Boys as Allies: Changing the Game in Nepal

In Nepal, a unique effort is underway to tackle a serious issue. It is about sexual bullying and gender harassment of girls. This is not just a girls' problem. It involves boys too. The plan? Get boys involved as allies in the fight against this violence. This is not about blaming boys. It is about empowering them to make a difference. The focus is on two districts in Western Nepal: Kapilvastu and Rupandehi. Here, a program called the Tipping Point Initiative is making waves. It is about helping boys become allies. Boys aged 12 to 16 are part of this initiative. They are not married and have no plans to leave the area soon. Over 1, 100 boys took part in this program. They were split into different groups. Some were in the Tipping Point Program. Others were in an enhanced version called Tipping Point Plus. The rest were in a control group. The goal is to see if these programs make a difference. Researchers looked at whether boys noticed less sexual bullying and harassment. They found some interesting results. Reports of non-contact harassment, like writing sexual messages, went up. This might seem bad, but it could mean boys are more aware and willing to report it. The Tipping Point Plus group saw fewer incidents of this kind of harassment. This suggests the program might be working. However, reports of physical harassment went down. This is surprising and needs more investigation. The program seems to have an impact. Boys in the Tipping Point Plus group reported fewer incidents of non-contact harassment. This is a good sign. It shows that involving boys as allies can make a difference. However, the drop in reports of physical harassment is puzzling. It could mean boys are hiding what they see. Or it could be a glitch in the data. More research is needed to understand this better. So, what's next? Future studies should look deeper. They should check how motivated boys are to step in. They should see if boys feel confident to act. And they should measure if boys actually do something when they see harassment. This will give a clearer picture of how well the program works. It will also help improve it. After all, the goal is to create a safer world for everyone. Including boys and girls.