SUNDAY, November 19, was International Men’s Day and it was observed under the theme “Zero Male Suicide”.
According to a post, this theme seeks to bring out the positive values of men to the world, and their communities.
As the positive values of men are highlighted, the central focus is to raise positive role models and raise awareness of men’s being so that the suicide rate among men can be stopped altogether.
The Pepperpot Magazine spoke with Dr. Fitzroy Marcus, who has been a father for 11 years and a husband for 15 years. This is a total of 26 cumulative years he has spent navigating these privileged roles. He talked about the importance of men and their continuity to impact society from a biological view, stating that we would have no society without men.

According to Marcus, there are many successful stories of men establishing and raising families in society. They can raise law-abiding, productive children even though some have struggled through poverty and single-parent households.
He believes that manhood is necessary in today’s society, adding that, in our country, some men have resorted to being absent from families and are just having children, which can lead to children growing up without a male role model in the home. He also touched on the professional field, stating that in some careers, such as teaching, there are still not many men. This further reduces the interaction of children with male role models.

“Manhood is absolutely necessary in family, workplaces, and churches; always value women and treat older ones like a mother and younger ones like a sister. The best legacy is integrity, morals, and not just material assets,” Marcus noted during our interview.
We often see nowadays that women, who are in non-traditional jobs dominated by men, bring a different perspective and add to the productive workforce. Despite this growing addition to male-dominated professions, however, Marcus insists that men cannot become extinct.

Meanwhile, the Guyana Government believes that there must be shared responsibilities when it comes to men fulfilling their roles in society.
These remarks were made by Guyana’s Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips during a forum held on November 19.
“The whole concept of shared responsibility is very important in the modern home. Shared responsibility is perhaps the most important for the success in any home,” the Prime Minister said to the men gathered.

The Prime Minister added that shared responsibility does not diminish your role as a man, but in fact, is better for men as a whole.
International Men’s Day is observed on November 19 every year. The day is set aside to highlight the contributions and successes that men have made in the areas of economic, social, cultural and political spheres and their contributions to family life and the larger society as a whole.
The day also brings into perspective the issues that men face daily, but it also encompasses men of various socio-economic backgrounds and cultures.
The document further added that the idea of International Men’s Day was discussed since the 1960s but was conceptualised and observed in 1999.