Sexual Assaults, Predatory Homosexuals in Schools and the Protection of Our Children.

Recently, the sexual abuse and harassment of pupils/students by paedophilic teachers, administrators and predatory homosexual teachers has been as much a constant feature of Ghanaian schools as it has been of society in general. Teachers used to be respected members of our society but today, opinions are highly divided. And our schools are no more the safe and helping environment some of us knew. Yes, there’re well-respected and professional teachers who have supported many students in their career, so are paedophiles, perverts and predatory homosexuals who fail to uphold the standards and morality of their profession.
Today, we have many twisted teachers and administrators who use their professional positions to have their way sexually [through rape and sexual assault] with under-age, very young and impressionable pupils and students. Ironically, the depressing occurrence of this phenomenon also underscores years of lack of government policies to protect school children who have become so vulnerable. The government is simply not doing enough on these scathing arrays of sex crimes. There’re teachers, administrators and proprietors who for years have been carrying out strings of sex attacks, on school kids. This nightmarish ordeal and emotional and psychological trauma stay with these kids for the rest of their days. To these poor school kids, the rape and violent sexual assault has become ‘a life sentence’.
Regrettably, these paedophilic teachers, administrators and twisted homosexual teachers are never charged and convicted even in cases where they thoroughly deserve – harsh, exemplary punishment for their crimes. Teachers are deemed in our society to be ‘in loco parentis’ [in place of parents]-and to have a sexual relationship with a pupil/student is gross breach of trust even if that pupil/student is above the age of consent. Worryingly, our school kids are manipulated, harassed, overpowered and subjected to horrifying and prolonged sexual assault in our schools. The levels of sexual harassment and sexual assault in our schools are, frankly appalling. The police need to open criminal investigations into such cases. The Ghana Education Service need a period of soul-searching, as in many cases, it has failed to hand over these criminal perverts to the police but rather choose to reprimand or transfer to different post. This is the lowest punishment available! We need to completely divorce our emotions from this issue, irrespective of the status, profile, academic standing of the perpetrators and see it as a violent criminal act.
Recommendations:
1. The country’s police service needs specialist Child Abuse and Sex Crimes unit. These should be specially trained detectives in dealing with sex crimes. Remember, some of these abused kids in nursery and primary schools cannot articulate what they’ve experienced. Also, the Government should improve the Forensic Science Service of the police. This will help in DNA analysis during prosecution and make sure justice is served.
2. The country’s Criminal Justice System has been very lenient with offenders who commit sexual assault. Offenders in this category should be charged with two second degree felonies: sexual assault of children and improper relationship between a pupil/student and an educator. Any conviction should come with lengthy jail term. Child sexual assault cases are different than the normal criminal cases and must be handled differently with specially trained prosecutors, skilled in cross-examination techniques.
3. There’s also the complicity of Head teachers who conceal these disgusting abuses just to avoid scandal and negative publicity of their schools by preventing some of these abused kids reporting to their parents or naming the perpetrators of abuse. This shows that the safety and welfare of our children is not a priority at any time. Such Head teachers should face criminal prosecution for being wilfully negligent in handling reports of sexual abuse.
4. The country needs independent sexual violence counsellors to provide a link between victims and police in all regional capitals. This will be a major step forward in our ability to protect children and also, empower parents/guardians to understand how best to protect and educate their children.
Bear in mind next time it could be your child subjected to this dreadful sexual assault and perverted acts. Our boys and girls’ right to safety is a fundamental human right. And our children have the right to feel safe in our schools.

Author: Lonto-Boy