Boys safe space initiative held
In a bold step to promote boys’ welfare and reduce juvenile offences, 15 men from Assin Foso have been trained to lead a new initiative dubbed Boys Safe Space.
The programme was organised by the Department of Gender of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) in Cape Coast, with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Ghana, and technical assistance from the Central Regional Coordinating Council (RCC).
The initiative aimed to educate boys on their rights, defilement, rape and the consequences of ignorance of the law.
The Central Regional Director of the Department of Gender, Richlove Amamoo, who facilitated the training, expressed concern over the growing number of boys who end up in prison simply because they were unaware of the law, especially in matters relating to defilement.
“We always talk about girls, which is important, but in doing so, the boys are being left behind.
Some of them are in prison not because they are inherently bad, but because they simply did not know the law,” she said.
Ms Amamoo explained that while most boys understood rape was a criminal offence, many were unaware that the law also classified consensual sex with a minor as defilement. This misunderstanding, she said, often lead to serious legal consequences.
“They know rape is wrong, but they don’t understand that even having consensual sex with a minor is defilement under the law,” she stated.
Initiative
The Boys Safe Space initiative was designed to create open and safe platforms where boys could learn about their rights and responsibilities, the laws protecting children, and the importance of education and vocational skills.
“We’re not only educating them about the law,” Ms Amamoo noted.
“We’re inspiring them to dream beyond their current conditions to pick up a trade, return to school, and become responsible citizens.”
She revealed that next week, the Department of Gender would return to Assin Foso to meet with traditional authorities in the area.
“The chiefs have the knowledge and the influence,” she said.
“We cannot drive real change without their involvement.
Their leadership will give more weight to this campaign and ensure it reaches the roots of the community.”
Ms Amamoo concluded, “We are raising boys who will not only stay out of jail, but who will grow up to be responsible men, husbands, and fathers.
That is how we build a better society.”
The training also addressed the issue of child marriage, emphasising that both boys and girls were affected and must be protected.
Legal duties
A Principal Investigator and a focal person from the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Cape Coast, Martin Datsomor, reminded the participants of the legal duty to provide for children’s basic needs.
“The law is not here to spoil our children, as some think,” he said.
“It exists to protect them and to ensure they grow up in safe, nurturing environments.”
He stressed that neglecting children’s needs was a violation of their rights and punishable under the law.
