Member's statement: Men's Health Awareness Month: North Antrim
Member's statement by Mr Philip McGuigan on .
- MLA
- Mr Philip McGuigan
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 12 November 2024
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Men's Health Awareness Month: North Antrim
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4658198
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Over the past 10 years, an average of over 200 people a year have lost their life to suicide here. In my constituency of North Antrim, between 10 and 20 families are devastated and heartbroken in those circumstances every year. As we know, a disproportionately high number of suicides occur among young men. Unfortunately, that has recently been the case in North Antrim, with a number of families and friends trying to come to terms with the loss of a young son, brother or uncle. November marks Men's Health Awareness Month, and I highlight two events organised by Dunloy Stronger Together, an organisation in the community and voluntary sector that does great work across all areas of community support. In particular, it creates a space for conversations to be had about achieving better mental health for citizens not just in Dunloy but across North Antrim and beyond. The first event, which is being held tomorrow at 7.00 pm, is a conversation led by Zest that will focus on understanding suicide and bereavement. The event is open to everyone. The second event, which is on Friday 22 November at 7.00 pm, is a men's night to discuss men's mental health issues, with special guests Oisín McConville, Keith Gillespie and Joe Donnelly. Both events are free and will take place in Dunloy parish hall. Details can be found on Dunloy Stronger Together's Facebook page. I commend those involved with Dunloy Stronger Together for their work and for hosting those two important events. I encourage people, wherever they may live, to attend them.
260 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.03 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.05 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.17 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.47 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.27 |
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.25 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:32 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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