Legislation needed to tackle sexual harassment–Adwoa Safo

Adwoa Safo, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dome Kwabenya in the Greater Accra Region and Chairperson of the Women’s Caucus in Parliament, has underscored the need for legislation to deal with sexual harassment in the country.

She explained that “the recent investigative piece by the BBC Africa Eye presents an opportunity for a national conversation that will drive legislation and policy change to tackle sexual harassment.”

Speaking on the sidelines of a mentorship session with young females on the occassion of the International Day of the Girl-Child, Ms Safo, who is also the Deputy Majority Leader, observed that “as women leaders, we think that for what happened and the lecturers involved, it is disappointing and as a caucus chairperson, I strongly believe as a country, we should look at sexual harassment again.

“Let’s not restrict ourselves to what has happened in this country on the exposé that has come out in our tertiary institutions because  it doesn’t only happen there, I think that regulating it and legislation will be the way forward for us as a country,” she stressed.

Two Ghanaian lecturers, Professor Ransford Gyampo and Dr Paul Kwame Butakor, were caught in compromising positions when they allegedly engaged in sexual misconduct in the BBC exposé and the Anti-Sexual Harassment and Misconduct Committee at the University of Ghana condemned the conduct of the two lecturers seen in the footage however, both lecturers denied any wrongdoing but have since been suspended pending an investigation.

They are expected to be hauled before the Anti Sexual Harassment Committee to assist with the internal investigation and the suspensions followed similar action against two lecturers in Nigeria who were also filmed by the BBC. -citinewsroom.com