IT WAS ALL about the men in society yesterday, as the Bureau of Gender Affairs catered to their needs with a Men’s Day and Health and Wellness Fair.
Free haircuts, massages, blood pressure checks and a range of interactive activities were among the many offerings available at the booths laid out at the compound of the Warrens Office Complex in Warrens, St Michael.
The annual fair, held in commemoration of International Men’s Day, has been a mainstay for the Bureau of Gender Affairs, which operates within the Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs.
Since 2022 the fair included services such as manicures, pedicures, and facials.
Speaking with the MIDWEEK NATION,director of the Bureau of Gender Affairs William Warner underscored the key role that the event has in holding a safe space for men and addressing many of the factors unique to their needs.
“It’s important because we have to give men a space where men feel confident and comfortable. And I guess because this is all men’s activity, I think this
provides a setting that’s more comfortable because as men you relate to the issues they are dealing with,” he added.
Warner also emphasised the fair’s focus on offering health checks, as a way to tackle existing concerns of men neglecting medical health.
“If men are going to make the contribution to society that we expect of them, of course, they have to be medically fit and they have to be taking account of their medical health.
“One thing we recognise is that there’s always this concern that men do not access medical services. But what I have noticed over the years, and in addition to our health care, is that a lot of men like to come out to these informal places.
“So you maybe have to look at, you know, taking the service to the men, if they are not going to the institutions to get the services that are required,” he added.
(JRN)
