Amtu Akumfi-Ameyaw told survivors of sexual abuse to reject any feelings of self-blame, insisting it was never their fault. Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, October 20, she stressed that the responsibility for abuse lay solely with the perpetrators.
“If you’re a survivor listening to me today, if you have a child that’s a survivor, if you have happened to become a parent yourself and you were a survivor when you were a lot younger, this is a reminder that it is never your fault,” she said.
Her comments came amid a national outcry over allegations of sexual abuse at Obuasi Senior High Technical School. The headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai, has been interdicted by the Ghana Education Service and arrested as police investigations continue. The case gained widespread attention following reports by JoyNews investigative correspondent Manasseh Azure Awuni.
Akumfi-Ameyaw co-founded the organisation On This Side, which supports survivors of abuse. She said adults who have a duty to protect children must be held accountable for ensuring their safety.
“Adults are supposed to be responsible. Adults are supposed to protect you and make sure that you are safe. So it is never your fault that they abused you,” she added.
She pointed out that sexual abuse is not limited to senior high schools. Akumfi-Ameyaw recounted the experience of a colleague who was abused in a classroom at around eight years old and is now in tertiary education. She also described a separate case involving a 12-year-old girl nearing her 13th birthday, where her organisation helped secure a conviction. In that instance, the perpetrator was someone close to the child’s family.
Akumfi-Ameyaw said On This Side had received reports of alleged abuse by teachers, highlighting the need to protect children in schools and other settings where adults hold authority.
Her examples illustrate the different circumstances in which abuse can occur and the importance of taking disclosures seriously, regardless of a child’s age or relationship to the alleged abuser.
The advocate criticised what she described as failures to protect students adequately. She urged those exposing abuse to be prepared for resistance.
“I know that I keep saying that. I know that abusers are not happy with me this week, but that’s not why we do the work. We do the work because we need to see results,” she said.
“And I would repeat that good girls don’t get the jobs done. Only the people that are ready to take the risk and are ready to put their voices out there.”
The Obuasi case has stirred national debate about the safety of students and the accountability of school authorities. The Ghana Education Service’s decision to interdict the headmaster and the ongoing police investigation mark significant steps but leave many questions unanswered.
Akumfi-Ameyaw’s call for adults to assume responsibility for protecting children comes as survivors continue to seek justice and support amid a wider conversation about abuse in educational institutions.
According to Joy Online.
