Tema-Ghana, Oct. 28, GNA – The Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Tema sub-regional office, has entreated school children to be vigilant over the “improper touching” of their private body parts by friends, relatives, guardians, and neighbours.
Mrs Elorm Kupomey, an Investigator at CHRAJ, who made the call at a Basic Schools’ Public Education session in Tema, indicated that students who had suffered one form of sexual abuse or another, usually lack focus in class, become confused, and perform poorly.
The basic school public education was organized by CHRAJ, Tema Regional Office in collaboration with Kinder Paradise, an orphan-based Non-Governmental Organisation for schools in the Tema Metropolis.
Mrs Kupomey schooled the students on sexual offences, and their accompanying punishments as stipulated in Act 554 of the Criminal Code Amendment Act 1998.
She advised students to never keep sexual harassment offences committed against them a secret and to always report such incidents to trusted responsible adults.
The teachers were also admonished not to create a hostile environment in the schools to discourage students from coming forward and reporting such offences for fear of being vilified or beaten.
As part of the education a 25-minute audio-visual tape of a play acted by children of Kinder Paradise, titled “touching rules,” which revealed some sexual harassment tendencies attempts on children, indecorous touching of children, and what to do when they see or experience some of these things, was shown.
Some of the schools, which participated in the education included the Akodzo JHS, Padmore Primary school, Aggrey Road primary, St. John Bosco Basic school, Oninku Drive 1 primary, Greenwich Meridian Presbyterian JHS, and Community one Presbyterian Primary school, all in Tema.
