Working towards addressing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and harmful cultural practices requires men and boys to take action and say no to marrying young girls, and speaking against discrimination against women. Studies by UNFPA indicate that men can be valuable allies in addressing reproductive health issues. Therefore, the involvement of men and boys is critical to achieving gender equality and reducing SGBV.
It is with this background that Department of gender, under the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) and the Central Regional Co-ordinating Council (CRCC), and support form UNFPA, established Boys Safe Spaces dialogue sessions with adolescent boys age 10 to 19 years using the national framework and toolkit for engaging men and boys to advance gender equality, Sexual Reproductive Health Righrs (SRHR) and Gender Based Violence (GBV) on the 17th, 18th, 20th and 26th of September, 2024 in the Central Region.
The overall objective of the programme was to stimulate male support to ensure the end of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) as well as all other harmful cultural practices and provide them with information on sexual and reproductive health and right (SRHR), Child Marriage (CM), Rape, Defilement, and Cohabitation. The dialogue sessions aimed at:
- Creating a network of Male Champions to chart a course for eliminating harmful cultural practices and SGBV.
- Engaging Male Champions as mentees of Gender equality and SRHR among their peers.
- Raising awareness among these male champions on issues of GBV and harmful practices like child marriage and the need to defend the rights and dignity of women and girls.
- Enhancing the capacity of these Male Champions to be able to challenge and report GBV activities and harmful cultural practices occurring in their communities.
- To develop their advocacy skills and empower them to carry out advocacy among parents and young people within their communities on SRHR, CM, SGBV and Gender equality.
The Regional Director for Department of Gender Central Region Ms. Richlove Amamoo (Mama Awotsu Adzagba II) with great concern for both young and adult males being incarcerated in juvenile and adult correctional facilities stated her role as overseeing the wellbeing of all gender issues in the region. The Regional Director therefore,educated all males in her juridiction to know what the law says on gender related offences.
Ms. Richlove stated the name of the club as Boys Safe Space, with the slogan “Combating Gender-Based Violence and Discrimination”. She stipulated the reasons for the formation of the club, thus supporting girls in pursuit of their education and sensitise males (young and old) gender related offences so that they will not be jailed due to their ignorance of the law.
She defined a child as a person below the age of eighteen 18 years, an adolescent is any person between the ages of 10 and 19, teenager is any person between the ages of 13 to 19 and an adult is a person who has attained the age of maturity and is therefore regarded as independent, self-sufficient, responsible and is 18 years and above. She also explain defilement and rape to the participants. Ms. Richlove stressed on the jail term for the offence of defilement and rape, on defilement, she explained it as having sexual intercourse with a child below 16 years with or without his/her consent. She said perpetrators can be jailed for a term of at least 7 years and most 25 years according to the 1992 Republican Constitution of tha Ghana. She also said that rape is having carnal knowledge with a female above 16 years without her consent. Pointing the charges, Ms. Richlove said a perpetrator can be jailed for a period between 5-25 years.
She made a point that, ignorance, greed and insubordination could also put men and boys in trouble, as older women prey on them. And that, parents of minors involved in this could report to the Domestic Violence Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service for the necessary actions to be employed.
The Regional Director added, that here is the need to support the boys safe spaces in the Communities where the club has been established by constant visit to the club meetings.