After many years of women’s rights campaigns by civil society organizations to end gender based violations, it turns out that these efforts will not have full impact unless all institutions are included in these initiatives.

“It is only until men and women learn how to communicate better and on an equal basis that relationships will prosper,” says Reverend Joyce Kariuki of Anglican Church of Kenya.

Speaking during the “His Conference” at Nairobi Pentecostal Church (NPC) in Woodley, Nairobi, Rev. Kariuki blamed most of the conflicts in families and society today on the deeply rooted cultural traditions that treat women as inferior to men.

“Women’s human rights are inherent and therefore do not require agitating for. All women are asking for is for the recognition of everyone’s rightful place in the society,” says Rev. Kariuki.

She says that the biblical principles spell out clearly the positions of both men and women without any usurping the rights of the other.

“The fundamental principle in Christianity is that men and women are equal in the eyes of God,” she quips.

She argues that the problem in the society and particularly with men is that they have been focusing on the wrong things. She gives the example of the stereotypes like ‘a woman’s place is in the kitchen’ or ‘women being seen as the weaker sex’.

She blames certain cultural practices like paying of bride price as some of the causes of these kinds of discriminations against women. For instance, in most African cultures, a man pays bride price to the woman’s family and this to many symbolizes ‘a form of purchase of the woman.’

“When men pay bride price for the woman, they feel like they own them and can therefore treat them like part of their assets,” argues Rev. Kariuki.

The conference organized solely for men to educate them on how to deal with long held attitudes about women comes in the wake of debates around the relationship between masculinity and gender based violations. The focus of these debates around masculinity have centered on how to include men in efforts to end these violations.

“Whenever people hear of men’s conferences, all they think about is men trying to challenge women for taking over their positions,” says Senior Pastor Wesley Nguuh of NPC.

Speaking during the same conference, Pastor Nguuh reiterated that contrary to popular belief that religious institutions have been left behind in the quest for gender equity, the church stands for equality between all human beings.

Asked why it has taken the church many years to start speaking on this issue, Pastor Nguuh argues that just like any other institution, the church operates in a society with traditions and customs. This requires gradual change otherwise it will end up causing more dislocations in the society, says Pastor Nguuh.

He points out that the genesis of the quest for gender equality has come about as a result of most men neglecting their responsibilities.

So, what distinguishes the church’s campaign from human right’s organizations’?

“Gender equality is about equipping both men and women to take their responsibilities together,” says Pastor Nguuh.

He believes that all human beings are gifted and if equipped to take their rightful responsibilities, there would be no need to fight for anybody’s rights.

Backing the same argument, Rev. Kariuki puts it in a more subtle way: “Women came to complete and not to compete,” she argues, “Women step up to fill in the void when men neglect their responsibilities.”

The three-day conference, on the weekend is the first of its kind in Kenya. It brought together participants from Christian based organizations and churches. The theme of the Conference was “Empowering men to understand and seize their God given mandate”