– says many were exposed to violence at an early age
Human Services and Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud on Friday related that recent statistics have shown that the suicide rate among men is alarmingly high when compared to that of women.
She made this disclosure at an event to celebrate International Men’s Day at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).
“Did you know, 605 men took their lives from 2016 to 2021 and that’s in comparison to 171 women during that time?”
The Minister stated that statistics of this nature are quite alarming and require immediate attention. She noted that the numbers are important in crafting programmes and policies that will direct attention to the causes of suicide.
In addition to this, the Minister also revealed that a recent study among 900 inmates showed that they have witnessed violence at an early age.
“A study was done. And that study was done at the prison. 900 inmates were interviewed. A lot came out, giving a lot of insight to us that was previewed to the results, in that, one in four men saw their fathers beat their mothers. That’s alarming. It might seem like just one, but it’s one in four.
Also important is the discussion of violence. We would have seen across our country the impact of violence, most of the violence being directed towards women.
And then when we think further, of how many men would have been exposed to violence from an early age. And men said yes. Six out of ten of you would have experienced violence as boys,” Dr Persaud expressed.
Making a call for these social ills to be eradicated, she encouraged men to reflect on their childhood days while noting that those experiences contribute to shaping who they are today and what they will become tomorrow.
“All of these things shape the men of today, and all of those things will shape the men of tomorrow. And it is imperative that we not only look at statistics, but we look at how we can address these statistics so that we can eradicate some of the commonest social ills and we definitely ensure that the generations to come have positive messages,” the Minister posited.
