MENZ ISSUES

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More Discrimination Against Men in Suicide Prevention

Filed under: Gender Politics,General,Men's Health — Ministry of Men's Affairs @ 11:17 am Thu 25th July 2013

FYI, our letter to Lifeline Aotearoa concerning its Suicide Prevention Education Newsletter:

Thank you for your Winter 2013 newsletter, a good idea for maintaining communication. While I commend the various initiatives described in the newsletter, I was seriously concerned that there was no mention that suicide is primarily a male issue because men as a group kill themselves at several times the rate for any other group. Similarly, I was concerned that although your organisation runs programmes specifically directed towards the needs of youth and Maori, and it would seem by the gender composition of your trainers that women’s perspective and needs regarding suicide will also be generously catered for, there was no mention of any approach tailored specifically for men who are the group most in need. There was no hint of any effort by your organisation to identify or address the factors contributing to men’s high suicide rate. We believe that longstanding attitudes that have always treated men’s welfare as less important, as well as more recent trends that have seen blaming, denigration and sexist discrimination against men being widely tolerated, are important factors in the current epidemic of male suicide.

The Ministry of Men’s Affairs regrets that your organisation has followed the lead provided by the Ministry of Health in denying the extent to which suicide is primarily a male problem deserving male-specific intervention. See the essay at http://menz.org.nz/2010/men-devalued-in-suicide-strategy/ and our letter to the Minister of Health at http://menz.org.nz/2012/ministry-of-health-suicide-report-neglects-men/

We recommend that your organisation give priority to research and intervention designed to be effective for men, and that the level of priority and ratio of your activities and resources devoted to male-specific intervention accurately reflect the predominance of men in suicide statistics.

The Ministry of Men’s Affairs is a community group because successive NZ governments have failed to respect the voice, welfare or interests of men.

8 Comments »

  1. Excellent letter,
    Thank you.

    Comment by Skeptic — Thu 25th July 2013 @ 12:32 pm

  2. You are onto it! What about “One person” car crashes presently hidden away away as “Driver Fatigue” The fact certain industries don’t want the full facts to become public and threaten their government provided gravy train!

    I would strongly reccomend lifeline, Samaratins akd others offering a fence at the top of the cliff to ALWAYS have Male councellors available. Thus allowing both genders the choice of a particular gender!

    Comment by Gwahir — Thu 25th July 2013 @ 1:28 pm

  3. Horrors past, misery present, future inevitability.

    Comment by Peter — Thu 1st August 2013 @ 1:09 pm

  4. Hi Guys this maybe unrelated but Have a dad here who has just found out that his ex wants to take his kid out of NZ
    Background is that he has been constantly denied access/ contact with the kid. The3 Ex had placed a non removal order (without notice) of the child from NZ citing that the father had threatened kidnapping of the child even though this was not the case.. Now she wants it removed citing she is no longer fearful of the event happening inorder that she can take the kid wherever she wants.
    The father is concerned that at the moment even though he has no access/ contact he consoles himself that he at least knows whereabouts of the kid with a possibility of making future contact with the kid when she is no longer under the mothers control.. Should the non removal be lifted he is worried that the Ex will abscond with the kid to some other country and he will have no idea where the child will be.
    Can anyone help with identifying appropriate forms required ( affidavits, applications etc) for him to compile his documents , and enable him to submit his concerns and place some terms for the childs travel?

    Comment by kiranjiharr — Fri 16th August 2013 @ 2:48 pm

  5. #4. Contact Murray Bacon (that well known axe murderer.)

    Comment by golfa — Fri 16th August 2013 @ 3:14 pm

  6. Hi Murray
    do you ahve an email I can get this dada to contact you on??

    Regards Kirann

    Comment by kiranjiharr — Fri 16th August 2013 @ 6:06 pm

  7. Here is some data for you Murray:
    1. Almost 100% of male suicides in or soon after after a relationship are almost certainly caused by their partner if not engineered by their partner.

    2. almost all suicides are caused by a lack of support and friendship by those close to the person. So when partners campaign against suicide they could be doing it for reasons of guilt or blame transference.

    No psychology degree necessary – just uncommon sense.

    Comment by Sane in an insane world — Wed 30th April 2014 @ 12:29 pm

  8. Dear Sane in an insane world, Griffiths University researchers suggested that about 90% of fathers suicides occurred within 2 months of either loss of contact with children and no foreseeable date for contact to resume, or of separation. Loss of contact with children was the most common factor and separation the less common factor.

    Dear kiranjiharr, I suggest phone (09) 638 7275.

    Cheers, MurrayBacon.

    Comment by MurrayBacon — Wed 30th April 2014 @ 1:40 pm

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