Boy child-inclusive strategies are needed – Mbewe, Sendeza
Mbewe: Include a boy child
Advocates are stressing the importance of inclusive strategies in child protection ensuring the well-being of both girls and boys.
Critics have expressed concerns to stakeholders and governments about neglecting the boy child amidst focused efforts on girl child rights.
The latest call resurfaced at the national commemoration of the International Day of the Girl Child in Mwanza district on 18th October 2024.
A child rights campaigner with Girls Not Brides, Lucky Mbewe, emphasizes that boys can play a crucial role in preventing exploitation and abuse of young girls, highlighting the need for comprehensive approaches that benefit all children.
Mbewe said: “We need policies that not only look after the wellbeing of the girl child but those that also make sure that the boy child is not left out.”
“I think stakeholders, government, and communities need to come together and brainstorm how best we can also incorporate the young men in the fight for girl’s rights,”
Malawi’s Gender Minister, Jean Sendeza, emphasized the vital role boys play in ending child marriage after launching the revised End Child Marriage Strategy last Friday.
According to Sendeza, engaging boys and men is crucial in addressing the existing gaps and loopholes that perpetuate child marriage.
“We need to take an all-inclusive approach to ensure that even the boy child feels that they are part of the solution and not the problem. As a ministry we urge all community leaders, parents and even religious heads to be on the forefront in advocating for the same,” Sendeza said.
UNFPA Representative to Malawi, Nelida Rodrigues, emphasized that the boy child is equally an asset that can guarantee their sisters’ freedom from exploitation and abuse.
She gave a message of encouragement saying: “She is not alone. Her journey is our journey. None of us is free until all of us are. Her chains bind us all, for we are her human family.”
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recognizes that all children have equal rights, no matter who they are, if they are a boy or girl, if they have a disability, if they are rich or poor, and no matter who their parents or families are or what their parents or families believe or do.
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