Educator and gender advocate, Dr Abena Nyarkoa, has called for education on sexual consent from the basic school level to help combat sexual abuse in schools.
Speaking on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Thursday, October 15, she said educating children about consent should form part of efforts to protect them from abuse.
According to her, “I am saying that education on sexual consent and sexual boundaries is very important right from pre-schools; we need to teach children about self-autonomy, about boundaries.”
Her comments came during a discussion on allegations of sexual abuse involving the headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School and female students.
Dr Nyarkoa also urged parents to maintain close communication with their children and create opportunities for them to discuss sensitive issues.
She stressed the importance of parental involvement in efforts to address sexual abuse, alongside education and accountability within schools.
“We need to involve parents as well. Parents must have a conversation with their children. If a teacher is overly friendly, why? Parents need to talk to their children about this,” she said.
The gender advocate further called for a designated female officer to serve as a coach and mentor for girls, offering guidance and someone they could approach with concerns.
“There should also be a safeguarding officer and preferably a woman on site so that girls can talk to them,” she suggested.
She said these measures should be supported by clear policies for handling allegations and action against those found responsible.
Dr Nyarkoa had earlier warned that the failure to hold perpetrators accountable was contributing to the normalisation of sexual abuse in schools.