Is it true that homosexuality is unAfrican?

It’s paramount to note, the majority of abuse against women and girls’ bodies happens in intimate spaces. Mostly at home. In their neighborhoods. With people they trust.

www.youthendfgm.org

You can access Akinyi's podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ljB5C5Y8CHp7RtbuKp0d9?si=246fa0dbd128439f

How is Female Genital Mutilation related to the domestic violence I witnessed in my childhood? I grew up asking myself questions nobody seemed to know answers to, particularly around gender relations. I didn't quite understand my father's violence until later in my mid 20's. 

Youth Hub Africa in partnership with the African Youth Commission with support from the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint program to eliminate Female Genital Mutilation took me and some great African digital storytellers through an intensive workshop on how we can use our platforms to speak up and raise awareness on FGM. And I felt this conversation was certainly connected to the violence I witnessed from men against women in the ways I have discussed on this first episode of a three-part series.

More resources: https://youthendfgm.org/

#YouthEndFGM

Armed groups in the Central African Republic (CAR) have raped men and boys for years in an emerging pattern of sexual violence that is underreported and largely ignored.

2 out of 5 male South African pupils say they have been raped, according to a study suggesting sexual abuse of boys is endemic in the country's schools.

The survey, published in BioMed Central's International Journal for Equity in Health, showed that boys were most frequently assaulted by adult women, followed closely by other schoolchildren.

Doctors estimate that nearly 1 in 4 men in eastern DRC has been raped.

Rape and other forms of sexual coercion directed against men and boys take place in a variety of settings, including in the home, the workplace, schools, on the streets, in the military and during war, as well as in prisons and police custody.

Studies conducted mostly in developed countries indicate that 5-10% of men report a history of childhood sexual abuse. In a few population-based studies conducted with adolescents in developing countries, the percentage of males reporting ever having been the victim of a sexual assault ranges from 3.6% in Namibia and 13.4% in the United Republic of Tanzania to 20% in Peru.

Studies from both industrialized and developing countries also reveal that forced first intercourse is not rare. Unfortunately, there are few reliable statistics on the number of boys and men raped in settings such as schools, prisons and refugee camps. Most experts believe that official statistics vastly under-represent the number of male rape victims. The evidence available suggests that males may be even less likely than female victims to report an assault to the authorities.

There are a variety of reasons why male rape is underreported, including shame, guilt and fear of not being believed or of being denounced for what has occurred. Myths and strong prejudices surrounding male sexuality also prevent men from coming forward.

Kenya High Court Judge, Ruth Sitati, has authored a book compiling real life experiences of children who were raped and their cases heard in court. I shared my rape story and read one of a 6 year old boy raped at home on an unsuspecting evening by an unsuspecting man. Check out www.thepredators.co.ke to order this compelling copy.

Listen and share.

Playlist: open.spotify.com/playlist/2ONP4zw…source=copy-link

Secondary school is a tumultuous time for most teenagers. Mental health struggles, body changes coupled with rigid education systems can make learning quite difficult. The Mastercard Foundation launched a report diving into what we need to be paying attention to in this sector.

Read it here: https://mastercardfdn.org/research/secondary-education-in-africa/ 

Childhood trauma affects how you relate to others both in your childhood and adulthood until your wounds heal. In this episode I share my experiences growing up exploring relationships and the difficulties of intimacy.

300 Million people suffer from depression globally according to the World Health Organization. Majority of them are women. 800,000 people die by suicide annually, but majority of them are men. In this episode I discuss the gender paradox in suicide.

If we lived in a world men experienced the adversities and injustices women face for their gender, would things be different? I also examine the correlation between patriarchy & mental health.