By Moses Nosike

A non-governmental organisation that advocates the psycho-sociological wellbeing of the African Child, development of an ideal family within the African society and changing the narrative of the African child, A Mother’s Love Initiative on the eve of the National Sons Day 2022, has tasked parents for a balanced love, feelings, equal treatment of the male child as is the case of female child.

In its event to commemorate National Sons Day, A Mother’s Love Initiative (AMLi ), a social change initiative that campaigns for the overall wellbeing of the African child, has made a clarion call to alert parents in the Nigerian and African space on the growing neglect of the boy child, which adversely affects their wellbeing, and consequently threatens the future.
Head, External Relations, A Mothers’ Love Initiative, Hanatu A. Enwemadu Esq. said that the rights and roles of both genders must be adequately protected and preserved in the right proportions – none should be neglected. “When the rights and roles of the boy child are neglected, they barely survive”.

According to her, it is paramount to note that today’s sons are tomorrow’s dads! They 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 the balance”.
In addition, Press Secretary/Legal Adviser, AMLI, Mr. Uche Ginika Esq. Explained that some of the areas where the boy child is usually exposed to is physical neglect, saying that some parents let go of the boy child too soon and they fail to provide basic food, clothing, and shelter for the boy child, believing that he is the stronger sex and does not need anyone to take care of him.

Ginika said that some parents think that the boy child should be able to fend for himself. “This neglect leads to a lack of supervision of the boy child, triggering inappropriate behaviours in them such as joining bad gangs and cult groups in search of a support system. They get exposed to predators that sexually molest and abuse them. Lagos State Domestic Violence Response Team (DSVRT) once surveyed 131 male sex offenders (18 and above) serving terms for sexual molestation and child defilement at Ikoyi Prisons and Maximum and Medium Prisons located in Apapa, and the research shows that 80.9% of the accused were themselves sexually molested or abused as a boy child (abused abusers) etc.

A guest speaker, Justice Atiku in his opinion said that our leadership system has no love for the boy-child because of their upbringing 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 here today, we want parents to balance the love for female and male children”.

In the same vein, Actor, Jude Chukwuka said, “the society, family, parents mount pressure on the male children to go and make it out there, and when they are overwhelmed by the pressure they look for illicit means of making it, and that is why our society is what it is today. Most of male children are carried away by quick to make money syndrome, nobody emphases hardwork. Let’s help them understand that everybody must not be rich at the same time. Parents should not be comparing their male children to others”.

Another guest at the event, Abubakar Yakubu added that there are no enough male children responsible to marry our young ladies because many parents have abandoned their responsibility of paying attention to their male children, no what their feelings, emotions and pains and find a way to help them become responsible in the society.