Boys Champions

The Challenge

We live in very challenging times for women and girls. Estimates published by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that 1 in 3 (30%) of women globally have been subjected to either physical and/or sexual violence from intimate partners or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. For several women and girls in Nigeria, the home is not a safe place; schools couldn’t be safer, and violence in all forms remains widespread. Almost one in three (31%) women aged 15- 49 have experienced physical violence in Nigeria. How might we put an end to violence against women and girls globally? A preventive approach is the best way to ensure it doesn’t even occur at all. This is where Boys Champions comes in!

About Us

Boys Champions is a primary preventive nonprofit organization committed to ending violence against women and girls by teaching boys healthy masculinity and how to treat women respectfully. Led and guided by people who have been directly impacted by this problem, Boys Champions was founded in 2018 to combat violence against women and girls. Through an innovative approach of holding boys and men accountable, Boys Champions believes that young boys are crucial partners in bringing an end to practices and behaviors that entrench violence against women and girls. Our organization is designed to support boys aged 4 to 17 and the adults in their lives with the resources they need to teach, coach, and set examples for boys to become men who embrace healthy masculinity and gender equality.

Despite decades of efforts, particularly from women and women's organizations, violence against women and girls across the globe remains the most widespread and socially accepted form of human rights violations, cutting across borders, race, class, ethnicity, and religion. The efforts over the years have mainly being by women, for women and with women, as they seek to address the vices mostly propagated by men. Boys Champions is reshaping masculinities in ways that promote healthy, peaceful, individual and social well-being for all.

As a youth-led nonprofit dedicated to primary prevention efforts in ending violence against women and girls, we are led and guided by people who have been directly impacted by this problem and now committed to ending it. This initiative is hinged on engaging men and boys to support the broader movement for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE). We serve as a trusted partner in the global movement. Our collaborative approach involves working closely with young boys, their communities and schools, but also government agencies, policymakers, community organizations, advocates, and foundations to develop innovative and scalable solutions at various levels, from international to local, to create a safer world for all.

Our
Foundation

Our work is led and shaped by people with lived experience and history of being impacted by violence. Decades of efforts to prevent this inequitable system have failed because the most crucial voices and actors, boys and men, were overlooked and not considered in all programs and fight aimed at ending violence against women and girls.

Our
Approcah

We look system-wide to identify opportunities for the greatest impact. Alongside lived experts, we engage across the ecosystem – from the boys and men we work with, to policymakers to front-line workers and everyone in between – to create and co-implement novel, scalable solutions that will create a safer, equal and just world for all.

Our
Process

We work to ensure that boys and men take the lead in the war against violence against women and girls. Our theory of change focuses on involving men in positions of leadership and influence to engage other men and boys in efforts to eliminate violence against women and girls, and end gender inequalities, as a critical means to transform structural and institutional inequalities. When this process of boys and men leading the solution to a problem they perpetrate happens continuously, we create proximity at scale.

Where We Work

The rural communities we serve face severe neglect and lack of support. Within these communities, a distressing reality unfolds, as one in every four girls falls victim to rape perpetrated by boys and men. Furthermore, the absence of fathers in the lives of these boys contributes to a concerning trend: 71% of school dropouts among boys can be attributed to growing up without a father. This fatherlessness also has far-reaching consequences, as evidenced by the fact that 85% of youths in prisons have experienced the absence of a father figure during their upbringing.

The impact of fatherlessness extends beyond the criminal justice system. A striking statistic reveals that 80% of rapists exhibiting displaced anger were raised in fatherless homes, highlighting the link between absent fathers and deviant behavior. Tragically, this absence also takes a toll on the emotional well-being of children, with 63% of youth suicides occurring in fatherless homes. Moreover, an alarming 85% of children with behavioral disorders come from homes where fathers are absent.

These concerning trends are further exacerbated by the rise in gang membership, which has seen a drastic increase from 50,000 members in 1975 to a staggering 1,150,000 members in 2008. Disturbingly, 90% of homeless children find themselves in such circumstances due to the absence of a father in their lives.

However, at Boys Champions, we are dedicated to reversing these distressing statistics. Through our comprehensive programs, nearly 100% of boys and young men who engage with our initiatives successfully complete their education, pursue meaningful careers, become advocates for empathy and gender equity, and take a stand against violence targeting women and girls.

Our transformative approach seeks to empower boys and young men, equipping them with the necessary tools to break free from the cycle of violence and fatherlessness that plagues their communities. By fostering education, career development, empathy, and a commitment to gender equality, we aim to create a brighter future, where every individual can thrive and contribute positively to society.