By Angela Adu-Asomaning and Michelle Hamilton
Data from a Domestic Violence Survey conducted by the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection shows that 27.7 percent of Ghanaian women have experienced at least one form of domestic violence in their lifetime.
Equally troubling is a finding from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), which indicates that about 32 percent of women and girls aged fifteen to twenty-four believe wife-beating is acceptable.
Speaking at the launch of the Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence in Accra, the Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, described the findings as unfortunate and deeply concerning.
She noted that such abuses are serious human rights violations that remain trivialized and underreported due to cultural norms that put women and girls at risk. The minister further outlined measures the ministry is implementing to prevent and respond to violence against both genders.
“The ministry is working to operationalize its shelters in Accra as well as get the 16 regional shelters that were promised by His Excellency constructed within three years. The National Domestic Violence Policy, which was under review, has been approved by cabinet this year. Additionally, the law now proposed to be called the Domestic Abuse Law, and its legislative instruments are being drafted by the Attorney General’s Department,” she explained.
The Country Representative for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr. Wilfred Ochan, emphasized that the campaign forms part of a six-year social movement running through 2030, aligned with global efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
He reaffirmed UNFPA’s commitment to ensuring that no one is left behind and expressed their readiness to work with partners to help build a Ghana free from all forms of gender-based violence.
“Transport stations are epicentres of daily activities, surrounded by markets where large crowds gather to buy and sell. We therefore aim to ensure that commuters, drivers, station workers, market women and men, porters, and young people across all stations, along all routes, and in all 16 regions have access to life-saving information on how to prevent gender-based violence and how to seek services should one fall victim to it. Our goal is to amplify national awareness of gender-based violence and harmful practices. We will ensure that every person, especially women and girls and vulnerable groups, know their rights and the support services available to them,” he noted.
The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Ghana, Zia Choudhury, said violence is increasingly shifting online, with rising cases of harassment, threats, non-consensual sharing of intimate images, and manipulated deepfake content. He warned that digital spaces must not become new environments where women and girls are forced to live in fear.
“Now for us in the United Nations, we want to ensure that all spaces, including digital, are safe, equitable, and empowering. That is a core obligation for us, and we will always stand back united against digital violence in all its forms,” he stressed.
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), launched this year’s campaign themed “Unite: End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls.”
The campaign, observed annually from 25th November to 10th December, aims to raise awareness and mobilise action against gender-based violence. This year’s launch included an appeal to traditional, opinion, and religious leaders to allow the law to take its course in all cases of gender-based violence.
