The Ministry of Social and Urban Transformation, through the Directorate of Gender Affairs (DoGA), will host the “Man in the Mirror Men’s Forum” on Wednesday, August 12, as part of ongoing efforts to address critical social and wellness challenges affecting men and boys in Antigua and Barbuda.
The forum will be held at the Inland Revenue Department from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and forms part of the Directorate’s Men’s Critical Issues Series, under its Masculinity Portfolio, specifically tackling violence, mental wellness, stigma and other critical issues affecting men and boys
The initiative is designed to provide a constructive and non-judgmental environment in which men can engage in frank discussions about some of the challenges they face, while examining the wider social factors influencing masculinity, relationships, violence, mental wellness and help-seeking behaviours.
Community leaders, legal experts and counselling professionals are expected to participate in the four-hour session, examining the root causes of social vulnerabilities and providing practical tools to help men navigate difficult circumstances.
The forum will also explore ways of reducing the stigma often associated with men seeking counselling, mental health support and other forms of assistance.
Executive Director of the Directorate of Gender Affairs, Jamie Saunders, said the organisation remains committed to ensuring that the experiences and concerns of men and boys are included in the national conversation on gender equality.
“The Directorate of Gender Affairs continues to make a concerted effort to ensure that issues affecting men and boys in Antigua and Barbuda remain prominent within national discourse and within the organisation’s programming,” Saunders said.
“Gender equality requires taking a people-centred approach, which includes men and boys and recognises their unique needs and challenges.”
Rafiq Martin, Programme Officer for Men’s and Mental Health, said the forum will encourage men to confront difficult issues that are too often left unspoken.
“Man in the Mirror invites men to sit with some of the most difficult conversations our society has long avoided: what drives violence, what our silence costs us, and what it truly means to hear and respect the word ‘no’,” Martin said.
He added that meaningful change requires men to be willing to examine their own attitudes, behaviours and experiences.
“Real change begins when men are willing to look at themselves honestly, and this event creates the space to do exactly that,” he said.
Martin stressed that the initiative is equally intended to reach men who have themselves experienced violence, trauma or other forms of harm.
“This event is also an invitation to allow men who have experienced harm to know that there is a safe space for them too. Seeking help is not weakness; it is one of the most courageous things a man can do, and the Directorate of Gender Affairs stands ready to support that journey,” he said.
The Man in the Mirror Men’s Forum will be a targeted stakeholder consultation involving invited male delegates and representatives of organisations from across Antigua and Barbuda.
While the in-person session will be closed to the general public to facilitate focused and candid discussions among participants, the forum will be livestreamed and recorded.
The recorded discussions will subsequently be made available through media and public broadcast platforms, allowing the wider population to benefit from the conversations and information shared during the forum.
The Ministry of Social and Urban Transformation, through the Directorate of Gender Affairs, says the initiative forms part of its broader commitment to promoting healthier individuals, families and communities by ensuring that the concerns of both women and men remain central to national development.
It’s always refreshing when I see event targeting men. Too often we focus so much on the women that we forget about the men