Oh hey! It’s #InternationalMensDay. And as is traditional, I will not be snide because there are men and boys who need help and recognition and they are not the same men and boys who complain about International Women’s Day

This year a record number of countries got out on the US’ child soldier blacklist, and while there have been some improvements, some countries continue to recruit boys to fight https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/06/29/record-number-countries-us-child-soldier-blacklist

For more on child soldiers you can read @jobeckerhrw’s piece above, and this one that reflects on two decades of trying to end the use of children in wars https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/05/25/stop-backsliding-use-child-soldiers

Speaking of boys. Boys in Egypt’s prisons undergo unimaginable torture and abuse. I spoke to @billvanesveld about life for children who end up detained in Egypt: https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/03/23/witness-beaten-shocked-tortured-life-boys-egypts-prisons

Sexual violence against men and boys in war zones is prevalent and under reported. I spoke to @zperdem about the men who are targeted, and the abuse, stigma, and shame that that face https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/07/29/interview-syrian-sexual-violence-survivors-left-without-support

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1 in 9 men experience intimate partner abuse, assault, or stalking. Tellingly, statistics on the numbers of men experiencing intimate partner rape are not available https://ncadv.org/STATISTICS 

Men are less likely to report rape or sexual assault because of the perceived stigma associated with it. Men also die from suicide 3.5x more often than women according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention https://afsp.org/suicide-statistics/

Toxic masculinity kills men as well as women. #InternationalMensDay is not a joke, it isn’t an opportunity for a “every day is men’s day” comment. It is a time to highlight the needs and the struggle of men damaged and marginalized by society.