For years, a lot of emphasis has been angled at girl child as that of boy child relegated. Pro- girl campaigns by women groups, churches, Non-governmental organizations and many other organizations have been run to promote girl child needs.
In African communities, the birth of a male child was welcome with jubilation and honor. It basically signified wealth and prosperity. The notion is slowly phasing away with focus shifting to the female gender. GIRL CHILD
The kind of attention and response given to boys who have been abused is totally different from that of girls. Sodomized boys would rather not talk about it since the harsh society doesn’t view maleS AS susceptible.
Both in the rural and urban areas, boys OF school going age abscond lessons to undertake cultural/economic activities. In the rift valley region young boys have turned into herders. They are also taught how to use guns to protect the livestock.
In my region, Western KENYA its alarming how young boys miss school to work on farms for MEAGER wages to fend for their families. In the Coastal and Nairobi regions, most young boys engage in criminal activities including selling and USING drugs. The parents seem totally oblivious of how it affects their future.
The Child Welfare Association (CWA) has established that 1 in every 15 Kenyan students is abusing drugs or alcohol especially at the coast and Nairobi regions.
The Kenya National Association of Probation Officers (KNAPO) found that boys as young as eight abused drugs. KNAPO further states that more than 400,000 students in Kenya secondary schools are drug addicts out of whom 15,000 are girls.
In police records, it is noted that 63% of the youth who commit suicide in our society are from fatherless homes. 90%of the homeless and run away children are from fatherless homes as are 85%of children who exhibit behavioral disorders and juvenile discordant and criminals in prisons.
The number of males in prison in Kenya is seven times higher than that of females a clear indication that the upbringing had problems including the absence of role models.
Formation of organizations such as Boychild agenda international to refocus attention to boy child is an a plausible milestone in salvaging the plight of boy child.
Boychild agenda international is a non governmental organization spearheading the improvement of the life for the boy child in Kenya whose agenda has been neglected by the society especially after focus being directed to the girl child.
Boychild international seeks to work towards achieving a fairly competitive world for the boy child and at the same time engaging the youth in activities that would make them counter productive. The main focus include rescuing the young generation from negative effects of drugs, the HIV/AIDS.
There is need for collective effort from Non governmental organizations, the government, parents, teachers, religious leaders to mentor boys into responsible individuals in the future. Both girl child and boy child should receive equal attention.
Lorna's Musings 