MEN shouldn’t feel like they have to stay silent or carry their struggles alone.
Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran said Fiji must move away from a culture that pressures men to appear strong even when they are in crisis.
Her comments follow Health Minister Atonio Lalabalavu’s disclosure that Fiji has recorded 110 suicide cases this year, with 70 per cent of them involving men.
Ms Kiran said the figures reflected a deeper social problem.
“It is quite tragic to see the number of young people, but also the number of old people,” she said.
“We do see the number in the older people has dropped, but any death is one too many. For younger people, unfortunately, the trend has been high.”
She said the pattern of men taking their own lives was closely tied to social expectations around masculinity.
“I think it is the culture that men are not able to seek help.”
She urged families and communities to be more observant and supportive, especially when loved ones face exam results, breakups, job losses or relationship difficulties.
“I don’t know how we’ve become such a nation of judgment and sarcasm.
“We (the whole country) make life pretty hard for people.
“If people are taking joy in hurting other people, that means there’s something really wrong with them.”
She called on the public to use social media responsibly.
“We pride ourselves on our spiritual values and our sense of family and community.
“I hope that during this festive period we can really look out for each other and become empathetic Fiji.
“No amount of legislation can stop people if they’re not healed from within. Empathy is something from inside.”
Of the total number of cases, 63 were completed suicides, a rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people and 47 were attempts, with the Western Division reporting the highest number of cases.
