By VERDEL BISHOP Thursday, November 19 2009

TODAY is International Men’s Day (IMD) and Trinidad and Tobago will be joining the rest of the world in celebrating men and their contributions to society.

The theme for IMD 2009 is “Promoting Positive Role Models” and this is a time to reflect on the contributions, sacrifices and progress made by men in society and focuses on improving gender relations, promoting gender equality, producing responsible males and highlighting positive male role models.

IMD was founded in November 1999, by Dr Jerome Teelucksingh, a lecturer at the University of West Indies (UWI). Since then, various men’s groups have jointly coordinated with Teelucksingh in observance of the IMD. The observance has received support from the United Nations through UNESCO.

In a recent statement, Teelucksingh noted that IMD is “a call for international collaboration to address the challenges and problems men face such as improving gender relations between men and women; promoting gender equality; highlighting positive male role models – not just movie stars and athletes – but everyday working class men who are living decent, honest lives; and creating a safer and better world”.

Teelucksingh said he founded IMD because it coincided with his father’s birthday and was also the day in 1989 when the Strike Squad foot ball team created a level of pride and unity which crossed gender, religious and ethnic divisions. Teelucksingh said more must be done to reach out to marginalised, alienated and disadvantaged men who feel they have been abandoned and have fallen through the cracks.

Teelucksingh said often law and society is insensitive towards men: “Men must understand that there is support for them. They must know where to turn to reach out for help, they must understand how to create a more peaceful society.

“This day is for all men – for men who are handicapped, men of different religions classes and ethnic groups, young and old men. Too often society has unjustly judged men as being perpetrators of crimes and unjustly judged men as being responsible for a lot of society’s ills. But there is a reason for a reaction and we have to find out what these reasons are.

Samuel Alexander, President of Husbands Club of Trinidad and Tobago, lauded Teelucksingh’s efforts in commemorating such a day

He said: “IMD is an occasion to remind ourselves that men are human, that they experience pain, emotions and tears, and that they deserve our love, care, protection and support every day. kudos to Jerome Teelucksingh who founded IMD.