Story by Grace Sibanda
WOMEN have taken to championing men`s mental health, creating a safe space for men to ensure they do not relapse and commit suicide.
With the current surge in cases of domestic violence and male suicides in a society where women empowerment has become of paramount importance, men often feel left out of empowerment conversations.
It is this realisation that has inspired women to take part in creating safe spaces for men in society.
“We decided that the world and the society is giving too much attention to the girl child. What about the men? They also deserve to be empowered, so to deal with an empowered woman. This men’s conference dubbed ‘Inkundla yabobaba’ is exclusively a men’s event, so the men can have safe spaces to talk and deliberate without any feminine influence,” said the Chief Editor of Nkothuthu Magazine, Miriam Mhlanga,
Men have shown appreciation to women-led initiatives meant to empower them, citing the programme will go a long in improving communities.
“It’s key to note that our conference was organized by women, as they saw a need, that men are failing to address in our homes. They were not even in the conference hall, and this allowed us to call a spade a spade,” said one of the participants.
Another added, “This initiative is part of the government’s initiative of stopping drug and substance abuse. What we are expecting is a society with men full of respect and impact.”
This comes on the backdrop of a rise in men suicide cases resulting from mental health, with safe spaces set to play a bigger role in ensuring inclusive communities.
