Equimundo has launched three new research papers, developed in partnership with UNFPA as part of the Initiative mondiale pour l'enfance, examining critical dimensions of boys’ development in today’s rapidly changing social and digital environments. Together, the papers offer a review of existing evidence and practical recommendations for supporting boys’ well-being while advancing gender equality.
Off to a Healthy Start: Boys and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, highlights the needs of engaging boys early in conversations about sexuality and relationships to foster their well-being and gender equality. Highlighting persistent gaps in sexual and reproductive health education and services for boys, it emphasizes that addressing boys’ sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) strengthens, rather than competes with, efforts focused on girls and women, improving outcomes for all.
Two additional papers explore emerging influences shaping boys’ attitudes, identities, and experiences in digital spaces. The Men Behind the Curtain: The Anti-Feminist Backlash Playbook That Exploits Boys examines how organized online actors use narratives of male grievance to recruit and monetize boys’ engagement in misogynistic movements. The paper outlines approaches to counter these dynamics by promoting healthy masculinities, strengthening digital literacy, and fostering critical thinking. Boys and Digital Porn: Navigating Sexuality in the Internet Age explores how widespread access to online pornography is shaping boys’ sexual development, relationships, and understanding of consent. With comprehensive sexual education still limited globally, many boys turn to digital spaces for information about sex and relationships – often encountering harmful norms and scripts. The paper emphasizes the need for comprehensive sexuality education, improved digital literacy, and open, supportive dialogue with trusted adults to help boys navigate these influences in healthy and informed ways.
Across all three papers, a common message emerges: boys are navigating complex and rapidly evolving social realities, particularly in digital environments, without adequate support, guidance, or resources. By addressing gaps in education, strengthening protective systems, and creating space for critical reflection, these papers offer a roadmap for educators, policymakers, and practitioners to support boys’ healthy development while advancing gender equality.
Read the papers here: Off to a Healthy Start, The Men Behind the Curtain, Les garçons et la sexualité à l'ère d'Internet
Press Contacts
Rebecca Ladbury
press@equimundo.org
Laura Phillips-Alvarez
l.phillipsalvarez@equimundo.org
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