Mrs. Kate Wilberforce Annan, the Headmistress of Aggrey Memorial Senior High School, has confirmed the news of a rape case involving a female student of the school and a security man at post on Friday, June 17, 2022, on the school campus.
Mrs. Wilberforce confirmed the incident during a phone interview with Ghana Web in these words “Yes, the incident happened on Friday night between a female student and a security man who works here in school”. She also stated that on the night of the incident, she, with some other students had taken the victim to the hospital for a medical checkup and returned the following morning. She added that the case is now at the Kotokuraba police station.
This is a very unfortunate incident and the victim should be given all the necessary medical and psychological help she needs to recover from this situation.
Are girls even safe anymore in the confines of schools? Should boarding schools be made into day schools so that parents can monitor their wards? How are security men at Senior High Schools even recruited and are there any background checks to ensure that innocent and promising young girls are safe in their care? These are just a few of the questions dangling around in the minds of worried Ghanaians who are concerned about the sexual sanity and safety of the youth in the country.
For trust in the boarding school system to remain strong, rigorous measures must be applied to safeguard the students on the various school campuses against such “predators” who may be in the form of teachers, staff members and even strangers. Students should also be encouraged to voice out and immediately report any such malfeasance to the school authorities. The act of rape is criminal and inhumane.
The culprit must therefore be prosecuted and severely punished in accordance with the law. This will serve as a deterrent to all who engage in this cruel act.