Pepo La Tumaini Empowering Boys in the time of COVID
Everyone absorbs the myth that males aren’t victims, to some extent. It’s central to masculine gender socialization, and boys pick up on it very early in life. This myth implies that a boy or man who has been sexually used or abused will never be a “real man.” Our society expects males to be able to protect themselves. Successful men are depicted as never being vulnerable, either physically or emotionally. In partnership with the local security administration Tumaini's new Community Initiative Action (CIA) project is focusing on stopping sexual abuse at household level against all children across 15 villages. So many boys are especially vulnerable to violence and exploitation then shamefully silenced in the fear of no longer being accepted as a man in society.