Some school children in the Federal Capital Territory have called for proper recognition and celebration of boys, as the world marks the International Day of the Girl Child.
The children spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.
NAN reports that the International Day for the Girl Child is celebrated on October 11 of every year to draw attention to the need for addressing the challenges facing the girl-child and promoting girls’ empowerment and fulfilment of their human rights.
Kamsi Akubuike, a Primary Four pupil, said he was not happy that boys were not being celebrated as applicable to girls.
“There are many celebrations for women and girls, such as International Women’s Day and International Day for the Girl Child which is being celebrated today.
“The girls in my school were beautifully dressed and celebrated. But on International Boys Day, boys are not celebrated this way and I wonder why.
“I told my parents that something must be done about it; that boys also need to be celebrated because we are special too,” Akubuike said.
Samuel Adewale, a JSS III pupil, said he wanted boys to also be celebrated.
“Lots of celebrations are going on today for the girls but I do not see such celebrations for the boys, even on the International Boys Day,” he said.
Ikechukwu Obiora, A Public Affairs Analyst, said that boys had been relegated to the background, as all attention is on the girl-child.
Obiora said that the interest of boys should be protected because they too were victims of abuse.
“Some NGOs and civil society organizations (CSOs) focus only on the girl-child and forget that boys also face physical and emotional abuse.
“Boys are also raped but how do you prove it. These abuses also affect boys psychologically but we do not hear about it in the media; the focus has always been on the girl-child.
“I believe CSOs and NGOs need to do more for the boy-child too by focusing on their peculiar needs and challenges to achieve gender equality,” he said.
Mrs Tosin Kokade, a Public Servant and mother of three boys, said that the interests of boys should also be protected.
“There should be more advocacy for the boy-child. We need to have more boy-child-friendly NGOs and discussions around the boy-child.
“If the boy-child is neglected, it may also have serious consequences on the society.
“The rights of the boy-child should also be included in all developmental issues. We should reverse this trend and change the narrative,” she said.
NAN reports that Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, Wife of Lagos Governor, had called on the United Nations to fully integrate and recognise May 16 as the International Day of the Boy-Child.
According to her, the annual commemoration of the day will deepen the initiatives and interventions targeted at promoting the interest, welfare and well-being of the boy-child across the world.