By Dennis Peprah, GNA
Sunyani, (Bono), Oct 21, GNA – Dr Freda Prempeh, a former Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP) has appealed to the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) to intervene and to serve justices to some girls allegedly abused sexually, at the Obuasi Senior High and Technical School (SHTS) in the Ashanti Region.
Her appeal followed reported cases of alleged sexual abuses involving female students and embattled Headmaster of the Obuasi SHTS, Zakaria Abdulai.
The Ghana Education Service has acted accordingly and interdicted the headmaster and to facilitate investigations into the cases.
Reacting, Dr Prempeh said the government ought to take immediate action and bring the culprit to book, worrying that in some of these cases, families found it extremely difficult to seek justice.
“This is a serious gender issue that must be addressed and should not be swept under the carpet”, she stated, calling for effective collaboration between the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the MGCSP to rise to the task.
Dr Prempeh condemned the growing practices where some tutors and teachers asked students to perform some household chores for them, instead of concentrating on their books.
“This isn’t why the girls are in school, and some of those teachers harbour sinister motives and to take advantage of the unsuspecting girls”, she added, and advocated reforms in educational policies to address some contemporary educational challenges.
Dr Prempeh, also a former Member of Parliament (MP) for Tano North Constituency in the Ahafo Region, said that the affected persons and their families required the support of female lawyers and human rights activists in seeking justice.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani, the former outspoken legislator, also the Founder of the Ultimate Women Foundation (UWF) emphasised that expeditious investigations were required to uncover the truth cases.
Describing girls’ sexual abuses as a worst form of human rights abuse, Dr Prempeh indicated that prosecuting the culprit would serve as a deterrent to like-minded other teachers who ‘hide behind the scenes’ and perpetuate those nefarious acts.
Dr Prempeh explained that she established the UWF, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) to identify and address emerging challenges confronting women and girls and thereby empowering them to contribute meaningfully to societal development.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Dennis Peprah
Email: [email protected]