Addressing mental stress for women vital
ASSISTANT Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection, Sashi Kiran, is advocating for strong support systems for women facing mental stress.
In addressing participants at the Lautoka Westpac International Women’s Day Family Walk at Shirley Park last week, Asst. Minister Kiran said there was a lack of conversation on significant issues such as post-partum depression, dealing with menopause, and emotional stress brought about by online harassment.
“Our women keep talking about how they are constantly faced with pressure from work, home, social media and from society. How do we support them? We have been very poor in talking about women’s mental health issues in our homes and in workplaces,” she said.
Asst. Minister Kiran highlighted that achieving gender equality and women’s wellbeing in all aspects of life was more crucial than ever “if we want to create a prosperous economy and a healthy Fiji”.
She stated that it was commendable that Government and Non-Government Organisations were investing a lot on economic empowerment and capacity building programs for women, however, the absence of mental well-being programs to support our women is an area that needs to be addressed.
“I call on our leaders to talk about these issues, I invite women in this space to encourage conversations on these topics to effectively address issues that are seen to be barriers or impediments for women’s growth.”
“When we are talking about investing in women, let’s include support for their emotional and mental wellbeing into the conversation to give true meaning to women’s empowerment in our collective efforts to accelerate progress, build better families, better communities and a better future for our nation,” Asst. Minister Kiran challenged.