Lloyd Hawkeye Robertson
On March 12, 2025, The International Council for Men and Boys unveiled its “New York Declaration” during the 69th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women—a symbolic setting to spotlight the often-overlooked struggles of males worldwide. It was described as a “landmark declaration” by spokesman Larry Demarco, who explained, “The initiative seeks to tackle disparities in education, health, homelessness, and justice, not to compete with women’s rights but to complement them.”
The Council points to stark statistics: women now outpace men in educational attainment globally, while men face a life expectancy gap of five years, driven partly by higher rates of homicide (80% male victims), suicide (75%), workplace injuries (twice the rate of women), and homelessness (76%). Military conscription and child labor disproportionately burden males, yet support services—whether for mental health, domestic violence, or legal aid—remain scarce. Media portrayals don’t help, with men depicted negatively 69% of the time, according to the Council. During the press conference, Dr. Edward Bartlet, President ofStop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) noted that the World Health Organization addresses women’s, but not men’s health.
It was explained that there has been progress. In February 2025, India’s Kerala High Court challenged the bias in false allegation cases, ruling that a woman’s account isn’t automatically “gospel truth.” Spain’s Congress of Deputies debated how skewed domestic violence laws strain family ties, while Trinidad and Tobago launched a Men’s Bureau to address male-specific challenges. In the UK, the Centre for Social Justice’s Lost Boys report warned of a crisis among young men, and in Michigan, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a directive to boost male enrollment in higher education and skills programs.
Personal stories underscore the stakes. Ulysses Slaughter, who witnessed his father murder his mother at age 12, He said he became “anti-men” and became known as a “sexual violence rock star.” In 2021, however, his wife brought false allegations of abuse against him and his former allies in the women’s movement deserted him. He was left with “no support, no money and arrested,” but with the view that men may also be victims in need support. Dr. Don Hubin, chair of the National Counsel for Equal Shared Parenting, highlighted another angle: 85% of men see fatherhood as central to their identity, yet denied access to children drives divorced fathers’ suicide rates tenfold higher than average. States with shared parenting laws, he noted, see sharp drops in domestic violence.
The Council isn’t stopping at rhetoric. On-going committees were formed including one led by Robert Samery of Canada to combat false allegations and support male victims of domestic violence. Samery explained that the work of his committee will include drawing public attention to the outcomes of false allegations as well as to offer solutions to policymakers, both public and corporate in tackling“the current lack of understanding what men go through as either victims of domestic violence or false allegations.”
The New York Declaration aims to spark a global push for gender equality that includes men and boys—urging lawmakers to establish commissions, programs, and policies to close these gaps. As Demarco put it, it’s about balance, not rivalry.
