A NUMBER of men have laid down on the streets of Dublin and other cities in just their underwear to raise awareness of men’s mental health.
The protest is part of the new #SOSManDown campaign ahead of International Men’s Day – which takes place this coming Sunday.
The publicity stunt isn’t just happening in Dublin though, or Ireland for that matter.
A semi naked man is lying outside the GPO as part of a campaign to highlight men’s mental health issues #sosmandown pic.twitter.com/YiGK9kRBCt
— Stephanie Grogan (@StephGrogan3) November 17, 2017
Images have emerged on social media of men in both London and Edinburgh taking part in the transnational campaign.
In the Irish capital, the men have been spotted outside the Dáil Éireann, the GPO building, St Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.
THREE CITIES. ONE CAUSE. #SOSManDown #Dublin #Dail InternationalMensDay #F4J https://t.co/8LbfDpiGbZ pic.twitter.com/m59firysdR
— SOSManDown (@SOSManDownNews) November 17, 2017
The protest is aimed at starting a conversation about men’s mental health, and to raise awareness of the importance of talking about a problem instead of suffering in silence.
Four out of every five deaths by suicide in Ireland involve men, and similarly shocking figures in Britain show it is clearly a serious issue elsewhere.
#SOSManDown pic.twitter.com/mvF0sFiIVL
— Rosie Field (@keepinliferosie) November 17, 2017