Wellington: In line with its policy about mental health, New Zealand has launched a campaign 'Love Better' to help people deal with the aftermath of breakups.
The programme acknowledges that a failed relationship can cause feelings of sadness, loneliness, and low self-esteem. It can have a lasting impact on a person's mental health. This, in the long term, can lead to violence in families.
New Zealand has one of the highest youth suicide rates in the developed world. And six in ten youngsters in the age group 16-24 go through a breakup and a large majority of them have "experienced or perpetrated harmful impacts" as a result.
Associate minister for social development, Priyanca Radhakrishnan, said the government wants to support young people dealing with hurt and let them know there is a way through without harming themselves or others. These formative experiences can improve how they approach relationships in the future.
"This isn't an approach that has been trialled by any other government around the world. The way that we're doing this using some of those real, raw stories but also ensuring that we have platforms that reach young people … is also the power of this campaign," she told The Guardian.
The government is spending Rs 33,08,30,000 on the campaign over the next three years.
The 'Love Better' campaign offers support about what to do when a relationship ends and suggests healthy ways to process feelings of hurt. People are asked to "own the feels". A campaign video's voice-over said, "Break-ups suck... but you can channel it for good. Own the feels".
Young people were seen sharing real stories of breakups to help their peers who may be going through similar experiences.