By Laura Wache, Mozambique
In Denmark we visited an instituition called Mandecentret (the Men Centre) in Aarhus that deals with men in crisis situations. I was quite surprised to hear about a centre for men, since I am from Mozambique and there I have never seen or heared of anybody talking about this kind of centres. In Mozambique, we have instistitutions for women only and gender discussions mostly concern women’s disadvantages and disvaluated positions compared to the male opponent.
I could understand that the Men Centre in Aarhus was recently established and a newer phenomenon in Denmark, but I find it quite inspiring. Men in Mozambique deal with similar problems like the men in Denmark. Typically, they frequent the centre due to a difficult divorce and they have troubles restarting their life. Instead of sharing their feelings and thoughts with friends like women often do, men tend to isolate themselves dealing with difficult emotions in less healthy ways. They may start drinking or start some kind of addiction, which only brings them futher into the crisis situation.
In Mozambique, men are also having problems dealing with divorce and that to an extent that they actually tend to kill themselves. The rate for suicide among young men is very high. I don’t know if it is possible to have these kinds of centres and support for them in Mozambique, but I imagine that a centre like the one in Aarhus could be helpful.
Men centres like the one in Aarhus could be seen as a sign of welfare in Denmark, because welfare to me among other things concerns gender equality