‘Sex-for-rent’ claim by actress sparks debate in Ghana
Moesha Boduong apologised for the remark, but some say it put the spotlight on the widespread problem of ‘sex-for-marks’ faced by female students
An actress who said women needed men to take care of them has sparked fierce debate in Ghana and widened the focus about sexual harassment in the country.
Moesha Boduong said the economy was so bad in Ghana that she was forced to have a relationship with a married man to pay her bills.
“You just need someone to take care of you. You can’t make enough money as a woman here,” Boduong told CNN in an interview aired recently in the United States.
These unscrupulous men sometimes refer to the girls as ‘bush meat’
Boduong has since been pilloried by high-profile Ghanaians for her comment and quickly apologised, saying her experience was “not a reflection of what happens in most homes”.
But the interview struck a nerve in the conservative West African nation, where sexual harassment is an issue but is rarely talked about.
“Sex-for-marks” scandals regularly make the news in Ghana and in nearby Nigeria.
Nigerians are currently following the case of a female student who recorded a conversation with a university lecturer, who demanded sex in exchange for good marks.