21 Nov 2022

Men and women should be accorded equal platforms to promote their interests.

Speaking in commemoration of International Men’s Day in Satau on Saturday, Chobe District Council chairperson, Mr Chimney Mululwani said doing so would help in actualising the gender agenda as espoused in the Declaration of Human Rights, Sustainable  Development Goals (SDGs) and Botswana’s constitution as well as other gender promotional instruments.

Mr Mululwani said government should also re-consider its approach relating to gender and development.  

He said there was need for robust interventions that would bring equality.

“We need to adopt better practices that will enhance our efforts in transforming our government agenda as it relates to gender and development, and we also need to take actions in areas where there is an opportunity to decide on areas where we need to elevate women to equal their male counterparts,” he said.

He said this years theme: Promoting a positive conversation about men, manhood and masculinity, called on men to talk about their health, potential, zeal, aspirations and achievements among many other issues.

He urged men to engage on how they served and related with their women and children and to share the tender-love and care they wished to give and receive. 

“Let them know how it makes us feel when they respect and appreciate us,” he said.

He said the commemoration was also about exploring and initiating conversations on taboo topics such as men’s mental health and suicide. He also noted that suicide had become the leading killer of men under the age of 45.

“We need to understand that men struggle with depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses as well. We need to do away with the notion that men don’t cry and rather should encourage our fathers, brothers and life partners to express their emotions freely,” he said.

A male circumcision nurse, Mr Oganeditse Mogotsi said men were reluctant to access health services due to negative pressure. He said men tended to seek advice on health issues from people who were not health professionals.

He said men tended to heed the advice of people who were against circumcision instead of health officials. 

He encouraged men to consult health professionals regarding their health instead of visiting health facilities when already sick.

He also noted that since the introduction of safe male circumcision at the Kasane Primary Hospital in 2014, only 50 procedures were conducted annually. 

Mr Mogotsi said male circumcision had many advantages and that studies had shown that it did not only promote hygiene, but also reduced the chances of HIV transmission.

A psychiatric nurse, Ms Bontle Mothibedi said physical wellness was prioritised over mental health whereas it should be vice versa. 

She said a patient who was not well mentally was a danger to both himself and those around him and encouraged people to seek counselling whenever not well mentally instead of resorting to alcohol and substance abuse.

the day was set aside to commemorate the positive deeds by men in their families and communities.

She said the day was also aimed at creating a platform to encourage men to be role models and to take both physical and mental health seriously. 

Earlier, Kgosi Rungwe Simasiku said the commemoration was important in curbing GBV because information shared was an eye-opener for both abusers and victims. Ends