90% of girls sexually abused - DOVVSU

ABOUT 91.8% of victims of sexual abuse in Junior High Schools (JHS) are between 15 and 18, a report of a study on sexual abuse in Ghanaian schools has revealed.

The report says a sizeable proportion of 31.8% of the children indicated that they knew of cases of sexual abuse in their schools which took place mainly outside the school premises and that those acts that took place on the premises of the school occurred in the classroom (16.9%), in the teacher’s room (1.5%) and at the garage (0.7%).

Mrs. Aisha Sitsofe Agbana at the Domestic Violence and Victims Supports Unit (DOVVSU) Division of the Ghana Police Service revealed this at a programme organized by Resource Link Foundation, a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) as part of the commemoration of World Day against Child Labour.

She revealed that the main perpetrators of the act were given as boy/girl friends, representing 38.9%, school and playmates represents 16.4%, neighbors represents 14.9% while teachers represents 9.7%.

The report indicated that the punishment meted out to the perpetrators but majority of 50.5% were of the view that practically nothing was done to punish the perpetrators, which she said was because nothing was done to deter the perpetrators from committing another sexual offence (31.5%).

The issues she said, was kept secret, and handled quietly at home represented (14.0%) and the perpetrator left either unpunished or absconded also represents (11.6%). Only 15.7% indicated that the perpetrator was handed over to the law enforcement agencies.

She said majority (52.7%) of the respondents were of the view that action taken by the school authorities in cases of sexual abuse was far from being satisfactory. It was indicated that while 29.8% say the authorities did not take any action, 22.9% were not sure that the incidents were even reported to the law enforcement agencies, the GES, or the parents of both the perpetrators and the victims.

They, however, intimated that while some of the perpetrators were suspended or dismissed only 13.0% were punished by the authorities while 6.1% were warned and reprimanded by the authorities; 5.3% were reported to the police or DOVVSU, 3.1% were reported to the parents of the victims and 1.5% were reported to parents of the perpetrators.