The story concerning the sexual abuse of 25 year old Amina, reported here and here, raises wider issues. Daixy has written an impassioned plea for sanity in her blog post Mob Mentality: It can lead to Fail and so has Bright in his post University of Ghana Students’ justice gone bad, both of which I would urge you to read.
I would like to say that everyone must be disgusted and horrified at this crime but many are not. Instead some have stated that Amina got what was coming to her, even if it went a little too far. There is an inability to clearly differentiate what is punishment and what is sexual abuse because the issues are blurred in people’s minds.
It now seems certain that she was stealing from students, yet her treatment has never been, in our knowledge, inflicted on male students. The assumption is that once you have committed a criminal act you have no human rights. That may explain the neglect of the young men and women whose flesh is literally rotting off their bones in Ghana’s prisons. Many have not even been convicted in court – their cases will never be heard, lost in the bureaucracy – yet the mere suspicion of a crime is conviction enough and justifies the withdrawal of compassion.
The issues surrounding sexual abuse against women have clearly not been fully discussed in the wider society of which the students are simply a product. When Ghana was discussing its Domestic Violence Bill some, including religious leaders, argued rape cannot occur in marriage. The lingering, archaic idea, that women are men’s property to be sexually available once married, is still the underlining belief. The over-exaggerated notions of decency women are encouraged to adhere to are simply ways of preserving the ‘goods’ until purchase. People still believe that a raped woman must have asked for it. The inability to speak the word vagina without preceding it with the words “excuse me”, demonstrate a deeper problem with women’s sexuality not present when discussing men’s.
However, we have expected more from university students who are training to be members of the elite. We have mistakenly believed they have a higher intellect and ethical values merely because they are at university. This is our wakeup call. Our lesson is not to default to the elite for moral guidance and action but to take responsibility for our own lives.
The irony is that the final attempt at humiliation – the filming and publishing and circulation of the crime – allowed, what would surely have been private matter, to be brought to the attention of the world. We must now grasp the opportunity this has provided to raise the wider issues and force action.
UPDATE
Sexual Harassment Policy – Can It Stop Sexual Assaults at Uni of Ghana?
Commonwealth Hall week to focus on promoting women empowerment
Critical Point 
mob justice is wrong whether the culprit is a female or male. What happened to amina is a terrible thing and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. My problem here is that men have undergone this type of treatment as far back as i can remember and nothing has been done abt it. That doesn’t mean we shld overlook what happened to amina and trivialize it. By punishing these students we shld be setting and example and telling the public that mob justice is a crime and when caught they would face the full extent of the law regardless they lynched a man or a woman
Graham, her treatment has been metted out to males. It doesn’t justify it. You do not know because no one made noise about it because he was male. Hope you catch the drift. This issue isn’t one about gender or women.
And theoretically, who tells who what punishment could be called punishment and what could be called sexual abuse when an uncontrolled group acted? I would wish they had sent her to the police station directly but they didn’t and so they must be punished for it.
We should carve the message such that people anywhere in this country would know that if you contravene the law, you get busted and punished.
P.S. Many Ghanaians mention vagina at home, with friends, at the office, on radio etc. Listen to your radio more often and you will be surprised. The discourse goes on. The same university of Ghana is almost done with its policy on sexual abuse etc (check CEGENSA, UG).
Nana Yaw – can I be clear- you are saying that males have had fingers inserted into their anus’? Is that what you mean by the same treatment?
Your comment about who tells who what is punishment and what is sexual abuse indeed highlights the blurred distinction in peoples’ minds. I have no doubt about the difference even if I was caught in a mob.
You seem to feel that the big fuss is simply because she is a women. Yes, partly the idea of a female being overpowered and sexually abused by male thugs does raise disgust. I did see that part of the video and was horrified. Men doing it to a man does not have the same impact because with a woman that are issues of power – the two are not equal.
But another part of the disgust is not the simple stripping of the woman but the insertion of fingers into her vagina. Please clarify if a similar thing has ever been done to a male at Legon. For me that would raise my anger at the University even more.
