The Network of Peace and Security Women in the ECOWAS Space (NOPSWECO-Ghana) and the Working Group on Women, Youth, Peace and Security (WGWYPS) have called for the arrest and prosecution of the alleged perpetrator in the Obuasi Senior High Technical School sexual abuse case.

The two groups are also demanding an investigation into school authorities, education officials and other institutions whose alleged failure to act may have allowed the abuse of female students to continue.

In a joint statement issued in Accra on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, the groups said they were outraged by allegations of sexual abuse and rape involving female students of the school.

The allegations were brought to public attention through journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni’s investigative documentary, Inside the Dreaded Headmaster’s Bungalow.

The groups said the allegations were disturbing not only because of the alleged abuse but also because of reports that complaints and warnings had reached school authorities and education officials months before decisive action was taken.

“How could so many people have known, and so little have been done? How could institutions entrusted with protecting these girls have failed them so profoundly?” the statement asked.

The groups also cited a recent JoyNews investigation which documented at least 44 reported cases involving teachers and school heads accused of sexual abuse since 2015.

According to the groups, more than half of those cases have no publicly reported final verdict or sanction.

They said the Obuasi case should therefore lead to a wider examination of how sexual abuse allegations are handled in Ghanaian schools.

‘Interdiction is not justice’

NOPSWECO-Ghana and WGWYPS acknowledged reports that the headmaster of Obuasi SHTS, Zakaria Abdulai, had been interdicted and that the allegations had been referred to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).

However, they said those measures should not end the investigation.

“Interdiction is not justice. Suspension is not accountability. Transferring an alleged abuser from one school to another is not child protection,” the groups said.

They called for an investigation into any individuals or institutions that may have concealed complaints, intimidated victims, obstructed investigations or facilitated impunity.

The groups said this should include school authorities, education officials, the police, political actors and other influential individuals, where there is evidence of wrongdoing.

Five demands

The groups are demanding swift, thorough and independent police investigations into the allegations.

They want the alleged perpetrator arrested without delay where lawful grounds exist and prosecuted where the evidence warrants.

They are also calling for investigations into anyone who may have enabled or concealed the alleged abuse, with appropriate administrative, disciplinary or criminal sanctions where wrongdoing is established.

The groups further want affected students to receive trauma counselling, medical care, legal assistance and protection from intimidation.

They said the girls must also be supported to continue their education without stigma, while their identities and confidentiality are protected.

The groups have also called on Parliament to summon the leadership of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to account for its handling of sexual abuse allegations in schools.

They want an independent nationwide review of complaints involving teachers and school authorities, particularly cases that ended in transfers, suspensions or other administrative actions without publicly reported outcomes.

The fifth demand is for confidential and child-friendly reporting mechanisms in every school, with clear procedures for acting on complaints and referring suspected criminal conduct to law enforcement.

Call to end culture of silence

NOPSWECO-Ghana and WGWYPS also called on parents, traditional authorities, religious leaders, political actors and communities to reject what they described as a culture of silence, intimidation and informal settlements in cases of sexual violence.

“The reputation of a school, the standing of a family or the political connections of an alleged perpetrator must never take precedence over the safety and dignity of a child,” they said.

The groups said their position is informed by the Women, Peace and Security agenda, which they said requires protection from violence, fear, exploitation and abuse, including in educational institutions.

They said prevention, protection, accountability, participation, and relief and recovery must be reflected in the treatment of women and girls.

NOPSWECO-Ghana and WGWYPS said they stood with the affected students and other survivors of sexual violence whose cases may have been ignored or concealed.

They commended those who had spoken out and the investigative journalism that brought the allegations to public attention.

The statement, signed by Euphemia Akos Dzathor (Mama Awanyo I), President of NOPSWECO Ghana, and Theodora Williams Anti, Convenor of WGWYPS, is below:

JOINT PRESS STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ACCRA, 20TH OCTOBER 2026

OBUASI SEXUAL ABUSE SCANDAL: A SHAMEFUL BETRAYAL OF OUR GIRLS — END THE SILENCE, PROTECT THE VICTIMS AND HOLD ALL RESPONSIBLE ACCOUNTABLE!

The Network of Peace and Security Women in the ECOWAS Space (NOPSWECO-Ghana) and the Working Group on Women, Youth, Peace and Security (WGWYPS) express their strongest condemnation and outrage over the horrifying allegations of sexual abuse and rape involving female students of Obuasi Senior High Technical School, as exposed in the investigative documentary Inside the Dreaded Headmaster's Bungalow by journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni.

The revelations are deeply disturbing, not only because of the alleged crimes but also because of the apparent failure of institutions entrusted with protecting these children. Reports indicate that complaints and warnings were brought to the attention of school authorities and education officials months before decisive action was taken, yet the alleged abuse continued.

How could so many people have known, and so little have been done? How could institutions entrusted with protecting these girls have failed them so profoundly?

We are particularly appalled by the gross insensitivity our society continues to demonstrate towards victims of sexual violence. Too often, victims are silenced, intimidated or blamed, while alleged perpetrators enjoy protection and sympathy. We have literally watched as innocent girls are victimised, their childhoods violated, their dignity assaulted and their joy and sense of safety stolen. Yet, those expected to protect them have too often looked away.

Even more troubling is the question of how many cases remain hidden. If these are the cases that have been reported and exposed, how many more girls are suffering in silence? How many complaints have been suppressed, victims intimidated and perpetrators shielded by individuals and institutions more concerned about protecting reputations than protecting children?

