The Director of Crime and Forensic Unit of the CID at the Ghana Police Service, Dr.Gustav Yankson has entreated Ghanaians to report sexual harassment encountered on social media platforms to the Police.

He bemoaned the fact that sexual harassment is mostly perpetuated on social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook and Tiktok however the victims fail to report those cases in name of protecting their families.

“Most young girls, who face these threats on their social media platforms even with all the pieces of evidence gathered by the police, mostly fail to corporate as their parents will like to protect the family image,” he said.

The Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651) defines sexual harassment “as any unwelcome, offensive or importunate sexual advances or request made by an employer or superior officer or a co-worker, whether the worker is a man or woman.

According to FIDA-Ghana, the effect of sexual harassment in the academic and professional lives of women had in most situations, denied women their rightful places of merit and contributed to the huge gender gaps in education and the workplace, thus the need for the Affirmative Action Law.

Speaking at a forum to commemorate the International Day of the Girl Child, which was organized by Plan Ghana International, a non-governmental organization (NGO), to educate young girls on internet safety he further indicated that sexually harassments, sex extortion, and issuing of threats on any sexual image are crimes under the cyber security Act.

“The Cyber Security Act criminalizes sexual harassment, sex extortion, and issuing of threat on any sexual image. The punishments for these offenses are also high, which ranges between 10 and 25 years.” he indicated.