The Ark Foundation, Ghana, has called for stronger safeguarding and accountability measures in schools following the reported sexual abuse of a 14-year-old student of Bolgatanga Girls’ Senior High School by two watchmen.
In a press release, the organization described the incident as a grave violation of the rights of a child and a serious failure of the systems intended to protect students in educational institutions.
The Foundation said the case exposes weaknesses in survivor-centered responses and safeguarding mechanisms within the Ghana Education Service (GES), arguing that schools must provide safe environments for children rather than become sites of exploitation.
It further noted that reports indicate the survivor is autistic, highlighting what it described as the heightened vulnerability of female students with disabilities to exploitation and abuse. The organization therefore urged authorities to ensure that safeguarding systems in schools are disability-sensitive and protect the dignity and safety of all students.
The Ark Foundation identified the absence of a survivor-centered approach, institutional failures, cultural silence around abuse, and accountability gaps as critical concerns arising from the incident.
It said responses to sexual abuse often focus primarily on punishing perpetrators without adequately addressing survivors’ needs for healing, dignity, and reintegration.
The organisation also argued that the existence of policies alone is insufficient where enforcement remains weak, leaving survivors vulnerable and institutions unable to fulfil their duty of care.
According to the Foundation, the incident raises broader questions about why sexual abuse continues to occur in educational institutions despite years of advocacy and public education on gender-based violence.
It said the case should therefore prompt a wider examination of safeguarding systems across Ghana’s educational sector rather than being treated as an isolated incident.
