By Priscilla Oye Ofori / Agnes Ansah
Accra, Nov. 06, GNA – Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has urged institutions to establish independent reporting channels for victims of sexual exploitation and abuse.
She said such mechanisms were crucial, particularly in situations where the accused wielded authority over employment, promotion, academic progress, or other opportunities.
Prof Opoku-Agyemang made the call at the “Sex for Jobs: Sexual Harassment, Exploitation and Abuse Accountability Conference” in Accra, held on the theme: “Promoting Accountability, Safe Workplaces and a Culture of Integrity.”
She said people must be able to report abuse confidentially without fear of intimidation, retaliation, or loss of opportunity.
The Vice President called for properly resourced safeguards, complaints that received serious attention, failures that were accounted for, and survivors who had access to support.
The Vice President described “sex for jobs” and “sex for grades” as abuses of power, violations of bodily autonomy, and breaches of institutional integrity.
“Every instance of abuse that forces people into silence erodes public trust in the institutions established to serve those people,” Prof Opoku Agyeman stated.
Prof Opoku-Agyemang noted that Ghana had enacted several laws to prevent abuse, including protections enshrined in the 1992 Constitution and the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651).
“We cannot claim to be unfamiliar with global standards, such as the International Labour Organization Convention 190,” the Vice President added.
The Vice President said citizens and institutions must ensure that practices in workplaces and educational establishments reflected those standards.
She said the Government recognised the gravity of the problem and its responsibility to address it, citing the launch of the Affirmative Action Regulations, 2026, to facilitate the implementation of the Affirmative Action Act, 2024.
Prof Opoku-Agyemang also noted that the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection had advanced the revised National Gender Policy, which would strengthen institutional responses to gender-based violence.
She stressed that institutions must demonstrate leadership and accountability, saying prevention efforts should not rely solely on complaints.
The Vice President called for sustained collaboration among Government, public and private institutions, and citizens to eliminate sexual exploitation and harassment.
“We must actively choose to work towards a society in which sex for jobs and sex for grades are not tolerated as unfortunate realities of life, but are recognised for what they are, which is abuse of power that robs people of their dignity,” she said.
She noted that behind every account of sexual harassment or exploitation was a person whose ambitions, confidence, and sense of security might have been severely affected.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporters: Priscilla Oye Ofori/Agnes Ansah