Copyright ghanamma
Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has expressed deep concern over the high rate of sexual assault among girls in Ghana, urging society to confront the issue beyond just legal measures. Her comments follow a 2023 report by UNICEF and the Girls’ Excellence Movement, which revealed that 51.9% of females in Senior High Schools were sexually assaulted between 2019 and 2021. The report, titled “Sheltered Yet Exposed,” found that 54.3% of victims were aged between 17 and 22, while 45.7% were between 11 and 16 years old. It also indicated that perpetrators included friends (24%), family and friends (12%), schoolmates (12%), teachers (10%), and strangers (9%). Speaking on with Bernard Avle on Wednesday, November 5, Justice Akuffo described the findings as “very disheartening,” lamenting that the problem persists despite the existence of laws and special courts to address gender-based violence. “It’s like there’s a certain adage that the more things change, the more they remain the same,” she said. “It’s almost as though we never moved. And it comes from a certain conception that when you’re a female, you’re fair game. It’s a shame that matters have not improved.” The former Chief Justice said the common advice of “stranger danger” is no longer sufficient, as most perpetrators are known to their victims. “We need to revise the advice we give our girls. It’s not ‘stranger danger,’ maybe it should be ‘male danger,’” she remarked. Justice Akuffo emphasised that while the law is a crucial part of addressing sexual abuse, moral upbringing, socialisation, and a sense of decency are equally essential. “The law functions as part of the toolkit where, when all else fails, that should not fail. But there’s also upbringing, morality, and common sense that must work together,” she said. She condemned the culture of silence and victim-blaming that prevents survivors from speaking out. “We still have in our society this vestige of ‘don’t talk about it, it’s embarrassing, it’s shameful,’” she said. “And then people ask, ‘What did you do? Look at the dress you’re wearing.’ These justifications amount to enablement.” Justice Akuffo further called for stronger professional and social ethics to prevent adults, especially those in positions of authority such as teachers and employers, from exploiting minors. “An adult should not be relating to a much younger person in a certain way,” she warned, adding that in other jurisdictions, such manipulative behaviour is recognised as “grooming” and treated as a criminal offence. She urged stakeholders to take a proactive approach to protecting young people from abuse. “In crime prevention, you don’t want to reach the edge of the cliff — you start putting barriers half a mile from the edge,” she said. “We really need to take a second look at how we deal with offences against younger persons.”
