State of Sexual Harassment Among Senior High School Students and Academic Performance in Ghana: A Call for Policy Direction (Published)
This research aimed to investigate the state of sexual harassment of senior high students: and school performance in Ghana – a call for policy direction. The study used descriptive survey design approach. Using a random sampling method, 4,600 students were selected as participants from 46 senior high schools. The data collected using questionnaies was analysed in descriptive statistics and multiple regression froms with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24. Thematic analysis was done for the interview data. The study found that more than a third (32.1%) of students had experienced any form of sexual harassment and majority of the perpetrators were male (90%) and peers (33.4%). The study found that unhealthy sexual touch significantly (p<.001) predicted school social behaviour. Also, indecent exposure (p <.05), unhealthy sexual touch (p <.001) and sexual exploitation (p <.05), significantly predicted academic performance and school retention rate. Based on the findings, the study concludes that unhealthy sexual touch, indecent exposure and, sexual exploitation are among the key factors that predicted academic performance of students and their ability to recall what taught in school. This brings to the fore that sexual harassment still predates on students thereby having and influence on their academic ability at the pre-tertiary level. The study recommended awareness campaigns, training of teachers, inclusion of sexual violence in school curriculum, empowerment of victims, encouraging easy reporting of sexual violence in school curriculum, empowerment of victims, encouraging easy reporting of sexual harassment and appriopriate reporting systems, parental involvement, conducive and safe school environment, strict law enforcement and, challenging cultural beliefs as policy interventions to mitigate or address the prevalence of sexual harassment in Ghana.
Keywords: : Academic Performance, Policy direction, School retention rate, Senior High School, Sexual harrassment