Benedicta Ama Batcho grew up in a community where child sexual abuse was whispered about, if acknowledged at all. For many children around her, silence wasn’t a choice — it was survival.
Years later, she’s doing everything she can to break that silence.
Now a leading voice in child protection advocacy, Ms. Batcho has spent the last several years working directly with children, parents, and schools to tackle a deeply rooted problem: the lack of awareness, education, and support around child sexual abuse.
She started small — mentoring abused or vulnerable children in her area. Over time, what began as personal outreach evolved into a structured campaign of school workshops, community conversations, and health initiatives both in Ghana and the UK.
But for her, it’s not about building an organization. “It’s about building courage,” she says. “For the children who are afraid to speak, and the adults who don’t know how to respond.”
In recent months, Ms. Batcho and her foundation, AmaCares, led a series of school-based education sessions focused on consent, trauma, and mental health — difficult but necessary topics. She’s also trained young people to become child protection ambassadors, teaching them how to identify signs of abuse and offer peer support.
Her work doesn’t stop in the classroom. Earlier this year, she helped organize health outreach for head porters at Madina Market, where hundreds received free health screenings and insurance registration. She also coordinated the distribution of sanitary pads to students in deprived schools — a gesture that many girls described as “life-changing.”
In April, she introduced child protection training into youth sports — teaming up with local athletes to talk safety, boundaries, and respect with over 2,500 young players. And when floods hit Mepe, she didn’t just donate relief items. She went to the community, spoke with families, and held child safety discussions for those displaced by the disaster.
What’s striking about her work isn’t just the reach — it’s the approach. Rather than focus solely on punishment or policy, she emphasizes prevention, education, and healing.
Last year, Ms. Batcho was recognized nationally for her efforts, receiving the Philanthropist of the Year award. But she deflects praise quickly.
“I’m not doing this because I have a title or a foundation,” she says. “I’m doing this because I was that child. And no one came.”
Her mission is clear: ensure that no child feels alone, unheard, or ashamed. Whether in a classroom, marketplace, or sports field, she’s determined to make child safety everyone’s responsibility — and every child’s right.
