The Lagos State government has urged the male gender to break the culture of silence and always speak up to curb suicidal tendencies.

Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, the executive secretary of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), gave the charge at Ikeja during an event commemorating the 2023 International Men’s Day.

The theme of the celebration was ”Zero Male Suicide.”

Mrs Vivour-Adeniyi stated that every year, 703,000 individuals commit suicide, with many more attempting to do so, making it the fourth-highest cause of death among 15 to 29-year-olds worldwide in 2019.

She emphasised that every suicide is a tragedy that impacts families, towns, and whole countries, as well as the people left behind.

“Suicide is a global epidemic that affects all parts of the world, not only high-income nations. In reality, low- and middle-income nations accounted for more than 77 per cent of global suicides in 2019.

“Suicide is a severe public health issue, but it is avoidable with early, evidence-based, and frequently low-cost treatments.

“A comprehensive multi-sectoral suicide prevention plan is required for national interventions to be effective,” she said.

The executive secretary noted that although suicide in Nigeria is still regarded as a taboo, the alarming rate has become worrisome, and statistics indicate that men have the highest rate of suicide.

She mentioned that it is for this reason that the DSVA commemorated the international day, encouraging men to teach the boys in their lives the values, character, and responsibilities of being a man.

“In light of this year’s International Men’s Day theme, Zero Male Suicide, one of the six pillars of the celebration is to focus on men’s health and well-being: physical, social, emotional, and spiritual.

“Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. While just over two in three suicides worldwide are men, it is important to bring down the suicide rate for both males and females.

“To commemorate International Men’s Day 2023 with the theme: “Zero Male Suicide”, the agency has curated an initiative tagged: ‘Break the silence, Don’t take your life, seek help to discuss various issues that cause depression and other forms of abuse against men’.

“This discourse is of utmost importance on this day because International Men’s Day (IMD) is a global awareness day for many issues that men face, including abuse, homelessness, suicide, and violence, celebrated annually on November 19.

“We believe that this would be an opportunity to continue to break the culture of silence, which encourages SGBV to thrive,” Mrs Vivour-Adeniyi said.

Also speaking, Tolu Ajomale, the coordinator, special project, Lagos State Ministry of Health, urged men to take proper care of their mental health.

Ms Ajomale said that one’s mental health could be affected by the loss of a job; drug abuse; extreme poverty; gender-based violence; trauma; chronic diseases; war; loss of a loved one; work stress; divorce, among other issues.

He urged men to always speak up and have at least five persons they could rely on to discuss their mental health issues.

“The statistics of mental health are very worrying, and I think since COVID-19, the numbers have increased even more.

“We have seen an increasing number of people who are struggling with their mental health today in Lagos and in every other part of the country, more than ever before,

“So, they are alarming, concerning, and they also bring an opportunity for us to begin to draw more attention to mental health, the importance, and the impact on our day-to-day life,” Ms Ajomale said.

(NAN)