Expert Attributes Continuation of Boys’ Sexual Abuse to Patriarchy

Alankaar Sharma, a senior lecturer at the University of Wollongong, Australia, emphasized that the sexual abuse of boys persists due to patriarchal norms. Speaking at the Tulir Centre for the Prevention and Healing of Child Sexual Abuse’s annual lecture in Chennai, Sharma highlighted that the entrenched archetype of the “real man” within patriarchal structures relies on suppressing experiences and expressions that deviate from narrow ideals of masculinity.

Sharma labeled child sexual abuse as a patriarchal wound and noted that societal constructions limit men’s acknowledgment of gendered experiences. He stressed the need to challenge rigid patriarchal expectations for the well-being of boys and male survivors.