Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister, Cynthia Morrison, has lamented what she believes to be the prevalence of sexual harassment in Ghana.

At a press briefing on Wednesday, October 9, 2019, the Minster condemned all forms of sexual harassment, noting that the phenomenon does not only happen in schools but at churches and workplaces too.

“We all know it is not a good thing for both boys and girls, not only in the universities. A man shakes you and scratches your palm; what does that mean? He sees you and hits your butt, what does that mean?

“We cannot do that to men when we meet them. Everywhere it happens whether it’s in the classroom, whether in the office, whether at home or anywhere, it’s wrong,” she stressed.

Her comments on Wednesday come on the back of the interdiction of Prof Ransford Gyampo and Dr Kwame Butakor, two lecturers at the University of Ghana following the BBC’s documentary titled ‘Sex for grades’.

Photo: Prof Gyampo (L) and Dr Butakor have been implicated in the sex for grades film by BBC Africa Eye

Related: Committee investigating 'sex for grades' invites past students to testify

The lecturers were implicated in the documentary for allegedly breaching the university’s code of ethics on sexual harassment and sexual abuse.

Prof Gyampo has since denied any wrongdoing and has vowed to sue the BBC for defamation.

Related: Sex for grades: Accused lecturers breached our code of ethics - UG

At the press conference, Mrs Morrison said it was bad for anyone to have a sexual interest in a woman or young girl against the person’s will.

 “So, I will not only concentrate on what is happening in the universities, even in the media, if you are here and you are a man and you have hit somebody’s butt before, it is wrong. If you scratch somebody’s hand, it is wrong. If you are interested in a girl, propose to her; if she likes it, she will accept; if she doesn’t like it, she goes away and you also go your way,” she said.