International Men’s Day is celebrated all over the world every year in November.
While global women’s celebration day was launched to advocate for improved rights and pay for women, International Men’s Day focuses on raising awareness for discrimination and men’s health. But when is the day and how is it marked?
When is International Men’s Day 2019?
Each year International Men’s Day is celebrated on November 19 – that’s TODAY.
It is an international event that is celebrated in more than 70 countries worldwide.
The date coincides with the birthday of the father of Dr Jerome Teelucksingh, a doctor from Trinidad and Tobago who relaunched International Men’s Day in 1999.
In 2019 the theme for International Men’s Day is making a difference for men and boys.
Organisers say it’s designed to help more people consider what action we can all take to “Make A Difference” and “give men and boys better life chances” by addressing issues such as high suicide rates, sexual abuse and health.
What did comedian Richard Herring say about the day?
Every year on International Women’s Day, which falls on March 8, comedian Richard Herring takes it upon himself to educate his Twitter followers on the existence and purpose of Men’s Day.
His comical replies grow steadily more exasperated as people show a lack of awareness for the date of the men’s event.
In 2018 Herring used the attention that his tweets were receiving to for domestic violence charity Refuge.
He has set a target of £10,000 on his Just Giving page to raise money for CALM.
(Campaign Against Living Miserably) in 2019.
He tweeted: “That day we said we’d set up. It’s today. Aren’t we naughty. First let’s give some money to this charity – tee tee – https://justgiving.com/fundraising/itstoday… then go out and celebrate being men.”
For some reason there’s now a 3 hour gap in scheduled tweets about IMD. But then they’re back til the end of the day. Please donate here if you wish https://t.co/JjB7KngOH0. Nearly at 40% of the total we’re aiming for, but still £116000 behind what we made for Refuge in March
— Richard K Herring (@Herring1967) November 19, 2019
What is the aim of International Men’s Day?
The aim of International Men’s Day is to celebrate positive male role models and to raise awareness of men’s issues which are often overlooked.
These include areas like mental health, toxic masculinity and the prevalence of male suicide.
International Men’s Day coincides with Movember, when men grow their facial hair in an effort to promote conversations about men’s mental health, suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.
On its official website, the event states that the day is a “focus on men’s and boy’s health, improving gender relations, promoting gender equality, and highlighting positive male role models”.
It adds: “International Men’s Day is an opportunity for people everywhere of goodwill to appreciate and celebrate the men in their lives and the contribution they make to society for the greater good of all.”
The day is also “a platform to raise awareness to the challenges that men face in life – especially in relation to the international male suicide rate”.
COMMENTS