Educationist calls for protection of boy child

Samburu County Women Representative Pauline Lenguris during a past women empowerment meeting in Kerala, India. Photo/Courtesy

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By Diana Alivitsa Jumba

It is an open secret that the society has over the years placed premium efforts in protecting the rights of the girl child, at the expense of the boy child.  

From organizations pushing for education of the girl child to various entities targeting girls and women in campaigns against sexual and gender-based violence, boys and men are left on their own, under the disguise that they are strong enough to fight ‘their battles in silence.’

However, Damaris Ng’etich, an educationist for early childhood education, says boys and girls deserve equal protection opportunities.

“In many instances, we have placed our interest in girls because to some percentage we need to protect them, but boys also need the same protection. Let us not assume because society has already set standards for boys and men. They too face a lot of challenges,” she told Jabali Media in an exclusive interview.

Kenyan society is awash with incidents where boys are being abused, but most of us choose to keep quiet, ‘because it is shameful,’ while a lot of people still believe that it is impossible for boys to be disgraced.

According to statistics by the Kenya Gender Fact sheet statistics, women continue to have better opportunities in various sectors, compared to men.

Perk Group Africa is among entities calling for empowerment of both the girl and the boy child.

“Empowering the boy child means teaching that vulnerability, empathy, and emotional expression are not signs of weakness but attributes of strength.”

It is therefore a rallying call that we do a 50/50 for job opportunities, house chores and others for love and protection to thrive in our society.