{
  "id": 16314736,
  "title": "Sexual abuse should trigger police investigations, not community intervention – Felicity Nelson",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/24/sexual-abuse-should-trigger-police-investigations-not-community",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-24T11:00:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/sexual-abuse-should-trigger-police-investigations-not-community-intervention-felicity-nelson/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Felicity Nelson, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Development Company, has argued that sexual abuse cases should not be handled by traditional or religious leaders, but rather by the police. Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile, she stated that the practice of elders, chiefs, queen mothers, pastors and imams attempting to secure private settlements for alleged perpetrators undermines accountability and must be stopped. This call follows allegations of sexual abuse at Obuasi Senior High Technical School, prompting concerns about child protection and complaint handling within educational institutions. Nelson emphasized the need to criminalise the practice of elders intervening in such cases, suggesting it should be treated as a crime itself. She stressed that allegations must undergo comprehensive investigations while respecting the rights of all parties, particularly the victims, who should receive comprehensive psychological, emotional, and medical support. Nelson highlighted the prevalence of sexual abuse in Ghana, citing UNICEF reports that 22% of adolescent girls and 51% of secondary school girls have experienced some form of sexual abuse. She described the situation as endemic, urging the establishment of stronger safeguarding systems to protect children and ensure complaints are handled properly, preventing alleged perpetrators from avoiding scrutiny through community interventions.",
  "summary": "The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Development Company, Felicity Nelson, has called for an end to the practice of traditional and religious leaders intervening to seek private settlements in sexual abuse cases instead of allowing the police to investigate.",
  "key_points": [
    "Sexual abuse cases should be investigated by police, not elders or religious leaders.",
    "Obuasi Senior High Technical School faced allegations of sexual abuse.",
    "Nelson calls for criminalizing elders intervening in such cases."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Shifting sexual abuse allegations from community leaders to formal police investigations aims to prevent private settlements from undermining legal accountability and protecting vulnerable students within the educational system.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}