International Men’s Day is an annual international event celebrated on 19 November. Inaugurated in 1999 in Trinidad and Tobago, the day and its events find support from a variety of individuals and groups in India,Australia, the Caribbean, North America, Asia, Europe and Africa.
The objectives
The objectives of celebrating an International Men’s Day include focusing on male health, promoting gender equality and highlighting positive male role models. It is an occasion to highlight discrimination against men and to celebrate their achievements and contributions, in particular for their contributions to community, family, marriage, and child care.
Celebration of International Men’s Day (IMD) in Mumbai: Men’s Rights groups of Mumbai under banner of Vaastav Foundation will be setting up a stall at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Station, Mumbai on Monday, 19th November 2013 from 10 AM to 6 PM to highlight men’s issues & undertake a signature campaign against the upcoming anti-male laws in the parliament.
Why is it important to celebrate International Men’s Day?
International Men’s Day is an occasion to celebrate existence as a man. Today, there is a lot of social discourse going on about “being a real man” and most of these discourses belittle and ridicule the vulnerable man. As a result, most men live their lives under emotional suppression and are also mostly unaware of their rights.
• International Men’s Day is celebrated to create a social atmosphere that embraces every man including his vulnerabilities. It is to generate a sense of awareness about rights of men.
• It is celebrated to recognize and honor the contributions and sacrifices that a man makes for the society.
• It is celebrated to create a platform for men to come up and share their problems, rather than worrying about being ridiculed.
• It is to make men aware that they need positive spaces where they can share their emotions.
Theme of International Men’s Day:
The theme of this year’s International Men’s Day is “Men need fair choices”. Years of expectation of chivalry and risk-taking by men has turned manhood into a necessary evil for men.