International Day Of The Boy Child

International Day of the Boy Child is recognized annually on May 16th as a day to focus on boys and their well-being, their need to feel happy, healthy, and valued within family and community. This day highlights the unique challenges and pressures faced by boys in different regions and cultures. The day provides an opportunity for societies to reflect on issues such as educational disparities, mental health, and societal expectations that affect boys disproportionately. By focusing on nurturing and empowering boys with positive guidance and equitable opportunities, we aim to foster a generation that values inclusivity and equality. The day is set aside to recognize boys' basic human rights, including access to education, health care and protection from violence and exploitation. This day was established to recognize and celebrate the rights and achievements of boys around the world. This special day was first instituted by a coalition of non-governmental organizations in 2012 in an effort to address issues faced by boys including child labor, gender inequality, poverty, and lack of access to education. International Day of the Boy Child also focuses on what can be done to improve boys' physical, emotional, mental and social wellbeing. This includes advocating for gender equality, providing essential nutrition and healthcare services, and ensuring that children have access to safe play spaces and activities. In most Western societies seeking help is viewed as a sign of weakness and as a result many boys suffer in silence. The society needs to dismantle this negative narrative and foster an atmosphere that reaffirms a positive and holistic development. Our boys are hurting and there is nothing effeminate in expressing one’s emotion. This day also provides an opportunity to highlight positive male role models in society who are inspiring boys to strive for excellence. Undoubtedly, boys need strong, caring figures in their lives men who can show them how to make responsible decisions, respect women and girls, and contribute positively to their families and nation-building. The promotion of positive male role models is very critical especially on the International Day of the Boy Child. Unfortunately, in recent times, the society has witnessed a number of incidents in which men have manhandled women and have been abusive to women and girls. Holistic Development. In Jamaica, the Bureau of Gender Affairs (BGA) will host a capacity-building workshop in observance of International Day of the Boy Child. The workshop will be held under the theme for Child Month – ‘Act Now, Stand Against Child Abuse and Exploitation’. The workshop will include presentations and discussions on several topical issues. These include school bullying, sexual harassment, human trafficking and positive masculinity. Given that the state of affairs regarding our boys is of global concern, much more should and can be done surrounding the International Day of the Boy Child. The marginalization of our boys continues unabated. The education system for the most part does not cater to the unique learning styles of our boys and as a result many boys have become detached. This detachment of boys oftentimes manifest itself in various maladaptive behaviours. Regrettably, our schools have become sites of bullying where a significant number of boys are both the victims and perpetrators. Disturbingly, boys who display school smarts are often ridiculed as effeminate by peers and even adults in areas where academic excellence by males is typically devalued. The society should not be surprised that our boys continue to underperform in their academic pursuits. Masculinity” refers to the roles, behaviours and attributes seen as appropriate for boys and men in a given society. In short, masculinity refers to society’s expectations of males. In many societies, boys and men are expected to be strong, active, aggressive, tough, daring, heterosexual, emotionally inexpressive and dominant. This is enforced by socialization, peers, popular culture and social media. On the other hand, there is toxic masculinity, The term “toxic masculinity” points to a particular version of masculinity that is unhealthy for the men and boys who conform to it, and harmful for those around them. The phrase emphasizes the worst aspects of stereotypically masculine attributes. Toxic masculinity is represented by qualities such as violence, dominance, emotional illiteracy, sexual entitlement, and hostility to femininity. Let us view this International Day of the Boy Child as a conduit to engage our boys in order to make some meaningful inspiration in their lives. This important day requires a collective effort to empower our boys with the skill sets necessary for them to become the best version of themselves. In the words of Barack Obama, the notion that somehow defining yourself as a man is dependent on, are you able to put somebody else down instead of lifting them up, able to dominate as opposed to support is an old view. A view that thankfully I see a lot of people rejecting. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #InternationalDayoftheBoyChild