Committee investigating ‘sex for grades’ invites past students to testify
The Anti-Sexual Harassment Committee of the University of Ghana has challenged all persons who have credible evidence of ever being sexually harassed by lecturers to come forward.
The call which is not limited to current students also invited testimonies against lecturers who were not captured in a recent BBC documentary which accused two senior lecturers of the University of sexual impropriety.
Speaking in an interview, the Chairperson of the committee, Dr Margret Ivy Amoakohene said the call is to afford persons who did not know of the existence of her committee and therefore suffered in silence the opportunity to have justice.
“Come forward if you have evidence to show that during your four years stay on the University of Ghana Campus this happened to you.
“The (BBC) documentary is like the first point that we received something to work with. The next thing is to invite people who think they have been victims in times past or they are currently being victimized to come forward.
“We are going to invite persons who have encountered this two lecturers or any others to come forward,” she said on Tuesday.
The BBC documentary, Sex for Grades, highlighted the pervasive claims that some academics use their position to force students into having sex.
The year-long investigation by BBC Africa Eye, released on Monday, explored the harassment at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, and the University of Ghana.
The film showed lecturers allegedly propositioning undercover journalists.
Three of the men featured, two in Ghana and one in Nigeria, have now been suspended pending investigations.
The Chairperson of the University of Ghana’s Anti-Sexual Harassment Committee holds that the recent environment created by the BBC’s Documentary affords the university the opportunity to deal with the canker effectively.
“If there is anything to investigate why not?
“We really want a congenial atmosphere where learning and teaching can take place without intimidation, without anybody feeling that they are violated, “ Dr Amoakohene said in an interview.