Gender Ministry moves to support Obuasi abuse victims after documentary airs

The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has initiated steps to provide psychological and other support to the female students at the centre of sexual abuse allegations against the headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School, following the release of an investigative documentary by journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni.

Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey summoned the journalist to a meeting on Friday, alongside directors and agency heads of the ministry, to obtain first-hand information about the yet-to-be-aired documentary, Inside the Dreaded Headmaster’s Bungalow. The documentary aired on Sunday.

The meeting underscores the growing inter-agency pressure surrounding a scandal that has exposed what critics describe as systemic failures to protect students. The ministry is now reaching out to provide psychological support to the victims while pushing for investigation and prosecution of the alleged perpetrator, Zakaria Abdulai.

Dr Lartey also said she had reached out to the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service for a meeting, with the ministry intending to use the case as a catalyst for reforms to protect children and victims of gender- and sex-based violence.

The allegations against Abdulai, who has since been interdicted, involve at least 16 female students who came forward during Awuni’s investigation—up from an initial five and then 14 as the documentary progressed . The scandal first came to public attention through student unrest in August 2026, which led to the temporary closure of the school, but the documentary brought nationwide scrutiny to the case .

The Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service has taken over the criminal investigation, while the GES pursues parallel administrative proceedings . The headmaster remains interdicted, and the GES has since directed the Ashanti Regional Director of Education and the Obuasi East Municipal Director of Education to step aside to ensure the investigation proceeds without interference or the perception of it .

The case has also drawn political dimensions. Abdulai was identified during the investigation as the Juabeng Constituency Secretary of the governing National Democratic Congress and an aspirant for the constituency chairmanship . The NDC national leadership subsequently ordered him to withdraw from the race .

Parliament’s Committee on Human Rights has condemned the alleged abuse and called for speedy prosecution, urging the justice system to apply the maximum sentence if the headmaster is found guilty to serve as a deterrent .

In a statement reflecting on the ministry’s intervention, Awuni said he hoped Dr Lartey’s proactive steps would receive the needed inter-agency support to curb some of the excesses, “so that even when they happen, victims will not be as helpless as the girls of Obuasi SecTech.”

The ministry has not yet outlined a timeline for its support programme or the specific reforms it intends to pursue.