Gender Affairs Minister Dr. Virginia Albert-Poyotte calls on all sectors of society to unite to find solutions to men’s issues. The Minister says vulnerable men are found in all parts of Saint Lucia and a targetted approach should be employed to give men the help they need.

“The deterioration of male mental health and the increased violence among men should not be perceived as a problem affecting only a few men in only a few communities. Quite on the contrary, this is a crisis which affects the entire society with dire consequences for everyone,”  Poyotte said in a Men’s Day release.

The Gender Affairs Minister also made light of the various men’s issues the island currently faces.

“It is a fact that Saint Lucia is experiencing a surge in violent crime, particularly among younger males. Men are overrepresented at the Bordelais Correctional Facility and the number of boys who are detained at the Boys Training Centre for inappropriate behaviour and crimes committed outweigh those accessing care and protection,” she says.

Another issue she highlights is gender-based violence. “Women’s death at the hands of men in Saint Lucia is the highest it has been in history and young men, dying at the hands of each other, have reached disturbing rates in the last six years,” she disclosed. The first homicide for 2023 was a woman. Saraphina Stephen’s death was ruled “asphyxia due to suffocation”.

The Minister is calling on all sectors to help address men’s issues. “An all-of-society approach to this national threat is exactly what is required at this point. It is prudent to commend all agencies, organizations and individuals who have been able to identify their specific role in tackling this issue and are contributing in their own way.”

In relation to this year’s theme, men are most impacted by suicide. According to the Ministry of Health, 8 men died by suicide in 2022. By September 2023, 4 men had perished from suicide.