Story Highlights
- A Ghanaian Uber driver says three women forced him into sexual acts, and that police mocked him when he tried to report it.
- Under Section 97 of the Criminal and Other Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), sexual assault can only be committed against a female.
- Lawyer Richard Amarh says women who force men into sex can be prosecuted for indecent assault, which he says carries up to two years in prison.
- Sexual assault carries a minimum of five years and a maximum of 25 years under Act 29.
- Amarh opposes amending the law, while the case has prompted calls for reform.
A ride-hailing driver’s claim that three women forced him into sexual acts has reopened a long-standing question in Ghanaian law: can a man be sexually assaulted?
Under the country’s criminal code, the answer is currently no.
The Uber Driver’s Account
The driver, whose identity has not been publicly confirmed, made his allegations in a video that circulated widely on social media. He alleged he was forced into sexual acts by three women.
He also accused the police of failing him. The driver claimed police officers mocked him when he attempted to report the incident, prompting him to seek media attention instead.
The Labari Journal could not independently verify the driver’s account or establish whether a formal complaint has been registered. The Ghana Police Service has not publicly commented on the allegation.
Uber has also not issued a public statement on the matter.
What the Law Says About Sexual Assault
Ghana’s sexual assault law dates to the Criminal and Other Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), the country’s main criminal statute.
Speaking on Rainbow Radio’s news programme Nyankonton Mu Nsem, Richard Amarh, Executive Director of the Center for Legitimacy and Rule of Law, explained the limits of that definition.
Referring to Section 97, he noted that sexual assault/rape is strictly defined as carnal knowledge of a female aged 16 or older without her consent.
The definition turns on a specific act. Under Ghanaian law, carnal knowledge specifically requires penile penetration of the vagina, which restricts the crime of sexual assault exclusively to male perpetrators against female victims.
The result is that the law is gendered on both sides. A woman cannot be charged with sexual assault. A man cannot be recognised as a sexual assault victim, whether the offender is a woman or another man.
Sexual assault is among the most serious offences in the code. Act 29 sets a sentence of not less than five years and not more than 25 years in prison on conviction. Sexual offences against children under 16 are handled separately as defilement.
The Indecent Assault Alternative
Mr. Amarh said the law does not leave male victims without recourse. Section 103 of Act 29 creates the offence of indecent assault, which covers forcible sexual contact without consent and applies regardless of the sex of the victim or offender.
He explained that women who force men into sexual acts can be prosecuted under indecent assault laws, which carry a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.
That gap in sentencing is stark. A man convicted of raping a woman faces at least five years in prison. A woman who forces a man into sex, on Amarh’s account, faces at most two.
Act 29 also contains a separate offence of unnatural carnal knowledge under Section 104, which is framed in gender-neutral language. Without consent, it is treated as a first-degree felony. Legal practitioners differ on how far that provision could be applied to non-consensual acts committed by women against men, and it has rarely been tested in such cases.
The Reform Debate
The driver’s account has prompted calls for the law to be amended so that men can be recognised as sexual assault victims.
Mr. Amarh disagrees. “Amending the law to classify female-on-male sexual assaults as rape is unnecessary,” he said, arguing that indecent assault provisions are sufficient to prosecute offenders.
Advocates for reform make a different case. They argue that the indecent assault route treats the same violation as a lesser offence depending on the sex of the victim.
They also argue that a law that does not name male victims discourages men from reporting, a concern the driver’s account of his treatment by police appears to reflect.
Several countries have moved to gender-neutral sexual assault laws in recent decades, defining the offence by lack of consent rather than by the sex of the parties or the form of penetration. Ghana’s definition has remained largely unchanged since 1960.
Options Available to the Driver
Mr. Amarh outlined two routes the driver could take.
The first concerns the officers he says ridiculed him. Mr. Amarh urged him to petition the senior police leadership to ensure the officers involved face disciplinary action.
The second is a civil claim. He added that the driver could pursue civil litigation against the women for damages, though he cautioned that the suit would likely fail without “solid evidence”.
A criminal complaint of indecent assault would still require police to open an investigation and the Attorney General’s office to prosecute.
Reporting and Recognition
The case highlights a problem that extends beyond the wording of the statute. Male survivors of sexual violence in Ghana face stigma and, in many cases, disbelief from those meant to help them. The driver’s decision to go to social media rather than pursue the matter further through the police illustrates that barrier.
Neither the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection nor Parliament has publicly responded to calls for reform. The Ghana Police Service’s Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit, which handles sexual offences, has not commented on the driver’s allegations.
For now, the law remains as written in 1960. A man who says he was forced into sex by women can seek justice, but not for sexual assault.
This article was edited with AI and reviewed by human editors
Follow