The Executive Director/Founder of WeLead, a nongovernmental organisation (NGO), Dayo Oladele-Ilori has raised awareness of the need to protect the boy-child from harmful societal influences.
While recommending the domestication of the boy child to have responsible men in society during the International Day of the Boy Child celebration held at CMS Grammar School, Bariga, Lagos on May 16th, Oladele-Ilori disclosed that too many boys are invisible and forgotten.
"Many are equally marginalised, neglected, alienated, and left behind. That is why we need to do something for our boys before it is too late", she noted.
She revealed further that boys' enrollment in primary and secondary schools is on the decline while dropout is skyrocketing.
"There have been several reports on incidents that misguided the young boys to be involved in vices such as fraud, robbery, smoking, alcoholism, drug addicts, violence among others", Oladele-Ilori said, adding that that the boy child should be given the right attention, care, guidance, and support for the boy child development and have general well-being.
She gave some insight into the activities of her NGO and the event's impact, on the boys, urging society to equally focus more on the boy child to upscale the gender gap.
"We have 16 courses on our curriculum where we offer intensive training just to ensure that the boy child has an all-around education.
"Most NGOs focus on the girl-child, we should equally carry out advocacy for the male child as well for healthy rivalry. We go around schools to have this training and ensure we educate and equip them to be better boys and men in the future", she added.
She reminded us of our collective guilt in neglecting the boy-child, which led to the spate of insecurity bedeviling the nation from all angles and in all directions.
"As we celebrate the International Day of the Boy Child this year, let us reflect on the dangers of neglecting the boy-child. Let us look towards taking definite actions to address the neglect of the boy child.
"Let us summon the courage to end the phenomenon of street children by whatever name they are called. We should protect our boys as much as we protect our girls. World Day of the boy child celebrates all the positive elements that boys bring to their families and communities. It also sheds light on the issues and challenges that boys face as they develop."
"While the United Nations successfully celebrates the International Day of the Boy Child, there has been a glaring absence of official recognition for the International Day of the Boy Child. I believe it is time for the United Nations to embrace this important day, providing a platform to address the unique issues faced by boys and foster true gender equity", she added.
One of the facilitators at the event, Dr. Oludare Ogunyombo who presented a paper on peer pressure said, "Peer pressure or influence is when you do something because you want to feel accepted and valued by your friends. Peer influence can be positive or negative."
Ogunyombo added that coping well with peer influence is about getting the right balance between being yourself and fitting in with your group.
Another facilitator Mr. Oviewe who presented a paper on Masculinity and Sexuality gave an illustration with a moral lesson to drive home his point.
Oviewe said World Day of the Boy Child is aimed at focusing on the well-being of the boy, including his emotions, values, and transition into manhood.
He stated that society is paying a lot of attention to the well-being of the girl child, a situation which he said had led to the neglect of the boy child physically, morally, mentally, and psychologically, thereby leading to an increase in crime and other social vices in the society.
Advocating affirmative actions to improve the well-being of the boy-child, Oviewe explained that the organization is also promoting committed fatherhood, and implored fathers, male family members, and leaders to exhibit appropriate behaviours, morals, and ideals worth emulating by the boy-child.
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"Emphasising that a well-balanced boy child today will turn out to become a well-groomed gentleman tomorrow
Another facilitator, Mrs Kehinde Ajibola said that to ensure a balance in the upbringing of both the boy and girl child, recommended intentional parenting based on the application of family system engineering, a process in which every member of the family impact on one another. She also advised parents to share their parenting blueprints with caregivers.
Ajibola canvassed the nurturing of the boy child in a loving family unit. She also called for a return to communal child upbringing, mentorship in schools and what she called male education, and a change in societal perception of the boy child, pointing out that a lot of boys are already roaming the streets without proper guidance.
