The campaign to educate Moroccan men, organized by the Ministry of Solidarity, Social Inclusion and Family, calls for equity for women, but some have found it provocative and degrading for men, and met her with rejection and sometimes bullying.
Moroccan artists and media personalities have appeared on television to call for the need to share the burdens of the home and not burden women, whether workers or housewives.
The capsules broadcast aimed to present a positive image of the roles that men can play in supporting women at home and alleviating their burdens.
To change the mentalities
Commenting on the subject, Samed Ghilan, a Moroccan journalist involved in the campaign, said the aim is to change the prevailing idea that women take care of household affairs and children, and that men don’t care. don’t care, and that their contribution depends on the financial aspect.
He added in an interview with ‘Sky News Arabia’ that “at a time when women and men are working outside the home, we have decided to reduce the burden that women carry inside inside the house, urging men to help them with certain household chores”. homework, such as cooking chores or changing the children’s diapers. cleaning the house and washing clothes.
“Oversensitivity”
The young journalist underlined that “this question has become a subject of controversy in Moroccan society, thanks to associations for the defense of human rights which draw attention to the need for men and women to cooperate in the inside the home. Things go from there to move on to other discussions, like equality in inheritance, for example.”
Ghaylan added: “There is an over-sensitivity to this type of issue”, stressing that this is only a call for justice for women, as they cannot bear the burdens of the house alone. and work outside, which equates to recognition and honor for their efforts, adding that the campaign only wants to help create a balanced society that creates brotherhood between women and men, cultivates harmony between them and is a source of inspiration for emerging generations.
Ghailan added that the family should not be run according to business logic and the division of labor in a dry way, because the spouses have a common responsibility, a common destiny, and children who live there and need warmth. .
The need to educate young people
For her part, Bushra Abdo, president of the Challenge for Equality and Citizenship association, appreciated this initiative, considering that working to change mentalities is an important thing.
She stressed that the involvement of men in this campaign is a good thing, since they represent half of society, and they can influence each other, in order to send solidarity between men and women. .
And she said, in a statement to “Sky News Arabia”, that the association she heads launched a similar campaign in 2018 under the slogan “Shaqaa al-Dar is not hakrah”, meaning “The household chores are not an insult”. with the aim of encouraging the sharing of household chores between men and women. It has a positive impact, as it has been linked to Chapter 49, which deals with the distribution of property, so that domestic work is productive and remunerated.
Abdo pointed out that she, together with other associations, carries out awareness-raising operations on gender and other topics in schools to establish equality between men and women and teach them the principles of equality, in the goal of preparing a new generation of young people. who are aware of their responsibilities.
reduce violence
It should be noted that the Minister of Solidarity, Awatif Hiyar, launched the campaign on March 29 and said in press releases that the choice of the theme of “positive masculinity” is based on the principle that the reduction of the phenomenon of violence against women means all members of society. , male and female.
The awareness campaign was seen as “a call to urge men to engage in the fight against violence against women, to promote the concept of positive masculinity among them, and among boys, for the benefit of gender equality, and to encourage men to contribute to efforts to reduce gender-based violence and sensitize society to positive roles.” by men and boys to achieve gender equality .
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