Empower the boy child to improve mental health
Author of the book, Raising the Boy Child in the 21st Century, Simon Mbuvi, says there is a misconstrued notion that boys are doing just fine and therefore, they do not need much attention; the opposite is true.
What you need to know:
- Mental health encompasses psychological, social and emotional wellbeing.
- It affects the way people think, behave and feel in different contexts, including daily activities, relationships and physical health.
Is Kenya facing a mental health crisis among young men? This is the question many have, of late, been asking in the wake of the surge in cases of gender-based violence, murders and death by suicide.
The concern, real or imagined, is warranted. If the crisis exists, the solution lies in understanding the problem and tackling it as swiftly as possible.
Mental health encompasses psychological, social and emotional wellbeing. It affects the way people think, behave and feel in different contexts, including daily activities, relationships and physical health. It can occur in different places, including schools, workplaces, homes and playgrounds.
Experts say boys struggle more than girls with mental health issues, attributing this to less ability to cope with stressors and emotions. They add that boys, unlike girls, stay aloof and are unlikely to get help at the opportune time. Yet, mental health has a direct correlation with a country’s economy.
The boy child needs to be equipped with the capacity to control his mental health. This will ensure and promote a fulfilling life for both genders, and provide an atmosphere conducive to the development of society.
It is unfortunate that whenever mental health issues among boys and young men are raised, male chauvinists are quick to attribute them to girl-child empowerment. This dilutes the urgency to explore the issue at length, and causes unnecessary gender wars.
The belief that an empowered girl is a threat to the wellbeing of the boy child is ludicrous and should not be allowed to bloom. This is not to dismiss the conversation on the issue.
Of course, there have been sustained empowerment campaigns targeted at girls. The noble cause is grounded in the need to realise a gender-equal world and born out of years of marginalisation and patriarchal hegemony.
It must, however, be underscored that the gender equality quest is not a zero-sum game—neither gender has to lose for the other to win. Female or male, each has to have pride of place on the gender agenda. A win for the girl is a win for the boy. And the converse must hold, as each case has its merits.
As such, regardless of the extent of the hidden scars of mental health crisis the boy child faces, empowerment is necessary. This does not have to take the shape of the efforts made to protect girls’ rights.
This week, we speak to a university student who has taken the lead in empowering young men by engaging them in activities that keep them off mental health risk factors. He conceived the idea after losing a friend to suicide. This, undeniably, is a step in the right direction.
We need more of such initiatives to make a meaningful difference. Their success requires a multi-level and multi-agency approach; we have to reach all the targeted groups. Government agencies, communities, the private sector and civil society must activate necessary investments in the boy child.
Research has shown there is an intersection between mental health and empowerment. A dent in one stifles the other, resulting in serious implications for humanity.
