others.
Following the conference, a business workshop was held on Friday to share knowledge and experience about entrepreneurship. On Saturday, the Ministry of Social Development staged a nationwide motorcade to raise awareness, followed by the International Men’s Day Awards held on Sunday.
