Evidence-based recommendations for practitioners, policymakers, and funders
In Part 1 of this series, we looked at why sexual violence against boys remains so invisible, how gender norms and structural failures combine to silence boys, and what the evidence tells us about what actually helps. This part turns to action.
Across their combined decades of frontline practice and research, the three panellists at Blue Umbrella Day 2026 identified seven areas where change is needed to better prevent and respond to sexual violence against boys. These recommendations are grounded in practice, tested in real contexts, and actionable now.
1. Reform the law so that boys are legally recognised as victims of rape
In Zimbabwe, the criminal law classifies sexual violence against boys as aggravated indecent assault rather than rape. The consequence is lower sentencing for perpetrators and can send a message to communities that what happened to a boy is less serious. This is not an isolated case. In the majority of countries, boys are still not formally recognised as victims of rape, which means they cannot access equivalent protection or justice.
Legal reform is foundational. Laws need to recognise sexual violence against boys on the same terms as for girls, with equivalent protection and sentencing.
2. Decriminalise same-sex conduct
In countries where same-sex conduct is criminalised, boys who are abused by male perpetrators face a direct conflict between disclosing abuse and risking prosecution. FOST Zimbabwe’s action research found that the sodomy actively deters disclosure and complicates court cases involving boy victims with male perpetrators.
Removing such legal barriers is a necessary step for child protection systems to function effectively for all children, including boys.
3. Early intervention is key
Praajak’s research found a consistent pattern: abuse rarely began as a single incident. It often started with bullying, body shaming, and sexualised teasing, and escalated over time. Recognising these early signs and responding to them directly is one of the most practical steps available to schools and community organisations.
Safeguarding policies need to be implemented, not just written. When staff are equipped to identify and act on early warning signs, including bullying that targets boys for perceived gender non-conformity or involves sexualised content, they are better placed to disrupt pathways before harm escalates.
Safeguarding policies need to be implemented, not just written.
4. Equip first responders to recognise and respond to male survivors
Health workers, police officers, and court personnel are often the first points of contact for survivors. In most countries, their training on sexual violence is either generic or focused on girls. Training needs to be specific to male survivors, not merely gender-neutral in name. It needs to address the particular barriers boys face, including the confusion that arises when perpetrators frame abuse as normal, the shame attached to masculinity norms, and the practical realities of cases involving same-sex abuse.
Zimbabwe’s government has acknowledged the need to revise the medical affidavit used to document harm to survivors, recognising it was not designed with boys and men in mind. That kind of concrete, system-level change is what implementation actually looks like.
5. Centre survivor leadership: from design to sustained impact
Survivor leadership is a methodology, not a communication strategy. Praajak’s disclosure study involved survivors as co-designers from the outset: they shaped the research questions, conducted interviews, did the coding, and validated the findings. The process was structured around the practical realities of people with jobs, families, and experiences of trauma. The result was a group of men who had formed a community through the research process itself and were ready to advocate publicly in their own names.
In Zimbabwe, boys trained as youth advocates through FOST contributed their testimony as part of a longer process of research, relationship-building, and stakeholder engagement. Taken together, these stages generated sustained engagement with government and media.
Integrating survivor leadership well means building in time, sharing control over the process, and treating survivor involvement as a design question from the start.
6. Build consistency into how services are delivered
Consistency in delivery matters. Practitioners who build relationships over time, who are familiar faces in the lives of the boys they work with, and who show up beyond a single intervention are more effective. In France, practitioners working with unaccompanied boys adapted their approach based on what boys said they needed: informal interactions, non-judgemental spaces, and flexible timing. That consistency of presence and approach is what builds trust and enables boys to engage.
Organisations and funders alike need to design for continuity of staff, of relationships, and of community presence to allow for sustained engagement and impact.
7. Invest for long term, across genders
Families can play a central role in shaping how boys respond. When families create space for boys to share how they feel and show that their voices matter, they build a strong foundation for openness and trust. This makes it more likely that boys will speak up if something is wrong. Families are also a powerful source of protection and healing. When parents respond with warmth, listen without judgement, and stand alongside their child through difficult experiences, they support recovery and resilience. Even during challenging processes, consistent care and belief can make a lasting difference.
Strengthening families with the knowledge, confidence and support to respond in these ways is an important part of preventing harm and supporting healing.
For services, the evidence from ECPAT’s research was consistent: what works is consistency. Practitioners who show up repeatedly, who build relationships over time, who are recognisable faces in the lives of the boys they work with. In France, practitioners working with unaccompanied boys adapted their approach based entirely on what the boys said they needed: informal interactions, non-judgemental spaces, flexible timing. This helped build trust and boys engaged with the process proactively.
“What we call for is funding that protects boys with a gender-transformative lens, so that it also allows us to engage boys in challenging the same norms that lead to violence against women and girls.”
– Francesca Donelli, ECPAT International
These seven recommendations are not a wish list. The knowledge exists. The practice exists. What is needed next is stronger collaboration, sustained commitment, and investment across sectors to turn learning into action.
Boys cannot wait for systems to catch up. The work is every day.
About this series
This blog series draws on the Blue Umbrella Day 2026 panel discussion, featuring Deep Purkayastha (Praajak, India), Patricia Chingandu (FOST Zimbabwe), and Francesca Donelli (ECPAT International, GAPB), moderated by Suzanne Clulow (CINDI, South Africa). The session was part of Family for Every Child’s Blue Umbrella Day 2026 campaign. To access resources and join the movement, visit the Changemakers for Children platform.
