JOHANNESBURG - It's imperative that we redefine what it means to be a good man according to Primestars COO, Nkosinathi Moshoana.
International Day of the Boy Child was founded in 2018 to put emphasis on recognising the importance of the well-being of young boys and their role in their communities and families.
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Unfortunately, men are frequently at the centre of abuse, crime and violence in society and this is exactly what this day aims to address.
The theme for this year is 'Boys and Mental Health' and addresses depression and teen suicide rates which continue to rise.
Moshoana said, "so what has also been scary is as much as the boys are perpetrators, many of them are silently victims to gender-based violence."
"In the research we found in our program we found up to 20-percent of the 15,000 boys we worked with have been victims of GBV but silently and not reporting."
"On the other side of the coin, when you look at the number of boys, up to 35-percent of them have been perpetrators of non-consent or of some sort of sexual harassment to young girls because in their mindset, they have not done anything wrong."
"So in the What About the Boys? program the key has been the mentorship element but also a national movement behind supporting boys."
"Our boys are lost, they are misguided, they are looking for support. They are defining themselves or rather, taking on what defines a man, the wrong way."
"So we are looking at redefining masculinity."