High school boys in St Thomas targetted for sexual violence intervention initiative

Upper school male students from eight secondary institutions in St Thomas are the focus of the Angelic Ladies Society's latest social project, 'Echoes of Change – The Problem with the P'.

Through the engagement, the boys will participate in sensitisation workshops covering topics such as sexual violence, inappropriate touching, sex videos, the age of consent and healthy masculinity.

The organisation, which successfully executed a similar project last year focusing on young girls, has received European Union (EU) funding support for their latest engagement, which will target 60-70 boys per school.

Last year's project, dubbed 'She Speaks', was undertaken at six high schools across St Thomas.

Angelic Ladies Society Founder/Executive Director and Project Lead, Sara-Lou Morgan-Walker, told JIS News that although the non-profit organisation is primarily female-focused, “one of the appeals from the schools, the guidance counsellors, deans of discipline and academic staff is that a lot of conversations are happening for girls, and nothing is happening for boys.”

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“If we talk to the boys about sexual assault and sexual grooming, it is still 'She Speaks', because what we're really thinking about is how boys are treating girls, how they interact with females and how they interact with the whole idea of navigating the sexual issues with girls,” Morgan-Walker noted.

The Angelic Ladies Society is hoping that by fostering an environment of understanding and responsibility among boys, the result will be a reduction in the incidence of sexual violence and the promotion of a culture of respect and protection for girls and women.

Morgan-Walker, who, earlier this year, received a Governor-General's Achievement Award for her philanthropic work, said the project will be executed from “border to border”. Donald Quarrie High School on the St Andrew border and Happy Grove High School on the Portland border are among the institutions slated to be involved.

Key project activities kick off on Wednesday with a rap session and game tournament at the Teen Hub in Morant Bay. The session aims to captivate the students' attention through gaming and open dialogue on different topics, thereby setting the tone for the rest of the project.

There will be an International Men's Day movie screening on November 19, followed by a second rap session on November 22.

Sensitisation workshops will thereafter take place at participating schools, starting January 2025.

'Echoes of Change: The Problem with the P' is also supported by the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI), which will serve as a facilitator for third-party engagement and deployment, and will monitor project objectives and implementation.