Upper East defilement cases: 6 pupils abused, teacher among those arrested

Upper East defilement cases reveal that at least six pupils were abused between July 2025 and March 2026 across three districts in Ghana's Upper East Region. A teacher is among those arrested. The cases were recorded in the Talensi District, the Bawku Municipality, and the Bolgatanga Municipality.

In Bolgatanga, a teacher has been arrested and granted bail in connection with two of the defilement cases. In Talensi, one suspect has been arrested while another remains at large. In Bawku, a suspect linked to two cases is still being sought by authorities. The Upper East Regional Gender Desk Officer, Rita Mbamah, disclosed the figures at a regional review meeting in Bolgatanga and said, "If teachers, who are supposed to act as parents and protect these children, are rather the ones abusing them, then it means our children are not safe." The meeting, organised by the Department of Gender with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), also revealed that 376 pregnant girls and lactating mothers sat for the BECE and WASSCE examinations in the region during the same period. Of these, 84 were pregnant girls and 46 were lactating mothers who sat for the BECE, while 111 were pregnant girls and 135 were lactating mothers who sat for the WASSCE.

Sergeant Safia Salifu of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) said complainants frequently withdraw their cooperation mid-investigation. An Assistant ADR Officer at the Legal Aid Commission, Farihan Mutaru, said the absence of a resident lawyer in the region and persistent interference from families and communities places further strain on legal processes. The acting Upper East Regional Director of the Department of Gender, James Twene, called for stronger collaboration