Blue Umbrella Day – PPSEAWA Malaysia – Philanthropist Shaping Professional Impact

Here we are, representing PPSEAWA Malaysia on the Blue Umbrella Day , April 16, 2023 as per Ppseawa International campaign on the topic of sexual exploitation of boys .

We are supporting Butterflies, an NGO based in India , to increase awareness and spread the message that Boys Do Matter and Need Care and Support.

And here we are holding posters supporting the campaign, wearing blue shirt, blue cap while raising a blue umbrella!

PPSEAWA International and ECPAT International held a joint NGO CSW67 Virtual Parallel Event on March 9 entitled
“Voices of Child Survivors: breaking silence on child sexual exploitation”.
A distinguished panel of speakers shared their expertise on the realities of child sexual exploitation, obstacles towards the pathway to justice, and what can be done to make protection systems more friendly, effective and humane. We also heard from survivors about their lived experiences and trauma, as well as their work as advocates for human rights today.

One speaker was Rita Panicker Pinto, the Executive Director of Butterflies India, who shared a research study on the lived experience of boy survivors in four countries: Cambodia, India, Nepal, and the Philippines. An outcome of this research on sexual violence against boys was a better understanding of the link between notions of dominant masculinity and the sexual abuse of boys. Boys have more freedom of movement and fewer restrictions than girls, but can be less protected and less likely to disclose abuse as a result.

She emphasized the role of NGOs to generate awareness on protecting boys from sexual violence through social media campaigns such as the Blue Umbrella Day campaign held on April 16.

PPSEAWA Malaysia took the initiative to fully support the above campaign and our priority is ensuring that children and women are protected from sexual exploitation and abuse, and that victims are provided with the support and protection they need.