Meet Rukia, a young woman championing men’s rights
Lamu rights defender Rukia Rashid Ibrahim during an interview with the Nation in Lamu on Thursday, June 2, 2022.
What you need to know:
- In Lamu, the cultural and religious aspects of the Swahili of Bajuni origin have made male chauvinism real.
- As a female activist, however, she boasts of having stood out for being a rare voice for abused men.
Her facial expression clearly tells how determined she is in the world of activism. Meet Rukia Rashid Ibrahim, the youngest female human rights defender in Lamu County.
Aged just 24, Rukia spends most of her time defending the rights of men and boys, whom she says are forgotten. As a female activist, she boasts of having stood out for being a rare voice for abused men.
Her passion for activism drove her to postpone her teaching course four years ago, just to enable her to engage fully in defending human rights. Rukia believes she was born a human rights activist, nothing else.
Defending her move to fight for the male gender, she notes that in recent years, many campaigns have been concentrated only on women and girls. Men and boys are forgotten, yet many of them lead tough lives, with some stuck in drug abuse due to the stress that comes along with the overwhelming duties that they are expected to carry, she says.
Burden
Rukia says that even if women have better jobs than their husbands, the community still expects the men to be the ones taking all the family roles—providing food and school fees, catering for health expenses, and paying rent.
She is concerned about how society, particularly the Muslims population, has been unfair on matters of dowry payment. She says many parents and brides have a tendency of demanding hefty bride prices, a situation forcing some men to remain single.
Others have to do awkward jobs for years, just to get money for a wife. But she is determined to have the community change.
“You can’t demand Sh300,000 and above as dowry and you expect a man without a job or one who just does menial jobs to pay such a hefty amount. I feel that’s unfair to the male gender.
“Parents and even the brides need to be considerate of such matters. I am happy that through my sensitisation campaigns, society here has started to embrace negotiations and lowering the bride prices,” she says.
The firstborn in a family of seven is also concerned that men’s voice has continued to dwindle in recent times because of the frequent awareness and empowerment campaigns only targeting the female gender.
“As we fight for gender equity, some things are not really taken care of keenly. Nowadays, it’s easy to see the representation of women in a conference to be 70 per cent at the expense of only 30 per cent of men’s representation. This makes the men have a lesser voice, which I feel isn’t right.”
She is also worried about the fate of boys’ education. Boys’ education in Lamu has continued to dwindle as all efforts have always been concentrated on girls, she says.
He cites a recent statement from Lamu director of education Joshua Kaaga, who said many boys are dropping out of school and such a situation could see crime rates go up drastically in the near future.
“As per my observation, there has been less effort and attention geared towards the education of the boy child. In most cases, the boy child is less supervised, leaving him with a dangerous opportunity to stray. That’s why the region has very few boys’ schools as compared to their female counterparts. This has impacted negatively on boys’ education and needs to change,” says Rukia.
Lamu County has only two boys’ secondary schools—Lamu Boys and Mpeketoni Secondary schools. Tens of schools are for girls.
Equal rights
She emphasises the need for balance in matters of school infrastructural developments so that both boys and girls enjoy a productive learning environment and an equal opportunity for education.
Apart from fighting for men’s rights, Rukia has also been advocating equal land ownership for men and women. She has also been at the forefront of fighting against child abuse, including molestation, defilement, and sodomy, and ensuring justice is served to victims.
One of her biggest achievements is seeing the Lamu recognise that both men and women have equal rights when it comes to land inheritance and ownership.
“Through our efforts as activists, the women in Lamu are more informed of their day-to-day rights and this has reduced societal conflicts.”
Her life's lowest point is that despite the sacrifices she has been making, especially in fighting for the rights of men, the same men have not really valued her efforts, with some despising her.
Some men are unwilling to come forward when they face challenges. She says society has always viewed her as someone with no vision just because of her dedication to fighting for people’s rights.
But she maintains that activism is in her blood and has pushed her to move forward in life with ease. “Male chauvinism is real in Lamu. The same men that I have fought for their rights are the ones viewing me as a lesser being just because I am a woman. Some even prefer not to share their problems with me. But that hasn’t hindered my pursuit for activism.”
Educational background
Born in Langoni, Lamu Old Town, in 1998, she attended Lamu Girls Primary School between 2007 and 2013. She joined Shella Bright Girls High School in 2014 and completed her secondary education in 2017. In 2018, she enrolled at Shanzu Teachers Training College, Mombasa, for a P1 teaching course.
By that time, she had already made a name as a human rights defender in Lamu and neighbouring counties, having started it during her primary school days. In 2019, she reached a point where she had to quit her teaching career and immerse herself fully in the world of activism.
She has worked and received mentorship from various human rights organisations, including the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), and the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders - Kenya.
She is currently pursuing a Diploma in Community Development and Counselling at the Technical University of Mombasa, a course she says will assist her to strengthen her service to humanity.
“I am proud as an activist. It has enabled me to attend various conferences across the country and outside.”
She advises women and girls not to fear but speak up and help others as well.
