By Angela Atabo, NAN.
Connected Development (CODE) says there is need to protect boys from Sexual and Gender Based Violence ,just like their female counterparts.
Mr Hamzat Lawal, Chief Executive of CODE, said this at a town hall aimed to provide a platform for students from different schools to engage in a healthy debate on the topic “Boys cannot be abused”.
Lawal said that the topic `Mental Health for Boys’ was to draw attention to the plight of boys as well .
He added that mental health issues affected individuals regardless of gender, but it was often overlooked when it come to boys.
He said that there was a growing concern over the lack of attention given to the mental health of boys and the impact it had on their overall well-being.
He said that it was against this backdrop, that CODE organised an inter-school debate town hall to stimulate dialogue and promote awareness on boys and mental health.
“It is a sad reality that abuse on boys is a deeply ingrained problem in our society, one that has caused untold suffering to countless individuals and families.
“It is often a subject that is shrouded in secrecy and shame, with victims feeling isolated and alone in their pain.
“But today, we are here to break that silence. We are here to discuss and explore this issue in a safe and supportive environment, and to work towards finding solutions that can help eradicate this problem from our society.
“It is only through honest and open discussions that we can hope to bring about meaningful change,by sharing our experiences, our insights, and our knowledge, we can start to build a collective understanding of this issue and take concrete steps towards addressing it,” he said.
Lawal said that there was a need for advocacy and awareness on this critical issue as boys face unique challenges when it comes to mental health, including societal expectations, cultural norms and stereotypes.
He said that these challenges often prevented them from seeking the help they need and can lead to negative outcomes such as aggression, substance abuse amongst others.
“As an organisation that champions for good health and well-being for all people, we believe that it is essential to direct attention towards the mental well-being of boys since mental health issues affect individuals regardless of gender, but it is often overlooked when it comes to boys,’’he said.
Mrs Nefisat Kote ,FCT UBEB JSS Gender Unit, stressed the need to beam the light on tackling SGBV on boys as well just like the girls .
Kote said that the attention had been on girls as most non-governmental organisations always focus their work on girls, adding that “so we try to encourage them to include the boys.
“Recently we have seen so many improvement, as most of the NGOs try to include the boys ,so that awareness will be created and the boys will also know the roles to play regarding how to react to SGBV.
“So this initiative is a very welcome idea that CODE is working on to enlighten the boys and we thank them.’’
She encouraged guardians, parents and schools to be more sensitise to detecting SGBV and encourage students to speak out.
Some of the boys who spoke to the media said one of the major factors promoting the culture of silence among boys was the issue of people not believing that boys could be molested or raped .
Mr Ugockukwu Nonso , a Junior Secondary School (JSS) Zone 3 student, called on parent to protect their children by always by asking them about their wellbeing and knowing their friends.
Nonso also called on boys to shun the silence culture and learn to speak out whenever there were in danger to seek help.
Mr Domion Festus from JSS Kubwa 1, said boys could be molested through physical, emotional and sexual means and they are not always free to express themselves or complain.
Festus said that the boys were also mostly neglected and the perpetuators of SGBV like nannies, aunties and closest people around them would leverage on that.
He called on adults to also pay keen attention to boys and advised boys not to be confused, shy or ashamed of speaking out but report such abuses to close people they trust and seek help.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that six schools JSS Kuchingoro,JSS Wuse Zone 4 and Zone 3,as well as JSS Sagwari and Kubwa1 participated in the programme.
NAN also reports that the four schools that participated in the debate would share N200,000,four tabs and enjoy mentorship programmes.(NAN)