EDITORIAL: The boy child must not become collateral damage

It is encouraging to see growing efforts to ensure that, in deliberately empowering the girl child to correct the injustices of the past, Namibia does not inadvertently leave the boy child behind.

For years, rightly so, the national conversation around gender equality has focused heavily on the disadvantages faced by girls and women. 

But empowerment should never become a zero-sum game. Many Namibian men will therefore welcome First Gentleman Epaphras Denga Ndaitwah's efforts to place the wellbeing of the boy child firmly on the national agenda. His intervention comes at a time when the challenges confronting boys and young men are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

There is a growing body of evidence that men are disproportionately represented in some of society's most devastating outcomes. On our streets, homeless populations are predominantly male. Men are disproportionately affected by violent crime and are far more likely to die by suicide. Globally, men also make up the overwhelming majority of military combat deaths.

None of this diminishes the challenges facing women. Women continue to confront discrimination, violence, unequal economic opportunities and other barriers that require sustained attention. But acknowledging those challenges should not prevent us from recognising where boys and men are struggling.

In fact, a society committed to genuine equality should be capable of doing both.

The danger lies in creating the impression that resources directed at boys somehow threaten gains made by girls. They do not. A boy who receives proper guidance, education, emotional support and opportunities is not taking anything away from a girl. A girl who is empowered is not taking anything away from a boy.

As Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare aptly put it, empowering both genders is not a competition. It is a pragmatic intervention aimed at achieving parity in the wellbeing of men and women.