By: Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) has launched the 2025 edition of the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, with a strong national call to confront the rising tide of digital abuse targeting women and girls.
The launch, held at the Kaneshie Market in Accra, gathered development partners, civil society organisations, transport sector leaders, and hundreds of community members in a unified commitment to deepen advocacy and strengthen protection systems across the country.
This year’s campaign is themed “Unite! End Digital Violence Against Women and Girls”, reflecting growing concerns over harmful behaviours online, including cyberbullying, sextortion, stalking, and image-based sexual abuse.
The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, cited national data showing the ongoing prevalence of abuse in Ghana.
“Our 2016 Domestic Violence Survey shows that 27.7 percent of Ghanaian women have experienced at least one form of domestic violence. Additionally, outdated social norms continue to harm girls, with 32 percent of young women aged 15 to 24 believing wife-beating is justified,” she said.
The Minister stressed that the digital space has become a new frontier for violence and must be urgently addressed. She announced Cabinet’s approval of the revised National Domestic Violence Policy, and confirmed progress on a new Domestic Abuse Bill and its accompanying Legislative Instrument.
She also highlighted community-based interventions already underway, including the training of over 200 market executives as paralegals and the deployment of more than 100 professional volunteers to support survivors.
A major feature of the launch was the rollout of a new partnership with the transport sector. The initiative —“16 Routes, 16 Stations, 16 Destinations”— will use Ghana’s major public transport hubs to disseminate information on gender-based violence, digital safety, and reproductive health to commuters nationwide.
UNFPA Country Representative, Dr. Wilfred Ochan, commended the approach, noting that it will “strengthen accountability and safety measures within the transport sector” throughout the campaign period.
The event concluded with a symbolic torch-passing ceremony, officially opening the 16-day national mobilisation. Over the next two weeks, stakeholders across the country will roll out advocacy activities aimed at promoting safety, dignity, and equal rights for women, men, and children.
The Ministry encouraged the public to report cases of abuse through its toll-free hotline: 0800 111 222.
