Lagos: A Men’s Mental Health Advocate, Ms Halima Layeni, says that nothing justifies sexual violence/assault, describing it as a grave violation of human dignity and a crime that leaves lifelong scars.
Layeni, Executive Director, Life After Abuse Foundation (LAAF), made the assertion while reacting to viral videos allegedly showing women being assaulted in Ozoro, a community in Delta on Monday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the videos show chaotic scenes of women being stripped, chased, harassed, and in some cases physically attacked by groups of men in public spaces under the guise of a “festival”.
The content has sparked outrage on social media, with many Nigerians describing the scenes as barbaric and demanding immediate action from authorities.
According to her, the Ozoro “Raping Festival” reveals that the society is failing boys and men, and women are paying the price.
Layeni stated that no tradition or cultural practice could justify sexual violence.
She said that the women who were allegedly stripped, assaulted, and violated deserved justice, protection, and unwavering support.
“Their pain must not be minimised or forgotten and if we (society) are serious about preventing such atrocities from happening again, we must look beyond reaction and punishment and begin to examine the roots of this behaviour,” she said.
Layeni decried that the horrifying allegations emerging from Ozoro community about the so-called “raping festival” were not just a story of violence against women; they were a stark and painful reflection of a deeper societal failure.
According to her, boys are not born violent, they are shaped by the environments and society they grow up in, the values they are taught, and the experiences they endure.
She lamented that too many boys grew up without emotional guidance, saying that they were told to suppress their feelings, to equate vulnerability with weakness, and to express pain through anger.
She added that they were often denied safe spaces to talk about trauma, abuse, rejection, or confusion.
“Over time, unprocessed emotions can harden into resentment. Without intervention, that resentment can be redirected outward, often toward those perceived as weaker or more vulnerable.
“When boys are raised in spaces where violence is normalised, where women are dehumanised, or where power is equated with dominance and control, those lessons do not disappear.
“They take root. They grow. And eventually, they can erupt in the kind of collective violence we are now being forced to confront,” Layeni said.
According to her, there is a societal culture that excuses harmful behavior among boys and young men, dismissing early warning signs as “just boys being boys.”
She said that harassment, coercion, and disrespect were sometimes trivialised instead of corrected.
Layeni emphasised that when boys were not taught empathy, consent, and respect, they were left to learn from harmful influences that may reinforce aggression and entitlement.
The men’s mental health advocate underscored the need for concerted efforts of the communities, societies and all stakeholders to prevent sexual violence/assault subsequently.
According to her, prevention begins with intentional investment in boys and young men.
“It means providing access to mental health support that helps them process trauma before it turns into harm.
“It means introducing mentorship programmes where positive role models can demonstrate what healthy masculinity looks like, strength that is rooted in respect, responsibility, and self-control, not dominance or suppression.
“However, accountability alone is not prevention.
“If we only respond after harm has been done, we will remain trapped in a cycle of outrage and tragedy,” Layeni said.
Layeni said the society (we) must teach boys about consent early and consistently, saying that consent was not a complicated concept, but it required deliberate education.
According to her, it requires teaching that every individual has autonomy over their own body, that respect is non-negotiable, and that boundaries must be honoured without exception.
“These are lessons that should be reinforced at home, in schools, and within communities.
“The tragedy in Ozoro must not be reduced to a moment of shock that fades with time. It should be a turning point, a moment that compels action, reform, and sustained attention.
“This is because until we address the root causes, until we invest in the well-being and development of boys and men, we will continue to face the consequences of our inaction,” she added
