In view of recent alarming disclosures about sex crimes, particularly against children, it appears that it is high time the Ghana Police Service established A SEX OFFENDER REGISTER, especially to protect the young from depraved sexual predators.
Regrettably, it is more than a week since Ghana’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) highlighted the shattering crimes against children in the country, yet, so far little or no reaction from expected concerned quarters!
The headline of the Daily Guide newspaper of May 14, 2026, captured it emphatically, quoting the CID: “We’re overwhelmed with child sexual offences”.
Equally distressing, prior to that, the Ghanaian Times of May 4, 2026 had this headline, “Defilement tops child abuse cases in Ghana – Child Rights International study reveals”.
My hope is that Vice-President Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, Chairperson of the Police Council and other members, notably Interior Minister, Mr. Muntaka M. Mubarak, and IGP, Mr. Christian T. Yohuno, will give positive consideration to this SOS for the sake of the suffering, voiceless vulnerables.
Secondly, I believe that the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU), too, should have a position on this delicate, urgent matter.
But what is a sex offender register?
The following is the UK example:
“The sex offender register contains information about the individuals cautioned, convicted, or released from prison for a sexual offence against children or adults since 1997.
- The person must register with the police within 72 hours of their caution, conviction or release from prison.
- They must provide personal details including name, date of birth, home address, national insurance number, passport details, and bank details.
- The time spent on the sex offender register varies, with a few remaining on it for life.
“The register is not public but in certain circumstances there are ways to find out if someone is on it.”
(Source: Lucy Faithful Foundation, UK)
Although such registers are part of the justice system in many western countries, in Africa, reportedly, the only country that has one is South Africa.
The CID statement, as reported in the Daily Guide of May 14, 2026, made harrowing reading:
“Director-General of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police Service, Commissioner of Police, Lydia Yaako Donkor, has lamented the increasing reported cases of child sexual exploitation in recent times in the country.
“Addressing journalists at the CID Headquarters (on May 12, 2026), COP Yaako Donkor indicated that the crime has gained ground in recent times and become very complex to fight, as most offenders are relatives of the victims ….”
Regarding the recent rescue of four victims of child sexual exploitation, she “indicated that with the aid of Australian Federal Police and INTERPOL, they have arrested three Ghanaians for taking, the production, publication and processing of indecent images, photographs and videos of children”.
“According to the report, an Australian offender, who was arrested in 2025 and is currently standing trial in Australia, received child sexual exploitation material from facilitators based in Ghana.
“Records further showed that the offender transferred funds to the facilitators in Ghana in exchange for child sexual exploitation material involving victims also located in Ghana (emphasis added).
“Further investigations … led to the arrest of two suspects and the rescue of two victims aged between seven and 13 years in the Ashanti Region.
“Subsequently, one additional suspect was arrested, and two more victims aged six and seven years were rescued in the Bono Region.
“I want to caution the general public that the police are actively collaborating with international partners and all relevant stakeholders to combat this crime, which dehumanises victims, negatively affects their self-esteem, and places their future in jeopardy,” COP Donkor stressed.
The news of the sexual images of innocent Ghanaian children circulating on the internet is gut wrenching. Thanks go to the Australia police for alerting the Ghana police about the terror being inflicted on some children by unscrupulous, people, including relatives!
The Child Rights International (CRI) alert was equally devastating:
“Defilement accounts for 59.4 per cent of all offences committed against children in Ghana, making it the most common form of abuse recorded in a new nationwide study by Child Rights International.
“The study, which reviewed 899 child protection cases across 10 regions, also found that 286 cases remain pending before the courts, with some unresolved for between two and 10 years.
“Briefing the media in Accra the Executive Director of Child Rights International, Bright Appiah, said the findings exposed serious weaknesses in the justice system and showed how delays were harming child victims and their families.
“Mr. Appiah described the high rate of defilement as alarming, noting that many children below the age of 16 were victims of abuse. He said the research identified 23 offences, including abduction, emotional abuse, rape, child trafficking and torture.
“He noted that many families resorted to settling cases outside the formal court system due to the slow and stressful legal process.
“To address the situation, he called for faster investigations, specialised child protection courts, dedicated prosecution units and a national digital case tracking system to improve accountability and reduce delays, (Ghanaian Times, May 4, 2026).
My questions: where are the vociferous voices heard nationwide in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and others (LGBTQ+) saga? Where are the champions of the anti-gay rights Bill, now known as the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2021, the crusaders so concerned that gays pose a serious threat especially to children?
Where are those in support of draconian measures against homosexuals – including even jailing journalists deemed to be ‘promoting’ LGBTQ+, as well as relatives who know about homosexual family members and don’t act as police informants? Why imprisonment?
Why are they silent in a Ghana currently facing an “overwhelming” situation of child sex abuse, escalation of defilements and INCEST? Why no strident demands and demonstrations aimed at forcing the President to take action to protect children – similar to their agitation not so long ago over the anti-gay rights Bill?
Again, regarding the 2026 shocking news from the CRI and the CID, and ahead of the CRI’s proposed state measures against the rising sexual abuse cases, my thinking is that the country needs a sex offender register.
And if one is established in Ghana, its existence and intention need to be well publicised if it is to serve its purpose fully. It needs to be universally publicised, to put fear in the mind of anybody who even dreams of subjecting anybody, child or adult, to sexual abuse.
Complementing that is the necessity of sustained education on the absolute importance of reporting offenders to the police, leading to court action, and not settling privately, so that offenders’ names can be recorded in the register. Employers, especially educational institutions, need to be able to confirm that a job applicant is not a person of concern.
As indicated, I sought the opinion of the department of the Ghana Police Service responsible for protecting the vulnerable, the DOVVSU:
“The Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit is a specialized branch of the Ghana Police Service mandated to investigate and handle cases of domestic abuse, including physical, emotional, and sexual violence. Their primary targets for protection are vulnerable groups, especially women and children.”
Director of DOVVSU Assistant Commissioner of Police Owusuwaa Kyeremeh said:
“A sex offender register is an important tool in the prevention of crime in modern policing. Sexual offences like rape, defilement, incest, etc. have serious emotional, psychological, reproductive health and physical effects. Yet, many offenders, after serving their sentences after conviction, are able to reintegrate into society without any form of monitoring. Then they go on to reoffend.”
Ms. Kyeremeh added: “The register will serve as a tool of protection; strengthen the protection of the vulnerable; assist police in investigation and background checks; improve public confidence in the justice system. Additionally, it will help institutions like schools identify high risk persons and avoid employing such persons to handle the vulnerable.”
From the publicised information, I believe that Ghana needs this “important tool” to help stop the national shame, the atrocious epidemic of child sexual abuse.
So, this is my SOS to Prof Opoku-Agyemang and the Police Council, on behalf of Ghana’s children, and others vulnerable and at risk of sexual abuse: a register to help protect them from evil predators.
Furthermore, Ghana has the opportunity to create a register that would set the pace in West Africa and be a sub-regional first.
By Ajoa Yeboah-Afari