The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has issued a strong warning against the abuse and harassment of female employees by their superiors, describing the act as morally unacceptable and calling for urgent institutional reforms to protect women in the workplace.

The minister, addressing the governing Council of the Chartered Institute of Human Resources Management inauguration at the Ministry on June 3, highlighted the disturbing prevalence of sexual and emotional abuse targeting young women in various professional settings. He called on the Council to take a firm stance on the issue and lead the way in developing systems that uphold dignity and accountability.

“A number of young girls and women in employment are harassed daily, who are unable to speak out and who are unable to articulate their concerns. That is not acceptable morally,” Mr. Iddrisu said.

He expressed concern over how some chief executives and deputy chief executives exploit the desperation of job-seeking women, warning that such conduct damages the integrity of public and private institutions alike.

The Minister also emphasised the emotional burden carried by many female victims, who, due to social and cultural expectations, often suffer in silence rather than report their abusers.

“Women, by their training, when they are subjected to it, they rather hold it in shy or in shame, instead of wanting to share that indignity or humiliation in the hands of that powerful person who thinks that if you don’t yield, you won’t get the job,” he lamented.

He further noted that harassment in the workplace is not limited to recruitment but can extend to decisions regarding promotion and transfers.

Andoh (2011) reported that 74% of female employees in Ghana had experienced various forms of sexual harassment in the workplace. These forms included unwanted sexual advances, teasing or remarks, pressure for dates, unsolicited love letters or phone calls, inappropriate sexual looks or gestures, exposure to pornographic materials, unwanted touching of body parts, demands for sex in exchange for employment opportunities or benefits, and more extreme cases, attempted or actual sexual assault or rape.

Similarly, Akaab (2011), in her study titled “Sexual Harassment for Grades in Tertiary Institutions – A Myth or Reality,” revealed that approximately 17.5% of respondents in Ghanaian tertiary institutions reported being victims of sexual harassment.