CREP AFRICA CONDEMNS INSTITUTIONAL FAILURES IN THE OBUASI SHS SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS

For Immediate Release | 21 October 2026

CREP Africa condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the alleged sexual misconduct involving female students of Obuasi Senior High Technical School and, equally, the apparent institutional failures surrounding the handling of complaints and allegations concerning the safety and welfare of students.

We are deeply disturbed not only by the allegations themselves but by the serious questions arising from the response of the institutions whose primary responsibility is to protect students.

CONDEMNATION OF THE GHANA EDUCATION SERVICE

CREP Africa condemns the Ghana Education Service for what appears to be a failure of its safeguarding responsibility. The Ghana Education Service has a fundamental duty to ensure that every school under its authority is a safe environment for children. Where allegations of sexual abuse involving students are brought to the attention of school or education authorities, the response cannot be administrative silence, delay or an inadequate internal process. Recent reports indicate that concerns had previously reached educational authorities, while an earlier committee investigated sexual harassment allegations in connection with the August disturbances. That committee concluded that the allegations presented to it were not substantiated by the evidence before it.

CREP Africa finds it deeply troubling that serious questions concerning student protection could arise without an immediate, robust and child-centred safeguarding response.

The subsequent decision by GES to direct the Ashanti Regional Director and the Obuasi East Municipal Director of Education to step aside demonstrates the seriousness of the institutional questions now confronting the Service.

GES must therefore account for what it knew, when it knew it, what action it took and why that action was considered sufficient.

CONDEMNATION OF THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

CREP Africa also condemns the Ministry of Education for the apparent weaknesses in the oversight mechanisms that allowed this matter to reach its current stage. The Ministry cannot limit its responsibility to suspending an accused school administrator after the allegations become a national controversy. The Ministry must answer the larger question of whether Ghana's education system has effective mechanisms for receiving, escalating and independently investigating complaints of sexual abuse involving students.

The Minister's subsequent directive for the headmaster's suspension and referral of the matter to the CID is welcome, but late intervention cannot substitute for effective prevention and early institutional response. We therefore demand a comprehensive examination of the Ministry's safeguarding framework and its implementation across schools nationwide.

CONDEMNATION OF THE EARLIER COMMITTEE

CREP Africa is particularly concerned about the work and conclusions of the committee that previously considered allegations relating to sexual harassment at Obuasi SHTS.

We recognise that a committee must make findings based on the evidence presented before it. However, where allegations involve possible sexual abuse of children, the standard of institutional care must go beyond merely asking whether a particular allegation has been proven before a committee. The report reportedly stated that 16 girls were allegedly involved, but only four appeared before the committee. This raises fundamental questions.

Why did the majority of the students reportedly identified in connection with the allegations not appear before the committee?

What steps were taken to determine why they did not appear?

Were they provided a safe, confidential and child-friendly environment in which to speak?

Were their parents or guardians appropriately engaged?

Were independent child-protection professionals involved?

These questions cannot simply be dismissed.

A child who is afraid, intimidated, traumatised or uncertain about the consequences of speaking may not voluntarily appear before an institutional committee. That possibility must form part of any serious safeguarding investigation. CREP Africa therefore condemns any investigative approach that may have failed to sufficiently centre the safety, psychological wellbeing and protection of the alleged victims.

CONDEMNATION OF THE GHANA POLICE SERVICE

CREP Africa equally expresses grave concern about the handling of the criminal dimension of the allegations by the Ghana Police Service. According to the Police, the investigation conducted so far relates to one complaint, while other reported allegations remain separate matters. The Police have stated that they investigate complaints brought to their attention. While we acknowledge the procedural position of the Police, CREP Africa considers it unacceptable for a matter involving multiple reported allegations concerning students to remain fragmented where the circumstances reasonably call for a comprehensive child-protection and criminal investigation. The Police must not wait passively for vulnerable students to navigate the criminal justice system alone. Where credible information suggests that children may have been victims of sexual abuse, the law-enforcement response must be proactive, sensitive and survivor-centred. We therefore call on the Inspector-General of Police and the CID to ensure that every credible allegation is properly recorded, investigated and assessed independently of institutional interests.

THIS MUST NOT BECOME ANOTHER CASE OF INSTITUTIONAL SILENCE

The most disturbing lesson from Obuasi is the possibility that institutions entrusted with protecting children may have failed to act decisively when warning signs emerged. CREP Africa rejects any culture in which the reputation of a school, the position of an administrator or the image of an institution becomes more important than the safety of students. No school administrator is more important than the child entrusted to the school. No institution is too powerful to be held accountable. No complaint involving the sexual safety of a child should be treated as an inconvenience.

OUR DEMANDS

CREP Africa calls for:

1. A genuinely independent investigation into the allegations and the institutional handling of previous complaints.

2. A comprehensive investigation into the conduct of all officials who received, handled or failed to act upon complaints concerning the students.

3. The protection of all alleged victims and witnesses from intimidation, retaliation or further trauma.

4. Immediate access to independent psychological, medical and legal support for affected students.

5. A review of the earlier committee's processes, particularly the circumstances surrounding the failure of most of the reportedly identified students to appear before it.

6. A comprehensive criminal investigation by the Ghana Police Service into every credible allegation.

7. Accountability for any official found to have concealed, ignored, mishandled or suppressed a legitimate complaint.

8. A nationwide audit of sexual misconduct complaints in Ghanaian schools and how such complaints have been handled by GES.

9. Stronger confidential and child-friendly reporting mechanisms in every school.

10. Parliamentary scrutiny of the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education regarding the institutional safeguards available to protect students from sexual abuse.

OUR POSITION

CREP Africa does not convict individuals through public statements. Allegations must be investigated fairly, evidence must be tested and every accused person is entitled to due process. But due process for the accused cannot mean the denial of justice to alleged victims. The presumption of innocence and the protection of children are not contradictory principles. Ghana's institutions must uphold both. The Obuasi SHS case must therefore become more than another news cycle. It must become a national examination of how Ghana protects children in schools. CREP Africa condemns the alleged sexual misconduct. We condemn institutional complacency. We condemn any failure to protect students. And we demand accountability wherever institutional failure is established.

The children of Ghana deserve better.

CREP Africa

Educational Policy, Research and Advocacy

Volta Region, Ghana