Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has condemned sexual exploitation in workplaces and schools, declaring that no job or qualification should ever be exchanged for a person’s dignity. She warned those in authority against using their power over hiring, promotion or academic progress to demand sexual favours. Speaking at the Sex for Jobs Conference organised by the Ark Foundation, she described such conduct as an abuse of power that crushes dignity, destroys trust in institutions and robs the nation of its people’s full potential. “No job or academic qualification should come at the price or the cost of anyone’s dignity, and no person entrusted with authority has the right to demand that dignity,” she said.
The Vice President said while government must provide strong laws and policies to fight sexual harassment and exploitation, laws alone would not be enough without real enforcement. She noted that officials cannot be present in every office, classroom or interview room, so institutions must take ownership of tackling misconduct. “Policies can only go so far without implementation,” she cautioned, urging institutions to act even when it is uncomfortable. She outlined government measures already in place, including the revised National Gender Policy, training for judicial, health and social sector workers in partnership with the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre, and plans for centres and shelters for victims and survivors. In education, the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service have set up procedures for reporting, investigating and punishing sexual harassment, with national guidelines for tertiary institutions to enforce their own policies.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang urged a shift from policy to action: independent, confidential reporting systems to protect victims from intimidation and retaliation, swift and fair investigations, and firm punishment for offenders. She said ending “sex for jobs” and “sex for grades” is a shared responsibility, and called on all institutions to treat them as serious abuses of power, not normal realities, so workplaces and schools become safe places where people can pursue their ambitions without fear.
