Gender equality is the state of equal access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender and the state of valuing different behaviours and needs equally regardless of gender.This statement simply indicates that gender equality involves both the male and the female gender.Taking a look at our nation Kenya , Gender Equality Programmes,we find that most of them focus on the girl child leaving out the male child.This exclusion of the male child is later evident in the increased conflicts with the law, increased crime,drug abuse, violence among lots of other negative deeds.
This violence often further leads to increased cases of failed marriages and unwanted pregnancies which often leads to abortion affecting the girl.It is considered ironic that the dominant factors are boys and men but many enlightenment campaigns are concentrated on ladies and women.The National Government should increase the exposure of boys and men to sexual education and counselling which can motivate them to be supporters of family planning and supporters of only wanted pregnancies and wanted fatherhood.Through this, both the male and the female gender will have gained greatly.
The society also tends to have given more importance to the plight of the girl child who is considered weak and vulnerable to the detriment of the boy who is considered strong hence needs no attention.The boy child unlike the girl child have no one in the society to lean on and usually ends up hurting from the inside.Such men are the same men that when older commit unimaginable crimes to their spouses and families.The society is therefore bound to take care of the boy children too since just like the girl child they also grapple with insecurities.
A study in The Sub Saharan Africa shows that despite numerous initiatives and resources to protect the health and sexual right of the girls and women, the persistently high rate of unwanted pregnancy,abortion and sexual violence has remained a topical public health crisis.This study indicates that the continous omission of boys and men in the interventions to concur this menace could be a long-life impediment to the realization of sustainable health for girls and women.This is so much related to our case as a nation too.
During adoptions too, statistics show that many people would rather adopt girls rather than boys.This denies the boy a chance to grow up in homes where they are loved and appreciated.Many of these boys usually end up in the streets and survive through criminal activities.Take a look at our Kenyan streets for example,most if not all of the street children are young,hungry,unhealthy, dirty boys.This shows that the role of giving the male an equal opportunity as that of the female is not for the governments alone. We all need to play our parts.
It therefore is clear that however much girl child protection is embraced,it will be close to impossible to combat this menace without embracing the boy child too.The male child’s rights issues should be given an equal chance to that of the female.
FEATURE ARTICLE By VICTOR NDURUCHI MUCHIRA, Second Year Student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication
MWINGI TIMES for timely and authoritative news.
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