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What is International Men’s Day?

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Kels Santos
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Claudia Elena Irizarry Aponte
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UPRM chapter.

This past Saturday,  November 19th, marked 24 years since International Men’s Day (IMD) was inaugurated and observed for the first time. To date, it is observed by over 60 countries worldwide with the purpose of celebrating men and boys and their contribution to their communities, and also seeks to encourage gender equality, improve gender relations and highlight positive male role models. Ultimately, it seeks to bring awareness to different issues and discrimination that men face all over the world.

Every year, IMD emphasizes on a theme that men face around the world from positive male role models to giving boys the best possible start in life and 2016 is no different. This year, the IMD organization has decided to focus on suicide.

According to research done by Dan Bilkser and Jennifer White, writers of  “The Silent Epidemic of Male Suicide”, across the world (except in China and India) suicide is about 3 to 7.5 more likely to occur in men than in women. It is essential that we encourage our fellow men and boys to seek help.

Different media outlets around the word encourage men to seek help. Usually characterized as the more stoic gender, many men refuse to talk about their thoughts and feelings to others under pressure to maintain a more masculine image. Unfortunately, this desire to be less expressive can possibly lead to severe emotional conditions, namely depression which could lead to suicide.

Fortunately, we can do our part to make sure the men and boys in our lives are helped. From family communication, to the way men relate to their communities, it is essential that pathways for dialog are open and accessible. Being empathetic to their lives and experiences is key for developing constructive conversations and diagnosis. Public resources such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline have trained counselors prepared to help 24/7.

For more information about International Men’s Day and suicide, feel free to visit the following links:

http://www.bcmj.org/articles/silent-epidemic-male-suicide

http://www.internationalmensday.com/

http://www.healthyplace.com/suicide/suicide-hotline-what-happens-when-you-call/

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Graduate student at the UPRM, at your service!
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Claudia is a witchy English Literature and International Affairs major from La Parguera. She's worked in various on-campus projects, such as the MayaWest Writing Project and as a tutor at the English Writing Center. In addition, she's worked at Univision and has also been published in El Nuevo Día and El Post Antillano. When she doesn't have her nose in a book, you can find Claudia tweeting something snarky and pushing boundaries as a BeyoncĂ© expert. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram, @clauuia.