Sexual abuse survivor and advocate Amtu Akumfi-Ameyaw has urged the government to remove financial barriers that prevent survivors from accessing medical examinations and forensic services needed to support investigations and secure justice.
She has called on the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to consider subsidising or providing free medical examinations for survivors of sexual abuse, arguing that the cost of obtaining essential medical evidence should not prevent victims from pursuing justice.
Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Wednesday, October 21, Ms Akumfi-Ameyaw said survivors needed timely access to medical care and support, regardless of their financial circumstances.
Her appeal comes amid renewed public concern over sexual abuse allegations involving students of Obuasi Senior High Technical School, which have triggered calls for stronger safeguarding measures and accountability within educational institutions.
She said ensuring that survivors could obtain medical examinations without financial difficulty would help address one of the potential obstacles to reporting abuse and pursuing legal action.
Fear and stigma discourage survivors
Drawing on her personal experience, Ms Akumfi-Ameyaw disclosed that it took her two years to speak publicly about her own experience of abuse.
She said fear, uncertainty and the reactions of other people could make it difficult for survivors to disclose what had happened to them.
“I can understand why people wouldn’t want to speak about it,” she said, referring to the discouraging responses survivors sometimes encounter when they report abuse.
She urged survivors to seek medical attention as soon as possible after an incident and confide in a trusted adult or support person who could help them access the necessary assistance.
She also called on families and communities to create safe environments where children could report abuse without fear of blame, rejection or disbelief.
According to her, survivors should not be subjected to repeated questioning that forces them to relive distressing experiences, as this could deepen their emotional trauma.
Ms Akumfi-Ameyaw maintained that the responsibility for securing justice should not rest solely on survivors but should extend to alleged perpetrators and the institutions mandated to investigate complaints and protect victims.
Schools urged to strengthen safeguarding systems
The advocate also called on the Ghana Education Service (GES) to strengthen safeguarding arrangements in schools and ensure that staff responsible for handling abuse complaints understand their duties.
She said designated safeguarding officers should help students report incidents to the appropriate authorities and facilitate access to medical and psychological support.
Such officers, she argued, should not attempt to mediate between a student and an alleged perpetrator in ways that could undermine the investigation or expose the student to further harm.
Ms Akumfi-Ameyaw stressed that complaints of sexual abuse must be handled promptly and professionally, without requiring survivors or campaigners to mount public pressure before institutions take action.
She welcomed developments in the Obuasi SHTS case but insisted that stronger institutional accountability was necessary to restore public confidence in systems responsible for protecting students.
Boys and men must be part of prevention efforts
Beyond supporting survivors, Ms Akumfi-Ameyaw called for greater emphasis on educating boys and men about sexual boundaries, consent and respect.
“Please train your boys and your men as much as you train your girls and your women,” she said.
She argued that prevention programmes must go beyond teaching girls how to protect themselves and place equal responsibility on boys to understand appropriate conduct and respect other people’s bodily autonomy.
She said no individual had the right to touch another person without consent and urged families, schools and communities to incorporate this principle into their education and awareness programmes.
Ms Akumfi-Ameyaw further called for increased investment in medical, psychological and other support services for survivors, alongside measures to ensure that institutions respond appropriately to allegations of abuse.
Her proposals place affordable medical examinations, trauma-informed support, effective school safeguarding systems and education on consent at the centre of efforts to improve the response to sexual abuse in Ghana.
