BGA Hosting Student Capacity-Building Workshop to Mark Int’l Day of the Boy Child on May 16

Sixty students from four institutions will participate in a capacity-building workshop hosted by the Bureau of Gender Affairs (BGA) on Friday, May 16, in observance of International Day of the Boy Child.

The event will take place at the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport on Trafalgar Road in New Kingston from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The participating institutions are Camperdown High School, Haile Selassie High School, St Andrew Technical High School, and the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA).

The workshop, to be held under the theme for Child Month – ‘Act Now, Stand Against Child Abuse and Exploitation’ – will include presentations and discussions on several topical issues.

These include school bullying, sexual harassment, human trafficking and positive masculinity

Representatives of the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) and the BGA are among the slated presenters.

Director of the BGA’s Male Empowerment Unit (MEU), Nashan Miller, told JIS News that the students, drawn from grades nine and 10, will attend with their teachers.

He emphasised the importance of engaging boys at this stage of their development, noting that it aligns with the MEU’s objectives.

“We are working on their development, and just want them to become productive members of the society. It is important to reach [out to] them at this age and address the issues they face on a daily basis,” Mr. Miller added.

Child Month is a special time set aside each year in May to recognise, celebrate, and advocate for children’s rights.