 In the wake of the International Boy Child's Day, boy child advocates have underscored the need to reorientate the minds of Nigerians on what it means to raise men of character and integrity in the society. This came up on the sidelines of the Boy Scrooge's African International Summit 2022. Justin Akadoy tells us more. Be they children, adolescents or young adults, boys have been inundated by myths like real men don't cry and you need to show the woman who is boss. These are some misconceptions that have long permeated the way people think about how a profile of real masculinity looks like. With the aim of raising boys, reshaping men and transforming the society, these young children are used on these whore to learn life lessons that will broaden their perspectives and change their narratives. So just how can the challenges affecting the boy child be addressed? We're not trying to also emasculate men. What we are trying to do is to be able to raise boys who would be able to fight issues around violence against women and girls. So teach boys about consent, teach them what they need to know. When it comes to sexual and gender-based violence. One of the things we have also done is to create a comprehensive manual for boys that will teach them all they need to know. So it's called ABC Action Boys and Choices. This is about one-on-one interaction and engagement, direct engagement, one boy at a time. And so through these programs, through these initiatives, what we're trying to do, like I said earlier, is to drive awareness, create awareness around what the challenges are and what all of us need to do in order to make a difference. May 16 every year has been observed as the international day of the boy child. And as issues surrounding gender-based violence continue to generate global attention, more conversations surrounding redefining masculinity are encouraged. The summit includes panel sessions and the lunch of the boys against gender-based violence club, among others. So to drive the change that we need, we have a volunteer network spanning across different cities in Africa. Currently, as I speak to you today, we have over 175 volunteers across 23 cities in Africa. We've been to the Special Correctional Centre for Boys. We have visited different schools taking this message, seeking how men and boys can be allies to ending gender-based violence. Analysts say the society has projected on the male gender who was once a boy child that they are not allowed to express soft emotions and this in itself takes away their human nature. At the end of the day, there is a healthy balance between maturity and losing their ability for expression. The boy child needs to be allowed to be who he is. A boy. Justin Acadone, plus Steven Hughes Lagos. Hello. Hope you enjoyed the news. Please do subscribe to our YouTube channel and don't forget to hit the notification button so you get notified about fresh news updates.