Accra, Aug. 8, GNA - A 10-day Boys’ Camp is under way in Accra aimed at inculcating in participants the sense of worth of female education and to break the cycle of discrimination and violence against women.
The camp, which is the first of its kind, is being organised by Action Aid, Ghana, (AAG), an international non-governmental organisation, in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES) to provide exposure of the benefits of education to both boys and girls.
It is on the theme: “Creating Champions against Violence against Girls.”
Ms Adwoa Kluvitse, Country Director of AAG, expressed disquiet over rampant violent acts committed against girls and women often by their male counterparts stressing that there was the need to halt the trend.
She said a real man needed to champion the welfare and cause of girls and women but not to perpetuate violence against them.
Ms Kluvitse said the young participants were chosen to serve as ambassadors of change in attitude towards women and girls for their communities adding it was important that the training started at the early age of their lives.
She expressed the hope that the participants would go back to their communities to effect the needed change to stem the rising tide of discrimination, marginalisation and stereotyped position taken by some men against women and the girl-child.
A total of 52 boys from schools in areas where AAG is operating in Greater Accra, Volta, Upper East, Upper West and Northern regions are participating in the Boys’ Camp.
Mrs Matilda Bannerman-Mensah, Director for Girls Education Unit of the GES, said the participants would be taught sexual maturation, basic domestic skills so that they could perform some chores to help their parents at home as well as how to work together and cooperate with girls.
“I will like to urge you boys to be proud that you are going to contribute towards making the Ghanaian school, home and society a far better place than you found it; a place where boys and girls, men and women have equal rights and opportunities to work together and…to support each other to build the country.”
In a speech read on her behalf, Mrs Betty Mould-Iddrisu, Minister of Education, said government was committed towards fighting violence against women and to promote peaceful co-existence among the citizenry.
She expressed optimism that the Boys Camp would transform and shape the attitude of the participants in a positive way to adopt better attitude towards girls and women.
Since 2001, AAG has been running the annual Girls’ camp with the aim of motivating girls to stay in school to improve their chances of breaking the cycle of poverty and living a dignified lifestyle.
Consequently, the organisation this year organised the first ever Boys camp to change boys’ attitude towards female education.
