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Crime & Punishment of Friday, 13 September 2024

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Legally, men cannot report rape cases - Health practitioner discloses

Dr. Esther Yesutor

Ghanaian health practitioner Dr. Esther Yesutor has made a shocking revelation about the lack of legal protection for men who are sexually assaulted.

According to her, men who are raped or are subjected to sexual assault do not have any legal backing and thus cannot seek justice.

She further stated that under the law in Ghana, when a lady has sex with a man without his approval, the law considers the act as sexual assault but not rape.

“The unfortunate thing is in our parts of the world, especially in Ghana. I think in our first episode, when we were talking about general sexual health issues, we mentioned rape.

“I left the episode, and one of my legal friends called me and said actually men in Ghana cannot be raped. So, if you’re a man in Ghana and somebody has sex with you without your consent, it is still not regarded as rape,” she said.

Speaking on a health programme on GBC, she disclosed that a sexual assault is considered rape when the deed is performed by a man, adding that the law recognizes rape as a crime committed by a man.

She disclosed how men are sexually abused every day, but without any legal protection, they are unable to seek the needed justice.

Dr. Yesutor therefore called for the amendment and review of the law to provide abused men with legal recourse.

“They said rape can only be perpetrated by people who have a penis. That is what the lawyers are telling me. They just believe it is sexual assault, so you can’t term it rape. You may not get the justice you actually need just because you are a man and you have a penis.

“I think the lawyers need to look at it again because a lot of men are being taken advantage of as well; it’s not just about us the women,” she added.


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