Monday, 24th November 2025
Accra, Ghana
Ghana will once again join the global community to observe the 16 Days of Activism against Violence from 25th November to 10th December 2025, a period dedicated to raising awareness and galvanizing action to end violence against women and girls. This year’s commemoration comes at a critical moment, as recent incidents and national data reveal that gender-based violence remains a deeply entrenched challenge affecting millions of women and girls across the country.
Gender-based violence continues to undermine the safety, dignity, and fundamental rights of Ghanaian women. According to the latest data from the Ghana Statistical Service, 41.6 percent of women aged 15 to 49 have experienced intimate partner violence at some point in their lives. Fourteen percent have experienced sexual violence, while six percent suffered such abuse within the last year alone. A March 2025 survey further indicates that 61 percent of women report experiencing at least one form of controlling behavior from a partner, and 28 percent experienced domestic violence in the past year. These statistics are the everyday realities of fear, trauma, and discrimination that many women and girls continue to endure.
This year has seen more deeply troubling incidents that have captured national attention and amplified the urgency for stronger action. In February 2025, the tragic killing of a final-year female student at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Joana Deladem Yabani, shocked the nation and revealed the growing vulnerability of young women. In October 2025, a 49-year-old fisherman at Mumford, near Apam, in the Central Region, defiled a 13-year-old girl for stealing his money. In early November, 2025, a husband reportedly set his wife and children on fire in Akyempim in the Upper Denkyira East Municipality in the Central Region, due to some misunderstanding between him and his wife. An incident that once again shook the nation to its very core. Just a few days ago, another barbaric act emerged, striking the nerves of the country to the core after a viral video surfaced of a man ruthlessly beating his naked wife to a pulp. A thirteen-year-old girl has been allegedly murdered by her father at kokrobite, Accra, for taking food belonging to her younger sibling.
The current situation highlights the need for a coordinated and sustained response. Ghana must strengthen survivor support systems, enforce existing laws more effectively, and expand public education efforts to shift harmful norms and attitudes that enable violence. With the increased spotlight on controlling behavior, emotional abuse, and sexual violence, this year’s campaign must hugely emphasize prevention and protection both online and offline, ensuring that communities understand the signs of abuse and know how and where to access help.
As the world marks these 16 days of Activism against violence, we call on all stakeholders, including government agencies, civil society organizations, faith-based institutions, media, traditional authorities, and individual citizens, to contribute to a national movement of solidarity and action. We urge stronger enforcement of the Domestic Violence Act; increased funding for the Domestic Violence Fund to provide shelters and psychosocial services to survivors; and more comprehensive training for the police and justice sector actors to ensure that survivor-centered approaches are prioritized. Civil society groups are being encouraged to deepen their engagement at the grassroots level, particularly in underserved and high-risk communities. The media is being appealed to play a responsible role by reporting sensitively and avoiding language that perpetuates stigma or victim-blaming.
Ultimately, these 16 Days of Activism must serve as a reminder that violence against women and girls is not an isolated issue; it is a national crisis that touches families, schools, workplaces, and communities. Ending it requires collective effort, empathy, and accountability. As Ghana intensifies its campaign this year, the call is clear: every woman and girl deserves to live free from violence. Every community must commit to creating spaces of safety and respect. And every institution must uphold the rights and freedoms of women and girls as essential to the nation’s development and peace.
Thank you!
For enquiries:
Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights
contact.us@arhr.org.gh
