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.
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 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.
