SRHR Comic Series for Adolescent Boys by CMMS
CMMS (Center for Men and Masculinities Studies) developed a series of comics for adolescent boys to educate them about risky behaviour that may develop at their age. At the age of 12-15, boys approach puberty which is a time when they undergo changes both physically and mentally. Puberty is a very sensitive and challenging period for everyone, yet it is difficult for many to talk about the changes they go through with anyone because of shame. It has been observed that it is comparatively easier for girls to talk about their bodily changes with their mothers or older sisters and cousins. However, in case of boys, they do not talk to their fathers about their experiences during puberty. They usually share these issues with their peers, who themselves have zero to minimum knowledge about puberty. Lack of knowledge, awareness and discussion often lead to irresponsible and risky behavior by adolescents and young boys.
To deal with this problem, CMMS produced a series of Bangla comics titled ‘Challenger Mamu’r Pathshala’ (Challenger Uncle’s School) where a group of adolescent boys confidently approach the ‘Challenger Mamu’, a responsible adult who openly discusses wet dreams, masturbation, sexually explicit visual materials, mental health etc. with adolescents.
You can find download the comic series below, and use them to educate your children, students, siblings, cousins, or any adolescent you know.
1. Responsible use of social media
2. View and distribution of sexually explicit visual material
6. Misconceptions about body parts
‘Challenger Mamu’r Pathshala’ is part of the ‘Brave Men Campaign’ conducted by CMMS, an action research that develops strategies to end violence against women by involving young men and boys.