Kwaku Azar proposes 10-year jail term for sexual exploitation of students by school officials

Ghanaian legal scholar and social commentator Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare, popularly known as Kwaku Azar, has proposed a minimum 10-year prison sentence for school officials who sexually exploit students under 18 as part of measures to combat rising sexual abuse in schools.

He has also called for independent reporting channels, specialised court procedures and stronger legal protections to ensure that allegations of sexual abuse involving teachers and school authorities are investigated and prosecuted.

His proposals follow renewed concerns over alleged sexual abuse at Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS), where the headmaster has allegedly abused about 19 female students.

In a social media post on Wednesday, October 21, Professor Asare cited a JoyNews Research investigation which documented 44 reported cases of sexual abuse involving at least 53 teachers and school heads between January 2015 and October 2026.

According to the findings he referenced, only 12 cases resulted in reported criminal convictions, while 23 had no publicly reported final outcome.

“These findings reveal a troubling gap between reported allegations and publicly documented accountability, raising serious questions about whether our institutions are adequately protecting students, deterring misconduct, and giving victims confidence that reporting abuse will lead to meaningful action,” he said.

Prof Azar argued that the existing legal and institutional framework might not provide adequate deterrence, protection and confidence for students who report sexual abuse.

He proposed legislation to create a specific criminal offence for sexual exploitation by persons in positions of trust, particularly school officials who engage in sexual activity with students under 18 entrusted to their care.

For students aged 18 and above, he called for legal provisions addressing sexual exploitation through the abuse of educational authority.

"For the proposed new offence involving students under 18, Parliament should consider: A minimum prison sentence of ten years for sexual activity involving the abuse of a position of trust, even where the student purportedly consented," said the legal scholar.

He added, "A minimum sentence of twenty years where the offence involves threats, intimidation, repeated exploitation, or abuse of a particularly vulnerable student, including a student with a disability."

The legal scholar further called for mandatory disqualification from teaching or working with children following convictions for specified serious sexual offences.

He stressed that the proposed penalties should not reduce the punishment for offences such as rape and defilement, which may carry more serious penalties under existing laws.