The disclosure of the identities of some students allegedly sexually abused at Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS) has hampered efforts to support the victims, with two or three girls reportedly withdrawing from engagement with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.
The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, said the disclosure of the students’ full names in media reports had raised concerns among the girls and their families, making them reluctant to continue participating in the process.
She said the situation could undermine efforts by the ministry and other stakeholders to support the affected students and ensure justice in the case.
“One of the challenges we’ve had engaging the victims is that the media has not helped the case,” Lartey said, explaining that some of the girls withdrew after hearing their full names mentioned on a media platform.
The minister expressed concern that attempts to conceal the students’ faces had not necessarily protected their identities, as some had been recognised by friends and relatives through their voices.
“Even those that were covered, their faces were covered. Some friends and family members were able to identify their voices, and it is going against them,” she said.
According to Lartey, the disclosures could expose the girls to further difficulties within their families and social circles at a time when they require support, privacy and protection.
She appealed to journalists and media organisations to exercise greater restraint when reporting on the case, stressing that safeguarding the identities of the students was essential to maintaining their confidence in the process.
“As much as we want the stories, as much as we want the news, I will appeal to all of us: we are in this together,” she said.
Lartey warned that failures to protect the victims could affect the work of all institutions involved in the case, particularly if the students and their families no longer felt safe engaging with officials.
She said the consequences of such lapses could extend beyond the media organisations involved and affect collective efforts to establish the facts and pursue justice.
Minister condemns pressure on victims for interviews
The minister also criticised the pressure some of the students had reportedly faced from journalists seeking interviews about their experiences.
She said the girls had been overwhelmed by questions and that some media practitioners had persistently approached them for interviews despite their vulnerable circumstances.
“The victims have also been overwhelmed with questions. They’ve had media persons harassing them for interviews, and this is not the time you ask a victim to come for an interview,” she said.
Lartey urged journalists to avoid pressuring the children to recount their experiences publicly, warning that such approaches could cause further distress and affect their wellbeing.
She encouraged media organisations to report the case through other sources and perspectives rather than relying directly on the affected students to provide accounts of their experiences.
“I will appeal to you; don’t let us make stories that can be told from different points of view, rather than directly from the children,” she said.
The case involves allegations of sexual abuse against students of Obuasi SHTS. The school’s headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai, has been suspended pending investigations into the allegations.
