Zanetor Calls for National Sex Offenders Register, Reveals 1,462 Sexual Offence Cases in 2025

Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings has called for the urgent establishment of a national sex offenders register, disclosing that Ghana recorded 1,462 sexual offence cases in 2025 alone, including 1,132 defilement cases and 297 rapes .

Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, November 10, the Korle Klottey MP urged the House and relevant state institutions to treat the proposal as a national child-protection priority, warning that public outrage over abuse cases routinely fades without sustained action .

“We cannot continue to express outrage whenever another child is violated, only to return to business as usual when the headlines fade,” she told Parliament. “Our children should not have to be extraordinarily brave simply to be safe” .

The Numbers Behind the Outrage

The figures Agyeman-Rawlings cited paint a grim picture. Beyond the 1,132 defilement and 297 rape cases, the 2025 statistics included 10 attempted defilement cases, 16 attempted rapes, and seven cases recorded under what she described as an archaic provision of criminal law .

She warned that the true scale is likely far higher, with many victims remaining silent due to fear, stigma, intimidation, and pressure from families and communities. “Behind every statistic is a human being. A child whose innocence has been violated. A woman whose dignity has been assaulted. A vulnerable person whose trust has been betrayed” .

The minister’s intervention also confronts a deeper cultural problem: the interference that often surrounds cases involving influential perpetrators. She appealed directly to religious and traditional leaders to stop intervening at police stations to seek the discontinuation of sexual offence cases involving children.

“Forgiveness is a personal and spiritual matter. Accountability is a matter of law. One must never be used to undermine the other,” she said .

A Register With Teeth

Agyeman-Rawlings proposed that the register be backed by a comprehensive legal framework enabling accountability, monitoring, and background checks—particularly for individuals seeking employment in institutions that work closely with children. Authorised institutions must be able to verify the criminal backgrounds of prospective teachers, caregivers, supervisors, and other professionals whose responsibilities grant them access to children .

She also took aim at a practice she said endangers children: the transfer of teachers facing credible sexual abuse allegations from one school to another without proper investigation or disciplinary action. “We cannot simply transfer a teacher from one school to another when credible allegations of sexual abuse emerge, thereby potentially exposing another group of children to danger,” she cautioned .

The proposal gained immediate support from Kwabre East MP Akwasi Gyamfi Onyinah Acheampong, who argued that official figures understate the problem because stigma and fear of victimisation keep many cases hidden. “If we have a sexual register then we are able to keep tabs on people who are prone to do these acts. We are able to monitor their movements and their activities,” he said .

A Growing Chorus

The call is not isolated. In October 2026, the Association of Women Lawyers, Ghana (AWLA Ghana) urged the government and Parliament to establish a National Sexual Offenders Register following reports of alleged sexual abuse at Obuasi Senior High Technical School, arguing that such a register would guide recruitment and background checks in schools and other institutions serving children .

Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has also advocated for mandatory fingerprint background checks for teacher licensing, coupled with a sex offenders register to screen all education workers before employment in both public and private schools .

The research evidence supports the concern. A 2026 study published in Sexuality & Culture, using data from the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection involving 522 children aged 8–17, found that 23.9% of children experienced sexual abuse, with adults constituting 56.8% of primary perpetrators .

Due Process and Data Protection

Agyeman-Rawlings was careful to frame the proposal within constitutional safeguards. She said the register must operate within the principles of due process, lawful conviction, data protection, and appropriate safeguards to ensure it serves its intended protective purpose rather than becoming a tool of abuse .

Drawing on her medical background, she emphasised that the consequences of sexual abuse extend far beyond physical injury, affecting victims’ mental health, education, relationships, self-worth, and ability to trust. She called for stronger victim support services, improved access to medical and psychological care, timely investigations and prosecutions, and accountability for those who deliberately obstruct justice .

“Let us restore accountability. Let us restore our moral compass. And let us send an unequivocal message that the sexual abuse of children will neither be tolerated nor excused in our society,” she told the House .

Key Facts:

· 2025 statistics: 1,132 defilement cases, 297 rapes, 10 attempted defilement, 16 attempted rape, 7 archaic provision cases — total 1,462

· Proposal: National sex offenders register with legal framework for background checks in child-facing institutions

· Target sectors: Schools, caregiving, supervision, and other roles with access to children

· Accountability focus: End teacher transfers amid allegations; stop police-station interference by community leaders

· Safeguards: Due process, lawful conviction, data protection

· Prior calls: AWLA Ghana (October 2026), Education Minister Adutwum (fingerprint checks proposal)