We must play an active role in shaping future generations

The other day, I was just reflecting on how Kenya has changed; other than the superhighways and the skyscrapers defining our landscape, I thought of the unseen things that have really changed.

I thought of the threat of terrorism and that certain things will never be the same again; that people have to be screened as they get into matatus and into buildings defines us more than we will ever appreciate, perhaps.

I remember thinking that Americans were obsessed about security about 12 years ago; now I fully understand why that is the only way to be.

My reflection took me to the other changes that have taken place and that are not so obvious; human rights and gender equality that are the threads along which our society is slowly weaving its destiny.

It is tempting to think that the struggle for human rights and gender equality is only a public matter but that would be a mistake.

I am reminded of terrorism and how some of us thought it was a global issue taking place in America that is so far away. It is now in our very personal space as it cannot get closer than the matatu we ride in. I cannot help but think the difference it would have made if we had foreseen today in regard to terrorism, we would probably have put the necessary precautions in place and spared us the bloodbath and loss of property.

You see those human rights and gender standards that are in the Constitution will not just apply to cases that are filed in Court; if they have not already become, they will soon be part of our daily lives.

Parents, If you think about it, it is you who should teach your offspring about respecting other people’s rights; teach them to respect others’ viewpoints even if they do not agree with them. Teach them to respect other people’s space and property and to demand the same respect.

It is parents who will teach their boys how to respect girls and how to treat girls as equals. Teach them that though biology has given us different roles in procreation, girls and boys are still equal. Teach them that though society may give different roles to men and women, it is not because men are superior to women; it is just that it helps define order in families and therefore societies. Friends, whether we like it or not, the landscape has changed; as you teach your boy how to use the escalator in the mall because he will come across it sooner than later and you do not want him hurt or be stranded, teach him to respect other people because if he does not know, the world will teach him at very high cost.

If he does not learn from you that wife beating is wrong, your little boy may pay the ultimate price later in life when he cannot get a spouse or when he beats his spouse and finds himself hauled to jail.

As for the little girls who are our daughters, teach them that they are equal but that they will be the ones to carry the children; teach them that procreation is a very important part of life and that they are privileged to be the carriers; that they have control over that function and that it defines them for life, they need to be ready for it; that most of all, they must not view themselves as any less when they stay home and take care of the family and their partners carry briefcases to work; teach them to respect their men and in return expect the same.

Teach them not to accept to be violated and not to violate others. Above all teach them that they have the same capacity as their male counterparts to earn a living.

If we do not do it, our daughters could well remain in violent situations and even get killed because they do not believe in themselves.