GBV
By Angela Atabo
The Mario Pathfinders Empowerment Foundation (MarioPEF) has called for the grooming of boys to embrace positive masculinity as a strategy for preventing gender-based violence (GBV) in Nigeria.
Pastor Eke Aki, the foundation’s founding Executive Director, made the call at MarioPEF’s Parents’ Leadership Conference, with the theme “Grooming Young Allies on GBV Prevention: Faith-Based Approach,” held on Thursday in Abuja.
The initiative was supported by the Ford Foundation in partnership with the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD).
Aki said the initiative was designed to raise responsible boys who would grow into men that respect and honour women and promote healthy relationships between both genders.
“MarioPef came out of a vision to add value to families and the society in general.
So for us, this first outing, we call it the transition.
“The transition is grooming young allies to become men, when we say men,we mean positive masculinity.
“Men who will respect women, men who will honour women, men who will build strength in aligning with the opposite gender.So we are trying to raise responsible boys as allies.”
Aki said the foundation was established to add value to families and society, adding that the conference was its first outing under the initiative.
According to him, the programme seeks to promote positive masculinity by teaching boys that strength does not mean domination or violence but responsibility, respect and partnership with women.
“The initiative adopted a faith-based approach because its teachings on respecting and honouring women were rooted in biblical principles.
“We want to build from the church because everything we are teaching is scriptural. Respecting women, honouring women and being allies with women are scriptural,” he said.
He noted that although men could also experience GBV, women remained disproportionately affected, making it necessary to intensify prevention efforts while encouraging male victims to speak out.
Aki called on individuals and organisations to partner with the foundation, stressing that preventing GBV required collective efforts rather than the intervention of a single organisation.
He said the foundation was developing a manual and curriculum to support the programme and strengthen its impact on families and society.
Aki urged interested Nigerians and organisations to visit [www.mariopeffoundation.org](http://www.mariopeffoundation.org) to explore opportunities for collaboration.
Earlier, the Keynote Speaker, Dr Otive Igbuzor, Founding Executive Director of Centre LSD, described GBV as a major global and national concern that required deliberate prevention strategies.
Igbuzor said that raising a new generation of boys with positive masculine values was critical to addressing the problem.
“In Nigeria, one in every three women has experienced gender-based violence, while one in every 10 boys has also experienced such violence.
“The way to deal with it is to prevent it.
And the way to prevent it is to raise new breed of people, especially boys.To groom young boys to have what we call positive masculinity.
“Being a man does not mean that you must be violent, aggressive, and domineering.That you can be strong with compassion and show the virtues of Jesus Christ.”
Igbuzor commended MarioPEF for the initiative, noting that training, mentorship and awareness could help transform attitudes and behaviour.
He expressed confidence that grooming boys to embrace positive values would contribute to building men capable of promoting peaceful and respectful relationships.
A participant, Gold Glasgow, described the conference as an important departure from conventional GBV discussions, which often focused primarily on women as victims.
Glasgow said the emphasis on boys and men would help them recognise their vulnerabilities, speak about their experiences and develop healthier attitudes towards relationships.
She added that the initiative could help boys become better men and responsible fathers in the future.(NAN)
Edited by Kevin Okunzuwa
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