Boys Survivors of Sexual Abuse

The Child Protection/Gender-based Violence Community of Practice in November 2018 organised an online session focusing on boy survivors of sexual abuse that featured a panel of experts who discuss the risk and vulnerabilities that different groups of boys face, as well as what has worked to support them. The panelists included:

• Chamreun Yaim, who is a founding member and currently the Executive Director of First Step Cambodia, a local NGO working with people affected by sexual abuse, especially boys and young men. First Step Cambodia is also a member of Family for Every Child. For the past 14 years, Chamreun has worked in the education, social work and mental health sectors. In 2007, he was jointly responsible for setting-up a project to provide support for Khmer Rouge survivors involved in the UN-backed Khmer Rouge Tribunal, and since 2009 he has supported the development of a specialist training curriculum for professionals who work with boys and young men affected by sexual abuse.
• Dr. Sarah Chynoweth, who spearheaded and leads the Sexual Violence Project at the Women’s Refugee Commission and is a Research Fellow at Stanford’s Handa Center for Human Rights. Sarah has worked in humanitarian response for more than 15 years, primarily within the context of sexual and reproductive health.
• Gina Bylang, who has been working as a GBV and CP Officer with UN agencies and INGOs in various African and Middle Eastern countries. The majority of Gina’s experience has been in GBV casework with female and male survivors of GBV, as well as in capacity building on the prevention of and response to GBV. Gina is a member of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit and UNFPA’s GBV Surge Roster.

The Child Protection/Gender-based Violence Community of Practice is organized by the Comprehensive Coordination Support to Child and Adolescent Survivors of Sexual Abuse in Emergencies Initiative, an inter-agency initiative led by the Global Child Protection Area of Responsibility in partnership with the Gender-based Violence Area of Responsibility, the International Rescue Committee, and the Norwegian Refugee Council. This Community of Practice is a neutral space held by practitioners both from the fields of child protection and gender based violence.