Author ORCID Identifier
Ebenezer Afful -https://orcid.org/0009-0004-6151-6083
Yaa Akubia - https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0125-5585
Executive Summary
Hospitality internships can expose students to sexual harassment while leaving them uncertain whether reporting will bring protection or further risk. This study examined exposure, reporting decisions and perceived institutional response among hospitality students in Ghana. It combined a survey of 277 students from three technical universities with follow-up interviews involving 13 participants. Among valid responses, 27.0% reported personally experiencing harassment, while 30.4% reported witnessing it during placement. Only 43.2% of personal incidents and 38.3% of witnessed incidents were reported. Interviews showed that silence was shaped by normalised conduct, customer-service expectations, supervisory power, fear of consequences, unclear reporting routes, and distrust of reporting channels. Reporting could appear more threatening than remaining silent when placements and academic assessments were at stake. Universities and hospitality employers should establish a joint safeguarding protocol with confidential reporting, named contacts, protection of interns’ safety, placement and assessment, and clear responsibility for response and follow-up.
Recommended Citation
AFFUL, EBENEZER JUNIOR and Akubia, Yaa
(2026)
"Harassment Risks, Reporting Decisions and Institutional Responses during Hospitality Internships in Ghana,"
ICHRIE Research Reports: Vol. 11:
Iss.
6, Article 3.
DOI: 10.61701/360680.825
Available at:
https://via.library.depaul.edu/ichrie_rr/vol11/iss6/3
Included in
Gender and Sexuality Commons, Higher Education Commons, Hospitality Administration and Management Commons, Tourism Commons, Tourism and Travel Commons, Training and Development Commons, Vocational Education Commons
