JJ Rawlings reacts to reports that his daughter was a victim of ‘sex for grades’

The office of former President, Jerry John Rawlings has described as false, a publication carried by the Ghanaian Chronicle newspaper captioned “My daughter was a victim of ‘Sex for Grade’.”

It says the story is also a distorted rendition of what transpired when the National Executive of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) called on President Rawlings last Thursday.

According to the office, while the former President spoke extensively about the scourge of the sex for grades issue, it must be noted that he never stated that his daughter was a victim of said misbehaviour.

“We find the reportage of the Chronicle as false, derogatory and an attempt to draw non-existent inferences which are calculated to embarrass the former President and his family. The report is also an attempt to mislead members of the public into believing this fabrication.”

Other portions of the statement read;

“For the avoidance of doubt, he was very clear and adamant in clarifying that fact. It is irresponsible and bad journalism that the Chronicle chose to publish utter fabrications. Quoting him verbatim, former President Rawlings stated at the onset of the mention of his daughter that, “Actually I must admit that this thing has happened to one of my daughters before. It wasn’t to do with sex.”

The statement further cautioned all media houses who have carried that report to respectfully retract and remove such publications from their mediums.

At the meeting, Mr. Rawlings condemned cases of sexual harassment in universities; describing the practice as a humiliation against students, he said it was synonymous with breaking the moral fabric of society.

The former President said tertiary institutions must ensure transparency in their grading systems to help curb the sex for grade practice.

“We should not be taking human beings through such humiliation. I think it is bad and as corruptible as breaking the moral fabric of society and nothing can be as bad as this. It is a shortcut towards destroying people’s lives. How can we ensure that this thing has much transparency? If GIMPA can do it, there is no reason why other places cannot do the same,” Rawlings said.

The former president’s comment is on the back of BBC Africa Eye’s ‘Sex for Grades’ documentary that captured some Ghanaian and Nigerian University lecturers in compromising positions with investigators who posed as students to ascertain the veracity of many allegations of sexual harassment levelled by some former University students against some lecturers.