In an attempt to bring to public consciousness the plight of the 270 Nigerian Chibok Schoolgirls abducted by the extremist Boko Haram sect over two months ago, and as part of activities to mark this year’s Father’s Day in Cameroon, men from varied backgrounds put on women’s high heeled shoes and marched a distance of 1.2 km starting from the City Chemist Round-about to the Bamenda Commercial Avenue grand stand, on Saturday July 5, 2014.

The march was also in protest against the physical, psychological, and mental torture being meted on the captured girls, and to fire an urgent call to action to the international community.

The “Men in Women’s High Heel Shoes Protest March” called for by “A Common Future”, a leading Bamenda-based NGO working with men and boys to end violence against women, was also intended to boost the efforts already undertaken by the Nigerian government and the international community to get the girls freed.

The peaceful and awareness-raising protest march saw over 100 well-meaning men and boys participating with a view to show compassion to the affected families, especially parents of the kidnapped girls.

As fathers themselves, the men in women’s high heel shoes carried placards bearing messages that child bearing is a challenging and delicate task and nobody should be allowed to use children as soft targets.

By marching in women’s high heel shoes, these men have reminded the powers that be, especially member states of the United Nations that they need to take more urgent and vigorous action to retrieve the girls.

The pain that the men and boys wearing the shoes went through as they protested reminded them and by extension the international community of the adage that she/he who wears the shoe knows where it pinches.

As part of this year’s Father’s Day activities, the protest was intended to reassure other girls in society that fathers are still their protectors and supporters.

Children grow up with the understanding that no one is stronger, bigger, and capable to scare away monsters better than their daddy. To a child, the father is the intimate shield of evil, the guardian of safety, and keeper of comfort.

The Chibok school girls held this to be true until the men of the underworld came calling.