A new study by DJ Foundation, a Ghana-based civil society organisation, in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES), has revealed that 42 per cent of senior high school students in the Central Region bleach their skin.
However, girls make up 74 per cent of that group, while boys account for 26 per cent.
The findings were disclosed during a Black Beauty Campaign awareness programme held at Wesley Girls’ High School in Cape Coast.
The event brought together students from senior high schools within the cape coast metropolis to educate them on the dangers of skin bleaching and to promote confidence in natural Black beauty.
The campaign, organised by DJ-Foundation Ghana, forms part of a wider effort to challenge long-held beliefs that equate fair skin with beauty.
Speaking at the event, the Founder of DJ-Foundation Ghana, Dora Jones-Adu, said the Foundation has partnered with the Ghana Education Service to scale up advocacy against skin bleaching.
She said the campaign seeks to dismantle colonial-era mentalities that continue to influence beauty standards among young people.
Madam Jones Adu warned students that bleaching products can cause severe long-term health complications, including skin cancer, kidney disease and dark knuckles.
According to the Foundation, many female students said they bleach their skin because they want to feel more attractive or gain attention from their peers while some parents were also reported to have purchased bleaching creams for their children.
Madam Jones Adu warned that some skin-lightening products contain harmful substances such as mercury and hydroquinone, which can damage the skin and internal organs.
After the awareness session, students of Wesley Girls’ High School shared what they had learnt and advised their colleagues to avoid bleaching products.
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