A non-governmental organisation, A Mother’s Love Initiative (AMLI), has expressed concern over neglect of the boy-child and tasked parents to change the narrative by giving priority attention to them.
In a statement to commemorate the National Sons Day, the group tasked parents for a balanced love and equal treatment of both the girl and boy child.
AMLI, a social change initiative that campaigns for the overall well-being of the African child, decried the growing neglect of the boy-child, saying this adversely affects their well-being and consequently threatens their future.
Head, External Relations, Hanatu. A. Enwemadu, said the rights and roles of both gender must be adequately protected and preserved in the right proportions, noting: “When the rights and roles of the boy-child are neglected, they barely survive.”
“It is imperative to note that today’s sons are tomorrow’s leaders, role models and change agents. Neglecting them today has grave consequences on the future of any society. While we should still advocate for the rights of the girl-child, we must strike a balance.”
Also, Legal Adviser, AMLI, Mr. Uche Ginika, lamented that most parents let go of the boy-child too soon by failing to provide basic food, clothing and shelter.
“This neglect leads to lack of supervision of the boy-child, triggering inappropriate behaviour in them. They get exposed to predators that sexually molest and abuse them. Lagos State Domestic Violence Response Team (DSVRT) once surveyed 131 male sex offenders serving terms for sexual molestation and child defilement at Ikoyi Correctional Centre and Maximum and Medium Prisons at Apapa, and research showed that 80.9 per cent of the accused were sexually molested.
A guest speaker, Justice O. Atiku, lamented that the system has no love for the boy-child, which has affected the way we do things in this part of the world.
Nigerian Actor, Segun Arinze, in his contribution said, “It’s an inherent thing that a male child is expected to struggle, while the female is pampered. But we want parents to balance the love for female and male children.”
