Share with us how we can raise our boys to be respectful towards women

*Let's teach our boys early*

1.All human beings deserve respect and there's no grade based on gender.

2.The gender difference is just bodily differences made by nature, which is nothing to do with their strength, capability and achievement

3. Roles and chores are not gender dependent.Doing our own chores and household works are skill sets to be appreciated.

4.There's no weaker sex. Male, Female and trans-genders should be treated equally with respect.

5.The Nature's law is
" There's no competition of dominance between the genders. Its about coexistence. Live and let live"

6. Women are not in this world to serve and please men. They are not objects or properties of men.They have their own dreams and duties.

Dear Parents,Formative years are really important. By age of 3 a child realizes its gender and by age of 5 a boy can say "kitchen set and baby toys are for girls". So let start early. keep on sharing, showing, talking, discussing, debating with family, friends, neighborhood, workplaces, schools, colleges towards a better and safe society for our kids in future?

Bringing up a girl or a boy, a parent has the responsibility of bringing up their young ones as sensible, sensitive, humane , compassionate human beings. We consider our girls as Shakthi and Lakshmi but fail to give them the courage and strength.
It is important to teach a girl to behave and dress properly, no doubt. It's even more important to teach the boy to respect a girl, to treat her as a fellow being. Indian mother's tend to have a soft corner towards their sons and pamper them to no end. It is necessary to teach the son to do his share of domestic chores, to make him aware of the girl's hardships. The best way to do it is to be real role models. When the son sees the father treating the mother with care, concern, respect and love, he understands the value of a woman. The parents are the first role models that a child comes across. So, this is of utmost importance.
Parents should have healthy discussions at home about the treatment meted out to girls and how it affects the individual and the society. They have to ensure that their son treats a girl as an equal individual, a fellow being. They should dissuade gently if the son tends to watch programs which project girls cheaply. It is important that the son understands how it is a wrongdoing towards the girl.
Schools and colleges need to do their part too in making boys understand that they need to treat girls with respect and care. Schools and colleges need to organise discussions and awareness programmes to drive in the message.
An oath administered to the boys after a sensitising session about treating girls well will yield great results.
The efforts will yield results,am sure. The time is today and now..

The same way as we raise our girls, we also need to raise our boys with the attitude of respecting their Mothers, Aunts, friends and sisters. It seems that in this busy ever-changing world we have lost sight of what is really important in raising our boys. We focus so much on the grades of our children and their physical, musical, artistic and mental abilities that we seldom teach them the importance of respecting our very own women. There is so much we can do in families to develop healthy attitudes towards women. Through modelling and teaching our boys, we can change entrenched attitudes and behaviours that will put an end to the cycle of violence against women. I always tell my boys to respect their women friends, to drop them home safely after a party, to never abuse or harass them in any way as they would never like the same to happen to their very own sisters. Holding doors and giving up seats for a woman show the right upbringing of a man. I want my boys to know that earning money is just one part of contributing to the household. The person who makes money is no more important than the one who does other jobs, such as cleaning, organizing and caring for others. I want them to appreciate a clean place by thanking and respecting my maid (woman) who cleaned it for them and also truly valuing the real work that it took to have that clean place. I want my boys to be committed and loyal to their female friends in word and in deed. I want them to lovingly work alongside women in their personal and professional lives, to live wholeheartedly, respect themselves and others and make the world a better place through whatever work they choose.

In our society, we call girls Lakshmis and believe that they are forms of mother Shakti, but ironically, even today , problem of discrimination between men and women clearly exists in modern India to a considerable extent. There are many incidents reported in the news every day, where we can clearly see that women are not respected and they feel unsafe. Female infanticide, kidnapping, dowry deaths, and murders are reported very often. At work place, women have to work harder than men to prove their intelligence and capabilities. They are also paid little less compared to men in most of the industries.

In most of the developed countries, parents dont frown when they have a daughter, and girls and boys are provided the same opportunities like how it is supposed to be in a civilized society. Eve-teasing is a strange word to outsiders.

To raise our boys to be respectful towards women, first and foremost, parents should treat their daughters and sons equally with the same respect and care. It is a common belief in our society that girls dont belong to parents (paraya dhan) and most elders repeat this sentence often in front of boys and express their worries that daughters are not useful to them in old age. They should not speak this way and allow children to absorb such thoughts.

Cooking, serving food, cleaning, washing, taking care of babies/children are considered a womans job in most households. To encourage boys to be respectful towards women, fathers also should cook, clean, wash, and show interest in the daily chores whenever possible. There should not be any jokes about women that can hurt a womans sentiments like women are bad drivers, women are moody due to pms etc., We should consciously make an effort to encourage all girls to pursue their passion and allow them to achieve their dreams. Our govt. also should come up with more scholarships and schemes to help girls from poor background. We should provide a safe environment for girl children. When little boys are exposed to positive and uplifting environment where they see their sisters and friends are all treated well, they automatically follow suit- they will treat women with respect and will grow up to be good citizens.