The recent JoyNews investigation documenting at least 44 reported cases involving teachers and school heads accused of sexual abuse since 2015, with more than half having no publicly reported final verdict or sanction, should alarm every Ghanaian. The Obuasi case must therefore trigger a national reckoning with sexual violence and institutional failures in our schools.

PREVENTION AND PROTECTION ARE NOT OPTIONAL!

As organisations committed to advancing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, NOPSWECO-Ghana and WGWYPS recognise that security goes beyond the absence of armed conflict. It includes freedom from violence, fear, exploitation and abuse. The principles of prevention, protection, participation, accountability, and relief and recovery must be reflected in the everyday lives of women and girls, including within our educational institutions.

Prevention requires institutions to identify risks, respond to early warnings and act before further harm occurs. Protection demands that authorities prioritise the safety, rights and dignity of vulnerable persons, particularly children.

When girls report abuse and institutions fail to act, prevention has failed. When alleged perpetrators remain in positions of authority while victims live in fear, protection has failed. When those who conceal or enable abuse face no consequences, accountability has failed.

We cannot continue to celebrate progress on gender equality and Women, Peace and Security while failing to protect girls from sexual violence in our schools.

THE GHANA EDUCATION SERVICE MUST ANSWER!

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has a fundamental responsibility to ensure that schools are safe environments for learning and development. The revelations from Obuasi raise serious concerns about failures in child protection, safeguarding and institutional accountability.

While we acknowledge reports of the headmaster's interdiction and referral of the allegations to the Criminal Investigations Department, these measures cannot substitute for a thorough investigation into the institutional failures that may have allowed the alleged abuse to continue.

Interdiction is not justice. Suspension is not accountability. Transferring an alleged abuser from one school to another is not child protection.

We reject any practice that merely transfers alleged perpetrators between schools or substitutes administrative sanctions for criminal investigation and prosecution. The GES must explain why complaints reportedly submitted months earlier did not trigger effective protective action and what mechanisms exist to hold officials accountable for failures to protect children.

OUR DEMANDS ARE CLEAR AND NON-NEGOTIABLE

1. IMMEDIATE POLICE ACTION AND CRIMINAL ACCOUNTABILITY

We call on the Inspector-General of Police to ensure swift, thorough and independent investigations into the allegations. The alleged perpetrator must be arrested without delay where lawful grounds exist, and prosecuted where the evidence warrants. No individual's political affiliation, social status or institutional position should shield them from the law.

2. INVESTIGATE AND SANCTION ALL WHO ENABLED OR CONCEALED THE ABUSE

Investigations must extend to every individual and institution who may have knowingly concealed complaints, intimidated victims, obstructed investigations or facilitated impunity. This includes school authorities, education officials, the police, political actors and other influential individuals, irrespective of their positions or affiliations. Where wrongdoing is established, appropriate administrative, disciplinary and criminal sanctions must follow.

Those who knowingly protect abusers instead of vulnerable children must also face the consequences. There must be no sacred cows!

3. URGENT PROTECTION, COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT FOR VICTIMS

We call on the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, the GES, the Ghana Health Service and relevant child protection institutions to immediately provide comprehensive, survivor-centred support to all affected girls. This must include professional trauma counselling, medical care, legal assistance, protection from intimidation and support to continue their education without stigma.

Their identities, confidentiality and dignity must be protected throughout the investigation and judicial processes. Justice must include not only accountability for perpetrators but also the recovery, healing and future well-being of survivors.

4. PARLIAMENT MUST DEMAND ANSWERS FROM THE GES

We fully support calls for Parliament to summon the leadership of the Ghana Education Service to account for its handling of sexual abuse allegations in schools. We further demand an independent nationwide review of complaints involving teachers and school authorities, particularly cases that resulted only in transfers, suspensions or unexplained administrative outcomes. The findings must inform enforceable safeguarding reforms and stronger institutional accountability.

5. STRENGTHEN PREVENTION AND END THE CULTURE OF SILENCE

We demand effective, confidential and child-friendly reporting mechanisms in every school, with clear obligations to act promptly on complaints and refer suspected criminal conduct to law enforcement. Girls must be empowered to report abuse without fear of intimidation or retaliation.

We also call on parents, traditional authorities, religious leaders, political actors and communities to reject the culture of silence, intimidation and informal settlements that enables sexual violence.

The reputation of a school, the standing of a family or the political connections of an alleged perpetrator must never take precedence over the safety and dignity of a child.

OUR GIRLS DESERVE BETTER!

As Ghana joins the international community in commemorating the Women, Peace and Security agenda this October, the Obuasi revelations are a painful reminder that our commitments to prevention and protection must go beyond speeches, policies and commemorative events.

Women, Peace and Security must mean something to the girl who walks into a classroom expecting to learn, not to be exploited. It must mean something to the student who reports abuse and expects to be believed, protected and supported.

A society that fails to protect its girls from sexual violence cannot claim to be advancing their security, dignity or empowerment.

NOPSWECO-Ghana and WGWYPS stand firmly with the girls of Obuasi and every survivor of sexual violence whose suffering has been ignored or concealed. We commend the courage of those who have spoken out and the investigative journalism that has brought these allegations to national attention.

We demand urgent, transparent and decisive action from all responsible institutions.

NO MORE SILENCE! NO MORE COVER-UPS! NO MORE IMPUNITY!
JUSTICE FOR THE GIRLS OF OBUASI!

Signed

Euphemia Akos Dzathor (Mama Awanyo I)
President, NOPSWECO Ghana

Theodora Williams Anti
Convenor, WGWYPS

Contact Number: 0243203060