As I mentioned in my post, these things are usually private matters where the victim is too humiliated to speak out. The use of social media allowed the perpetrators to bring this to the attention of the world. The closed world of university mob justice is now out in the open and has to be discussed.
But we can end with agreeing that breaking the law should lead to punishment and we need to have faith that this will actually occur. It is good the University is writing a policy. But that is only the start…
Thanks for providing this critical link. I shouldn’t allow my anger to take the better part of me but when it comes to protecting vulnerable women on the continent, I get very emotional about it. I clicked on the link you provided and got all worked up – here’s my response:
This is shameful that in this era MEN, GHANAIAN IGNORANT MEN will choose to respond to a disgraceful act like this. You MEN writing with no respect for the rule of law (innocent until proven guilty) should be ashamed of your disrespect for womanhood. What an embarrassment, I regret to say that some of you do not deserve a place in the university if you can’t advocate for the rights of vulnerable people. Women are predisposed to such marginalization and discrimination which compel them to engage in such acts. To say the least, without much brains on your shoulders, you have the audacity to write things like “she deserves…” I regret being a part of Sarbah Hall, the University of Ghana and a part of the culture that has lost their decency and respect for a woman. Think about it – if this were your sister, would you be writing such things? And by the way, it’s against international law to re-victimize a victim by producing an image of the person. The news media should be sued for identifying Amina and publishing her image. DISGRACEFUL URRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH
I was completely shocked, disgusted and appalled by what went on, I couldn’t believe rational human beings so called” intellectuals” would exactly stoop so low as first strip and even go has far as insert their fingers in a woman’s vagina in front of a crowd all with the flimsy excuse of punishing her for what,what ? Which crime in this world can ever justify stripping anyone naked and in public at that, which crime would would justify completely taken away a persons dignity her basic as a human being ? which crime would would justify sexual abuse? who gave them right to first judge and pronounce her guilty?. Even when a murder is caught and pronounced guilty beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced to death that person is not stripped, molested, sexually abused etc before their sentence.
True some males have been caught and beaten, but even then they werent stripped naked and have fingers inserted into their private parts, at the end of the day they are always left with at least their underpants. The point here is not because it is a woman involved but that it is a human being. Simple,end of story.
At first I thought people were just exaggerating about the facts but it is real and worst of all it happened here in the premier University (“THE” center for knowledge, future leaders).
The good news is that a committee has been set out to find all those involved whether one was just spectating (watching is also part of the crime).Such persons would be extradicated from the University.
However more can be done. I believe they should be severely punished some more especially those who went as far as stripping off her clothes and inserting their hands in her vagina (make it a criminal case against them). They should not be allowed to pack out and just go home like that.
This is one story that should not or be allowed to die without justice (legal) completely done. The saddest part of the whole story is no matter what punishment their given it can never erase the damage they have meted out to this woman. After all this degradation, shame and humiliation, her face and displayed naked body and abuse is now public property. HOW? She would carry a psychological scar for the rest of her natural life.
Is this fair, would this ever be fair , can this ever be justified to be killed a thousand times before death.
Think about it.
P.S: I passed by the hall it happened and all I could think of every guy that passed by was if he was one of those
a.cowards just who watched and did notting,
b.psycho who watched and cheered on
c.barbarians those who committed those heinous acts itself.
Sadly they all looked the same. truly sad.
It is sad and even quite scary to think that these young men in a couple of years will stand on platforms urging the general public to vote for them so they occupy leadership positions in Ghana. Suddenly everyone has gone hush hush about what happened and before we know what nobody will care anymore. But I want to sound a word of caution to decision makers and people in authority who can bring these people to book that if nothing is actively done about what happened on the campus of Ghana’s premiere university, then they may as well be put in the same category as those who perpetuated this disgraceful act against someone. This barbaric act portrayed by the “gentlemen” that day just goes to show how degenerate our society.
I weep for my mother Ghana.
what they was a shammful act to them selves they dont what godf can do to them after digging their hands into zthe vagina is just shammeful