Government to Expand Domestic Violence Law as UN Women Backs Ghana’s Fight Against Gender-Based Violence

The Government of Ghana is moving to strengthen the country’s legal response to violence against women and girls, with plans to amend the Domestic Violence Act and implement a revised Domestic Violence Policy as part of broader efforts to improve protection for survivors.

The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, announced the measures during a meeting with the Regional Director of UN Women, Dr  Maxine Houinato, who reaffirmed the UN agency’s commitment to support Ghana’s gender equality agenda.

According to the Minister, Cabinet has already approved the revised Domestic Violence Policy, while work is underway to amend the Domestic Violence Act to expand its scope and address emerging forms of abuse more effectively.

She also highlighted the implementation of the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024, describing it as a major step towards increasing women’s representation in leadership and decision-making across both public and private institutions. However, she stressed that sustained public education and institutional compliance would be essential to achieve the law’s objectives.

The Minister further drew attention to the growing challenge of online and technology-facilitated violence against women, noting that ongoing programmes have revealed significant gaps in women’s digital and business management skills. 

She said creating safer digital spaces would enable more women and girls to participate fully in the digital economy.

Dr Houinato also  disclosed that Ghana has been selected as one of the beneficiary countries under a new UN Women initiative aimed at preventing violence against women and girls through community engagement and the transformation of harmful social norms.

He said the programme forms part of wider efforts to accelerate progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality ahead of the 2030 target and emphasised the need to work closely with traditional leaders, religious institutions and local communities to drive lasting behavioural change.

The meeting ended with both the Government of Ghana and UN Women reaffirming their commitment to strengthening cooperation to protect the rights of women and girls and advance gender equality across the country.

Grace Acheampong, ISD