Schools urged to continue sexual violence sensitisation

Organisers of the 'Echoes of Change: The Problem with the P' project are calling on administrators to continue the engagement on the issue of sexual violence.

The project is the brainchild of the Angelic Ladies Society, a non-profit organisation, with funding from the European Union (EU). Through the initiative, 500 upper-high school boys from eight institutions in St Thomas participated in sensitisation workshops on topics such as sexual violence, inappropriate touching, sex videos, consent, the age of consent and healthy masculinity.

During the recent closing ceremony for the project, stakeholders highlighted the need for the messages to be consistently delivered to the target audience for maximum effect. Male Empowerment Officer at the Bureau of Gender Affairs, Nachan Foster, said, "We need to have the school administrators buying into the importance of discussing these topics. If the persons at the top do not buy into it, the students won't get the true information that they need."

He suggested that one way in which schools can maintain the momentum is to encourage competitions - such as debate - to keep the information and the dialogue flowing. He proposed other creative outlets utilising artificial intelligence. During a panel discussion at the event, participants suggested that schools could incorporate lessons on sexual violence in guidance and counselling sessions.

Founder and Executive Director of the Angelic Ladies Society, Sara-Lou Morgan-Walker, said that a challenge faced during the execution of the project was establishing communication with some schools electronically. She applauded the guidance counsellors and deans of discipline for providing logistical support where possible.