THE adage, “It’s a man’s world,” was not contemplated with any great equanimity by Cabinet last Tuesday and many of its consequences were viewed critically, Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon said yesterday.
Luncheon was speaking at his post-Cabinet media briefing, at Office of the President, Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown, in the context of International Women’s Day and other recent events that highlighted gender issues in Guyana.
International Women’s Day was celebrated last Tuesday and the Men’s Affairs Bureau was established on March 4 last.
The HPS reported that Cabinet emphasised the need for women not to be complacent about the positive developments that have recently taken place, as other critical issues still exerted negative outcomes on the feminine gender.
According to him, Cabinet also reflected on social responses to homosexuality and reiterated its position of not supporting discrimination of those whose sexual orientation offended contemporary social norms.
Discussions by Cabinet centered on the creation and support of initiatives that promoted positive gender roles in the Guyanese society, he further mentioned.
The launch of the Men’s Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security is in no way meant to pit men against women, but caters for them to be complementary in addressing the specific needs of both genders.
This was according to President Bharrat Jagdeo who presided over the launch of the body aimed at holistically addressing the needs of men in relation to social problems between the two groups, and the root causes of domestic violence.
The President said the launch of the body is a very important step in Guyana, as he noted, “The trend is that men do not need help. Men do need institutions to help them through challenging times…men face a series of unique challenges.”
“Women must recognise that we are made up differently and we may need special attention, and men themselves in communities can provide that attention,” he said.