Obuasi abuse allegations: Coalition demands national child-protection overhaul

The National Coalition for Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values has called for a comprehensive overhaul of Ghana's child-protection system, warning that the allegations of sexual abuse at the Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS) expose weaknesses that could leave children vulnerable in schools and other institutions.

The coalition is demanding a nationwide audit of safeguarding arrangements in educational institutions, the establishment of a National Sex Offenders Register and stronger mechanisms to hold school authorities and other officials accountable for mishandling abuse complaints.

It says the response to the Obuasi allegations must go beyond investigating the individuals implicated and address institutional failures that may allow abuse to occur, go unreported or be concealed.

In a statement signed by its Executive Secretary, Moses Foh-Amoaning, the coalition said the case should serve as a turning point in the country's approach to protecting children.

It commended investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni for bringing the allegations involving students of Obuasi SHTS to public attention and called for thorough and impartial investigations, protection for complainants and witnesses, and due process for all persons implicated.

The coalition said no institution should place its reputation above the safety of children and that allegations of abuse must be handled without intimidation or victimisation.

As part of its proposed reforms, the coalition wants the Ministries of Education and Gender, Children and Social Protection, the Ghana Education Service (GES) and relevant regulatory bodies to commission an independent national audit of child-protection arrangements.

The proposed review would examine school reporting systems, staff conduct, professional boundaries, boarding-house supervision, institutional responses to previous complaints and the effectiveness of safeguards against retaliation.

It also wants the audit to assess whether students have access to confidential counselling and protection services, as well as appropriate referral channels to social welfare agencies and the police.

The findings, it said, should inform a publicly available national reform programme with clear timelines, responsibilities and performance indicators, while protecting the identities of affected children.

The coalition is also advocating independent reporting channels in schools, particularly where allegations involve headteachers, administrators or other senior officials.

It argued that children should not be required to report abuse through the same authority structures implicated in their complaints.

“NO CHILD SHOULD HAVE TO SEEK PERMISSION FROM A POTENTIAL ABUSER TO REPORT ABUSE,” the statement said.

It further insisted that suspected criminal offences must be referred promptly to the appropriate law enforcement authorities and that internal disciplinary procedures should not be used as substitutes for criminal investigations.

A major part of the coalition's demands is the establishment of a legally backed National Sex Offenders Register, supported by mandatory safeguarding background checks for people seeking employment in positions involving children.

The proposed system would cover teachers, school administrators, boarding staff, caregivers, coaches, youth workers and relevant religious personnel in both public and private institutions.

The coalition wants legislation to define the offences that would qualify for registration, the agencies responsible for maintaining the database, access arrangements, retention periods and safeguards for correcting or reviewing information.

It also proposes a separate professional barring mechanism to prevent individuals found unsuitable for specified child-facing positions through fair legal proceedings from continuing in such roles.

The statement, however, stresses the need to distinguish between criminal convictions, established professional misconduct and unresolved allegations, with appropriate rights of appeal and review.

It says the register must serve as a child-protection tool rather than encourage vigilantism or undermine the rights of individuals.

The coalition has asked the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice to lead a review of existing criminal and child-protection laws to identify gaps and initiate the necessary legislative changes.

The group is also seeking investigations and sanctions against officials who deliberately obstruct inquiries, intimidate witnesses, destroy evidence or suppress reports of abuse.

It wants a national child-safeguarding accountability framework under which relevant institutions periodically publish anonymised information on complaints received, investigations completed, disciplinary outcomes, criminal referrals and support services provided to affected children.

The proposed framework, it said, should make the performance of institutions measurable without exposing the identities or private information of children.

The coalition further wants child-safeguarding compliance to become a mandatory part of school inspections and leadership assessments by the National Schools Inspectorate Authority (NaSIA), GES and other education regulators.

The coalition said child protection should not be confined to educational institutions but must also be strengthened in homes, religious bodies and traditional communities.

It has called on the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs to work with religious organisations, traditional authorities and child-protection stakeholders to establish enforceable safeguarding standards and independent complaint mechanisms for religious and cultural institutions.

It also wants a national family-strengthening and community child-protection initiative to promote responsible parenting, positive discipline, digital safety, healthy family relationships and early reporting of abuse.

The coalition said children must be taught about personal dignity, bodily safety, healthy boundaries and respect for others, while parents and guardians must create environments in which children can disclose abuse without fear of blame.

It also stressed that boys who experience sexual abuse must receive the same protection and attention as girls, warning that stigma and cultural attitudes could discourage male survivors from reporting assaults.

As part of its proposed action plan, the coalition said it had initiated arrangements for a national stakeholder consultation within two weeks of its October 30 statement.

The proposed meeting is expected to bring together government ministries and agencies, the Attorney-General's Department, the Judiciary and Judicial Service, the police, education authorities, child-protection organisations, civil society groups and professional bodies.

The engagement is intended to examine practical ways of implementing the proposed reforms and agree on priority actions, institutional responsibilities, timelines and accountability measures.

The coalition said it was prepared to work with the relevant institutions to expand its existing safeguarding training engagements with the GES and strengthen the capacity of education personnel to recognise, prevent and respond to abuse involving children.

It maintained that the Obuasi SHTS allegations should lead to lasting institutional changes rather than another round of public outrage followed by inaction.

“LET OBUASI SHTS BE MORE THAN A SCANDAL,” the statement said.