Don’t Shield Gender-Violence Perpetrators — Gender Minister
THE Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MOGCSP), Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has called on traditional authorities, and religious figures to allow the law to work in matters relating to gender-based violence. She urged them to stop shielding perpetrators and to support victims to seek justice.
The Minister made the call in Accra yesterday at the national launch of the 2025 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, held at the Kaneshie Main Station. The event, which marks the beginning of global activism from November 25 to December 10 each year, is on the theme “Unite! End Digital Violence Against Women and Girls.”
This year’s campaign places a strong spotlight on rising incidents of online abuse, cyberbullying, stalking, image-based exploitation and other technology-facilitated violence that disproportionately target women and girls in the digital space.
Dr Lartey also appealed to the media to use their platforms to condemn abuses and intensify public education, stressing that no person should “die in silence” in a society that aspires to uphold dignity, equality and the values of Sustainable Development Goal 5. She Lartey urged all women and girls, as well as men and boys, to speak up when abused, assuring the public that help was available regardless of age, gender or social status.
Dr Lartey noted that gender-based violence remains one of the most pervasive human rights violations in the country, citing the 2016 Domestic Violence Survey which revealed that 27.7 per cent of Ghanaian women have experienced domestic violence.
She described as alarming findings from the 2014 Demographic and Health Survey which showed that 32 per cent of girls aged 15–24 believe wife beating is acceptable due to entrenched cultural stereotypes. The Minister described the situation as “unfortunate and sad,” insisting that the nation must dismantle harmful norms that trivialise or justify violence.
Outlining government actions, she announced that Cabinet has approved the reviewed National Domestic Violence Policy and that the revised Domestic Abuse Bill and its Legislative Instrument are being finalised by the Attorney-General’s Department. She also disclosed plans to operationalise the national shelter in Accra and begin constructing the 16 regional shelters promised under government’s agenda to strengthen protection services for survivors.
The ministry has additionally trained 200 market leaders as paralegals and 100 professionals including psychologists, medical workers and legal experts to support victims through referrals and counselling.
UNFPA Country Representative, Dr David Wilfred Ochan, reaffirmed the UN agency’s commitment to Ghana’s efforts, unveiling a nationwide initiative that uses the public transport system as a platform to raise awareness on GBV.
The model, titled “16 Stations, 16 Routes, 16 Destinations,” would involve the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) in amplifying life-saving information through stickers, public announcements, capacity-building and codes of conduct for drivers and station staff.
The goal, he said, was to transform transport stations—major hubs of daily activity—into safe spaces where commuters, market women, porters and youth can access timely information and hotline services to prevent and report abuse.
BY CECILIA YADA LAGBA
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