Ghanaian disc jockey, DJ Switch, has criticised Member of Parliament Yakubu Mohammed over a remark he allegedly made to a young schoolgirl during a visit to Parliament.
According to DJ Switch, the lawmaker told the pupil that she was beautiful and that he would marry her when she grew up.
Reacting to the incident, DJ Switch described the comment as inappropriate, stressing that adults should not make romantic remarks towards children, even as a joke.
“A grown man, a member of parliament, someone we entrusted with leadership, said this to a child. That’s not funny, that’s not charming, that’s completely inappropriate,” she said.
She argued that society has become increasingly desensitised to adults making romantic comments about children, with some people dismissing such remarks as harmless jokes.
“The fact that some people are laughing is actually the problem. We have become so sensitised to adults making romantic comments to our children and we have convinced ourselves that it’s a joke. No, children are not the punchlines for such jokes, they are not your future spouses, children are not objects for adults to make romantic comments about,” DJ Switch said.
Addressing those who believe the MP may not have intended the comment seriously, she questioned why marriage would be introduced as a joke when speaking to a young girl.
“And those saying he didn’t mean it, or didn’t mean what he said, before you make such ignorant comments, why is marriage even as a joke the first thing that comes to mind as an adult when speaking to a little girl?” she asked.
“Why are we comfortable putting children in an imaginary romantic relationship with adults? Why is that acceptable?” she added.
DJ Switch maintained that her concerns were not about political correctness but about safeguarding children and respecting their innocence.
“This isn’t about political correctness. It’s about protecting children and respecting the innocent,” she said.
She further pointed out that such comments are not limited to girls, noting that adults also make similar remarks about young boys.
“Women do it too. I’ve heard adults tell little boys that they will have girlfriends lined up. I’ve heard adults reserve children for someone’s son or daughter. And I’ve heard families joke about babies dating each other. Enough is enough,” she stated.
DJ Switch also revealed that she has personally experienced inappropriate comments from adults and continues to encounter them online.
“I’ve experienced this personally and I still do. I have adults in my comments section waiting for the day I become ripe, as if my childhood was a waiting room for their attraction. You can’t sit somewhere and confidently tell me that’s admiration. We have to stop this behaviour just because someone smiled while saying it,” she said.
She subsequently called on Ghana’s Parliament to address concerns about inappropriate remarks directed at children, while also raising questions about accountability for adults who leave sexualising and predatory comments under videos involving children and young people.
“Parliament of the Republic of Ghana, I ask, what accountability exists when one of your own has publicly made such inappropriate remarks towards a child, and what accountability exists when adults continuously leave sexualising and predatory comments under the videos of children and young people every single day, DJ Switch asked.
She also recounted an experience in which she reported an allegedly inappropriate comment to Ghana’s cybersecurity authorities but said she did not see any change afterwards.
“Charlie, this act must stop,” she concluded.
