Photo credit: ABC News
Senegal now has “schools for husbands”, a United Nations-backed initiative where respected male community members learn about “positive masculinity” in health and social issues and promote them in their communities.
ABC News reports that in Senegal, as in many other West African countries with large rural or conservative populations, men often have the final say in major household decisions, including the ones related to health.
Women may need men’s permission for life-changing decisions on accessing family planning for other reproductive health services, along with hospital deliveries or prenatal care.
An Imam, Ibrahima Diane, said, “The Prophet himself says a man who does not help support his wife and children is not a good Muslim. He said he bathes his baby and helps his wife with other chores.
Following his sessions at the school for husbands, Diane regularly holds sermons during Friday prayers where he discusses issues around gender and reproductive health, from gender-based violence to fighting stigma around HIV.
He said, “Many women appreciate my sermons. They say their husbands’ behavior changed since they attended them.” He further said some men have told him the sermons inspired them to become more caring husbands and fathers.
Habib Diallo, an attendee of the sermons and a former army commando, said, “When my son’s wife was pregnant, I encouraged him to take her to the hospital for the delivery. At first, he was hesitant. He worried about the cost and didn’t trust the hospital. But when I explained how much safer it would be for both his wife and the baby, he agreed.”
The program launched in Senegal in 2011 but in recent years has caught the attention of the Ministry of Women, Family, Gender, and Children Protection. The ministry will see it as an effective strategy to combat material and infant mortality.
A female health worker, Aida Diouf, said, “Without men’s involvement, attitudes around maternal health won’t change
There are classes for husbands in other African countries like Togo, Niger and Burkina Faso, where the United Nations Population Fund says it improved women’s access to reproductive health services by increasing male involvement, growing the use of contraceptives by both men and women and expanding access to prenatal care and skilled birth attendants.
