Group Expresses Desire to Address Male Sexual Abuse

A group known as Boys Under Protection (BOYUP) has expressed desire to put measures in place in order to tackle the issue of male sexual abuse by partnering with organisations, experts, and psychologists to discover male survivor of the menace.

Speaking at the 2018 BoyUP Stakeholders’ Conference with the theme: ‘Boys Sexual Abuse: Balancing the Conversation’ organised in Lagos, a Fellow of Civil Liberties (CIFI) for BOYUP, Olaoluwa Abagun, said as a result of their desire to have a holistic conversation on the issue, they have brought together key stakeholders.

She also stated that the conference was aimed at seeing how stakeholders can contribute to the conversation by suggesting new ideas on how to tackle the issue and take the conversation to the larger society.

Abagun noted that they decided to come up with this project because they have noticed that the issue of sexual abuse is more prevalent in girls than boys, adding that the United Nation Children Education Fund (UNICEF) has stated that one in every 10 boys are abuse sexually.

Participants at the conference suggested that at the level of spirituality, there is need for good orientation especially on sexual abuse, adding that religious leaders have a major role to play, “Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) should be good role models as brand ambassadors so that children are not confused.”

Abagun added: “We decided to come up with this project because we noticed that the issue of sexual abuse is more prevalent in girls than boys. In fact, UNICEF said one in every 10 boys are abused sexually. We felt we can shed light on this issue which many people are overlooking. Through this event we are making people understand that boys can be sexually abused. This project came up as a result of our one year fellowship with the Carrington Youth Fellowship initiative. Presently, we are being funded by the U.S. Embassy. But going forward, this is a pet project for all of us.