GJA Calls for Stronger Institutions to Protect Vulnerable Persons

The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has called for stronger institutional measures to protect vulnerable persons in schools and safeguard journalists against attacks. This call was made by the President of the Association, Mr Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, at a press conference in Accra to mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. He emphasized that institutions must take responsibility for cases of abuse and misconduct to restore public confidence and ensure individual safety.

Mr Dwumfour cited recent allegations of rape in schools and urged the Ministry of Education to take urgent steps to address the issue, making schools safe havens for children. He also noted that the Association recorded over 50 cases of attacks, assaults, arrests, and other violations against media practitioners between 2022 and January 2026. This, he said, was not healthy for Ghana's press freedom index.

The GJA President urged the police and other security agencies to investigate incidents of attacks on journalists and ensure that perpetrators are prosecuted, regardless of their positions or political affiliations. He also announced plans to relaunch the GJA Journalist Support Fund, supervised by a five-member board of trustees, to provide legal, medical, emergency, and psychological assistance to affected journalists.

In a related development, the GJA has announced nominees for its 30th GJA Media Awards. The chairman of the Awards Assessment Committee, Mr Kobby Asmah, stated that the assessment of entries had been completed, with nominees selected in various categories. The assessment, conducted from October 7-27, covered journalistic works published in 2025.

Mr Asmah explained that the committee adopted a 10-point assessment framework, scoring each entry out of 100 percent, with a minimum qualifying mark of 70 percent required for nomination. The assessment criteria included accuracy, newsworthiness, ethical standards, public impact, originality, storytelling, research, fairness, technical quality, and compliance with category requirements.

The GJA Media Awards assessment committee faced challenges, including entries submitted under wrong categories, works outside the eligible period, inaccessible links, photographs without captions, and misleading headlines. However, Mr Asmah assured that the exercise was fair, transparent, impartial, and confidential.

The Ghana Journalists Association's efforts aim to promote a safer environment for journalists and vulnerable persons in schools. The Association's initiatives seek to enhance institutional accountability and protect human rights, contributing to a more just and equitable society.

Key points

• GJA calls for stronger institutional measures to protect vulnerable persons in schools and safeguard journalists against attacks.