[01] Anthony Bordoh, Department of Arts and Social Sciences, Enchi College of Education, Enchi, Ghana. [02] Isaac Eshun, Department of Arts and Social Sciences, Enchi College of Education, Enchi, Ghana. [03] Patrick Kwarteng, Department of Arts and Social Sciences, Wiawso College of Education, Sefwi Wiawso, Ghana. [04] Shani Osman, Department of Arts and Social Sciences, Tumu College of Education, Tumu, Ghana. [05] Joseph Kweku Prah, Social Sciences Department, Kwegyir Aggrey Senior High School, Anomabo, Ghana.

Student sexual abuse is a reality in our senior high schools and the perception is that the issue is on the rise. To find how grievous sexual abuse in senior high schools is, the study examined the causes of sexual abuse in public senior high schools. The research was conducted in four (4) different public senior high schools in the Mfantsiman Municipality as one case study. It involves a sample size of 403 students and 20 teachers. Simple random and purposive sampling techniques were used to select the respondents. A structured questionnaire was used to solicit data from the respondents. The data were presented in the form of percentages and frequency tables to facilitate clearer and easier interpretation of results for the presentation of findings. Perceptions from the respondents of the study indicate that sexual abuse is frequent and female students are mostly the victims of sexual abuse and teachers are the most perpetrators. In the view of the respondents factors responsible for sexual abuse are; age, gender, care arrangement/parental absence, substance abuse and parental level of education, school and schooling environment, demographic risk factor/unemployment of parent, poverty and poor parent-student relationship. The causes of student sexual abuse according to the respondents’ perceptions are rooted in the structural, economic and socio-cultural context within our social fibre. Perhaps, today, our senior high schools present a prime target for perpetrators of sexual abuse because most schools have few, if any protective barriers in place. It is recommended that policymakers and stakeholders in student rights activities should adopt a comprehensive and analytic approach that takes cognisance of the contextual situation that causes student sexual abuse in public senior high schools.

Perception, Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Students, Senior High Schools (SHS), Ghana

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