Blue Shadow Day (BUD), a campaign that raises awareness of how to better care for and protect boys from sexual violence, was launched on April 16th as part of Childlink’s two-year public education campaign.
Childlink, in a press release, stated that the BUD campaign was a global network initiative, Family For Every Child, and its local stakeholder, Childlink. Blue Shadow Day raises awareness of how to better care for and protect boys from sexual violence. The BUD initiative relied on the research findings from Caring for Boys research conducted by Family For Every Child; that report states, in part, that “sexual violence affecting boys remains largely unknown, unrecognized and unaddressed, across a wide range of contexts and cultures, mainly from as a result of gender-based social norms, which influence perceptions of boys’ vulnerability. These also act as a barrier for boys to disclose, identify and accept from others, acknowledge harm caused, and recognize the support needed to heal ”.