RAISING ordinary men into extraordinary world changers is one beautiful theme written on one of the walls of a church in Ndola.
Men have been identified as major perpetrators and as we address gender inequality, they should be target audience for primary prevention.
The past two weeks, a poetic video of two young girls concerning the boy child being neglected has brought a deluge on social media platforms.
But what is it about girls that society assume has left the boy child behind?
The ‘gender gap’ is a worldwide reality that has been associated with deep rooted inequalities that hold women and girls back across many spheres of life.
True to it that, most gender equality campaigns focus on protecting girls while forgetting that boys too grapple with so many challenges.
To speed up the process towards a gender just society we cannot afford to neglect boys in the pursuit of inclusive and equitable quality as they grow.
It is important to understand that the efforts concentrated on the girl child are only meant to accelerate, prevent and end all forms of inequality against girls and women which are on the higher side.
This has been so because men continue to be holders of the social norms and influencers hence, the need to engage them.
For instance, it is still a known fact that the norms pertaining to gender roles in an African society are deeply rooted in a strong patriarchal culture.
Also, the patrilineal culture still continues to see men incarnating authority within the household, making crucial decisions without the involvement of their female partners.
However, we cannot leave our boys behind as we address gender inequality in our communities because there is no competition between boys and girls.
The exclusion of boys may cripple the dream to achieve gender equality, which remains a global concern.
Some scholars have observed that physically neglecting boys may also increase the risk that they will raise violent adolescents.
In addition, we have to look more into neglect and become more aware of how this may affect our routine social interactions and unpleasant behavioural changes.
Instead, our awareness campaign should not just focus on Sexual Gender Violence (SGBV) but rather on the promotion of gender equality and the necessity for more inclusiveness of both men and women.
Without doubt, some quarters are concerned that men are being portrayed as violent and abusive people because of the rising numbers of SGBV recorded in the country.
Men are not born violent, but this is as a result of destructive beliefs and expectations about what it means to be a man.
It is important to understand that men can choose to not perpetrate acts of violence and challenge those men who do that.
Perpetrators are usually survivors of abuse that affected them at the time and how it still affects them as adult survivors of child sexual abuse and violence.
What many of us do not realise about a boy’s childhood sexual abuse is that, it is a seduction that for some, it was done on promises, persuasions and many other reasons.
Some perpetrators are boys that have grown into men who are still devastated and have not healed from the pain and trauma and received no help from people they trusted.
Conclusively, it is that boy child in a community or home with ideals and attitudes that support violence against women and do not value the concept of equality for both men and women.
Going forward, the boy child has not been neglected, all we need, is engaging boys and men to march together with one banner of gender equity.
Through a community-based approach awareness and continuous education on the social norms and attitudes that cause and perpetuate violence, no one can be left behind.
It is through such education talks that we will achieve gender equality as a societal responsibility when we fully engage both men and women.
Further findings, show how men have a crucial role to play as fathers, partners, decision makers, and community and opinion leaders, in speaking out against gender equality.
For instance, in areas of education, girls have more challenges accessing education and make up the majority of out of school children at primary level.
Similarly, a Global report, Leave no Child Behind, by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) observes that boys too experience increasing challenges at later stages, resulting from the disengagement from education.
Therefore, gender in equality in education should not be a battle ground for boys and girls but, the same number of boys and girls who reach the age of attending school should be enrolled.
Sadly, child labour defilement, sodomy, streetism, among other factors, have prevented both boys and from engaging fully with learning hence, no child must be left behind.
Communities must use traditional education talks and ensure boys obtain knowledge aligned with gender equality and reject the harmful and violent norms of masculinity.
Girls too, must be educated on how to develop and build their self-esteem to take up their rightful place as equal citizens in society.
We cannot ignore child marriages, teenage pregnancies that have resulted from SGBV and hinder girls to fulfil their potential.
Matters of sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) services that can help girls and boys make right decisions can only be achieved when both parties are inclusively engaged.
Ultimately, we need more men to be role models for the boy child if we are to see a society free from social vices that affect society negatively.
Without doubt, the involvement of boys in promoting gender equality must be seen as a continuous intervention that must start with parents educating their children before they interact with society.
Like girls, boys are equally at risk thus, the reason for all stakeholders to work together in achieving a gender equitable world, ignoring boys would thwart the whole purpose.
For comments, jessiengm@gmail.com