Communication, gender and safeguarding expert Mercy Catherine Adjabeng has called for a public sex offenders register, independent investigations into sexual abuse allegations, and an end to the quiet transfer of teachers accused of sexual misconduct, demanding a sweeping overhaul of Ghana’s child protection system.
Speaking on GBC’s Behind the News during a discussion on the sexual abuse scandal at Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS), Ms Adjabeng said the case must trigger urgent, nationwide reforms to protect students and ensure accountability.
She stressed that the response must go beyond the individuals implicated in the scandal to address systemic weaknesses in how sexual abuse is reported, investigated and handled across Ghana’s education system.
“As a country, we must start looking at a public sex offenders register,” she said, arguing that Ghana could learn from jurisdictions that maintain such registers to prevent people convicted of sexual offences from working in environments where they could endanger children.
“If you have been caught up in such a thing, there is no way you will come near any education system, basic, whatever; it won’t happen,” she added.
Ms Adjabeng urged the Ghana Education Service (GES) to end the practice of quietly transferring teachers accused of sexual misconduct to other schools without properly resolving the cases.
She warned that transferring an accused teacher without a thorough investigation could expose more students to harm, while allowing the underlying concerns to go unaddressed.
“The code of conduct for teachers has been revised. Yes, but it must be reviewed again to cancel this quiet transfer,” she said.
“Because if you transfer the person, the person is still going to be dealing with young people. Their lives are at risk.”
She called for all allegations to be properly investigated and suspected criminal offences referred to the appropriate law enforcement authorities, insisting that administrative transfers must never become a substitute for accountability.
Ms Adjabeng recommended a stronger role for the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service in receiving and handling sexual abuse complaints, alongside independent oversight of investigations.
“We must immediately work on reporting and independent oversight, and I am strongly recommending DOVVSU,” she said.
While acknowledging the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection’s child protection mandate, she questioned whether the ministry had the capacity to oversee the process fully, arguing that DOVVSU’s position within the Ghana Police Service could strengthen law enforcement and accountability.
She also called for third-party investigations, particularly where school authorities may have an interest in the outcome.
“We must also have a third-party investigation,” she said, noting that independent scrutiny would help address potential conflicts of interest, promote transparency and ensure complaints were handled fairly.
Ms Adjabeng called for mandatory safeguarding policies in every school, stressing that institutions must move beyond having policies on paper to implementing effective systems for preventing abuse and responding to complaints.
“Every school must have safeguarding policies. And every school must have it, and it must be implemented, not just ticking the boxes,” she said.
“We must implement it, and we must prosecute all those people who abuse our children.”
She also advocated the restoration of effective Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) to strengthen parental oversight and hold school authorities accountable for student safety.
Parents, she said, must be able to demand clear answers about schools’ safety measures, complaint-handling procedures and the transparency of investigations.
“What are the safety systems that have been placed in our schools? What are the transparency issues as far as investigations are concerned?” she asked.
Ms Adjabeng warned that intimidation, retaliation and victimisation could prevent students from reporting sexual abuse, allowing perpetrators to escape scrutiny and harmful behaviour to continue.
“We must also ensure that the whistleblowers are protected. Our students will definitely report, but sometimes they are afraid of retaliation, intimidation and victimisation,” she said.
She called for safe, accessible reporting channels that protect students and ensure their complaints are taken seriously.
She also urged authorities to treat survivors’ needs as urgent, including providing timely access to legal assistance. Although Ghana has a legal aid system, she questioned whether victims could obtain support quickly enough in emergencies.
“I do not know how that extends to the victims there because we all know how people queue for long, but then we must treat this as an emergency,” she said.
Drawing on her involvement in a POS Foundation project addressing sexual harassment in universities, Ms Adjabeng described the issue as deeply troubling and warned against a culture of silence that allows abuse to persist across generations.
“I was part of a project by POS Foundation in the university talking about addressing sexual harassment. It is horrible,” she said.
“Because we don’t talk about it, they end up also repeating the cycle.”
She said the Obuasi SHTS scandal should compel schools, institutions, parents and society at large to confront sexual abuse openly and take collective responsibility for protecting children.
For Ms Adjabeng, the fundamental issue is the right of every child to learn without fear, abuse or intimidation—and the duty of institutions to make that right a reality.
“Our children are not safe. We have a duty of care to them to ensure that they are protected to have their education in peace,” she said.
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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
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