Could Ghana outlaw 'sex for jobs' demands?
Key takeaways
- President John Mahama wants to criminalize employers demanding sex in exchange for work.
- The issue came up during a town hall in Koforidua on May 1, when a female student challenged persistent gender inequality in hiring.
- The significance lies not only in the rhetoric but in the proposed legal response.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
President John Mahama wants to criminalize employers demanding sex in exchange for work. But can a new law — that falls into a legal grey zone — be enforced?
https://p.dw.com/p/5DLZ0'Sex for jobs' refers to the sexual coercion of women by prospective employers [FILE PHOTO]Image: Anna Griessel/Panther Media/IMAGOAdvertisement President John Mahama's call to criminalize so‑called "sex for jobs" marks one of the clearest signals yet that Ghana's leadership is willing to confront a practice that is widely acknowledged but rarely addressed head‑on.
The issue came up during a town hall in Koforidua on May 1, when a female student challenged persistent gender inequality in hiring. Mahama used the moment to argue that existing norms and policies are insufficient, framing the practice as both exploitative and intolerable.