Africa-Press – Botswana. Men have been encouraged to deal with mental health challenges to avoid suicidal thoughts that could lead to loss of life.
When giving a keynote address during the International Men’s Day organised by the Kweneng District Men Sector at Molepolole Sports Complex on Wednesday, Mr Mothei Sejakgomo of the Botswana Institute of Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Offenders (BIRRO) said suicide among men was worrisome as the statistics showed that men committed suicide in larger numbers as compared to women.
He said substance abuse, debt, unemployment, stigmatisation and discrimination were major causes of mental breakdown.
Mr Sejakgomo said the theme; No Male Suicides, called on all men to do all that was possible to avoid suicide but rather seek for help from counsellors and psychologists to address their challenges.
He said seeking God’s intervention was one way men could mend their ways to avoid suicide. Mr Sejakgomo added that some things could not be easily changed as they needed only God’s intervention for them to change.
Mr Sejakgomo he believed that he came back to his senses after praying to God to help him turn his life around and become a good citizen.
He shared that spent seven years in jail for making bad decisions adding that it was important for him to ask God to remove bad friends from his life, leave drugs and become a good member of the society.
Mr Sejakgomo said he was happy that God had answered his prayers and was now channeling his strength into building other people and helping them avoid jail.
He advised men to think wisely whenever they encounter different situations in their lives to avoid imprisonment as that is not a place he wishes for anybody.
He suggested that a strategy be put in place to allow prisoners to address young people so that they can avoid prison at all costs.
Reverend Thuto Jeffrey, who addressed the issue of men in the image of God, called on men to retrace their steps back to the creator as they had been created in the image of God.
Reverend Jeffrey posited that when the women empowerment initiative took the world by storm, men were left behind and were now struggling to find their place in the society.
He said it was therefore important that men were assisted as much as women are to be able to deal with modern challenges.
When sharing the objectives of the International Men’s Day, the chairperson of Men Sector, Mr Charles Mogale said the day served to promote positive male role models and celebrate men’s positive contribution to the society, community, family and child welfare.
He said the recognition of men helped them accept the role they played in the society and improve their stature and importance to their families and children.
Mr Mogale added that men faced a lot of difficult challenges and needed to be guided and empowered to deal with them to avoid thinking of committing suicide.
In his welcome remarks, Kgosi Kebonyethebe Kgari implored men to desist from committing suicide and passion killing as that caused pain and agony for their loves ones.
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