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In response to growing concerns over sexual penetration and gender-based violence (GBV) in schools, Attorney General and Minister of Justice Alpha Sesay convened a high-level meeting with Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education Conrad Sackey, the Teaching Service Commission, and a representative from the World Bank.
The meeting focused on implementing strategies to enhance accountability within the education sector and ensure perpetrators of sexual violence are held accountable. Attorney General Sesay reiterated the government’s commitment to prosecuting offenders and providing survivors with legal and psychosocial support.
He emphasized the crucial role of educational institutions in promoting gender equality and stressed the need for collective efforts across all sectors to combat GBV in schools.
Minister Sackey pledged his ministry’s full cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and the Teaching Service Commission to achieve these goals. The collaborative effort aims to strengthen existing frameworks, improve survivor protection, and enhance access to justice.
This meeting follows the arrest and detention of Samuel Gbla, an official driver attached to the Office of the Regional Coordinator of Free Quality Education in the Northeast, who is accused of repeatedly sexually penetrating an underage schoolgirl.
According to ASP Abu Bakarr Kanu, coordinator of the Family Support Unit (FSU) in the Northeast region, Gbla allegedly committed the offenses around November 2024. The victim’s mother reported the incident to the police in December after learning of the abuse.
The case has drawn public attention due to allegations of interference by the Regional Coordinator of Free Quality Education, Abu Bakarr Jalloh, who is accused of attempting to obstruct the investigation. The victim’s mother claimed Jalloh threatened her family and asserted that his driver would not face justice.
Gbla’s arrest occurred after media reports and a press release from the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education condemned the alleged abuse. The FSU is currently gathering evidence and will submit the case file to the State Counsel for legal advice.
