Violence Against Men and Boys: Providing Help, Healing & Hope
The 5th observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Men and Boys (#IDEVAMB) will be on 31 January 2024. The theme for this year is "Providing Help, Healing & Hope."
This special Day is long overdue and is badly needed in our world. The trauma of violence has been with humanity for a long time. Unfortunately, some persons accept this violence against men and boys as normal.
It is frightening that it is often difficult to distinguish among violence, punishment and discipline. Many boys are physically and emotionally abused in homes and schools. Parents and teachers often use violence to create discipline. Scientific knowledge has clearly demonstrated how the use of violence in parenting has no benefits at all, but only causes damage for the child.
Many parents and caregivers are ignorant or unaware of their role and responsibility, hence the reason for the intervention of Family Court judges and social workers to protect the child or children. Likewise, guards use violence as a form of punishment for incarcerated persons. This violence only creates temporary obedience and stability. Violence is regularly used to empower, intimidate, control, and destroy.
It is difficult to end the cycles of violence. It seems contradictory that violence is often used to end violence. The boy who is whipped, beaten or bullied to be studious, disciplined, or well-mannered will be more likely mature into a dysfunctional adult who will also commit violence because he sees it as normal and natural. In our violent world there is need to provide healing, words of hope and act to help those men in distress. This situation is even worse for men and boys in areas of conflict such as Israel-Palestine and Ukraine-Russia.
In many countries there is an absence of data on the male victims of domestic abuse or violence. Additionally, there is a glaring absence of safehouses or centres for male victims of sexual and physical abuse.
On 31 January 2024, for International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Men and Boys, let us help and heal those who are victims of violence. Let us give hope to those on the path of healing and search for solutions to recover from trauma and end all forms of violence against males.
For further information, please contact: jtluxing@yahoo.com
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Jerome Teelucksingh
Dr Jerome Teelucksingh is a Senior Lecturer in History at the University of the West Indies, specialising in the history of Afro-Caribbean intellectuals and activists, and author of several papers and books. His interests include masculinity, and he is recognised as having rejuvenated the floundering International Men’s Day in 1999, choosing November 19th in honour of his father's birthday, as well as initiating the World Day of the Boy Child (May 16th).