“Renel Ghana Foundation Calls for Urgent Action to Strengthen Domestic Violence Act”

The Renel Ghana Foundation, in collaboration with SONGTABA and with funding support from the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, has launched a press briefing to highlight the critical obstacles affecting the full realization of Ghana’s Domestic Violence Act, 2007. The foundation is calling for decisive, coordinated policy action from policymakers, government institutions, and community leaders to address these challenges.

The foundation’s Gender Rights and Empowerment Project (G-REP) focuses on devastating forms of gender-based violence, including intimate partner violence and witchcraft accusations. According to the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, the prevalence rate of intimate partner violence is as high as 53.4% in the Savannah Region and 44% in the Central Region. Furthermore, over 1,000 older women in northern Ghana have been banished to “witch camps,” with 52.7% suffering depression and 97% experiencing extremely low quality of life.

The Renel Ghana Foundation is piloting integrated one-stop centers in selected districts, offering survivors psychosocial counseling, healthcare, and legal assistance in a single space. Early results show that these models are effective in improving access to timely and comprehensive services. However, institutional weaknesses, including limited government budget allocations and insufficient logistics, hinder effective enforcement of the Act.

The foundation notes that low awareness of legal provisions limits protective measures, with many professionals unaware of the Act’s provisions. Financial and logistical deficits stall survivor services, with the Domestic Violence Victims Support Fund remaining underfunded and largely non-operational. Cultural norms and stigma entrench violence, with persistent patriarchal norms and social stigmas acting as powerful deterrents to reporting abuse.

In light of these systemic challenges, the Renel Ghana Foundation calls for urgent government action to:

1.Provide dedicated funding and resources to fully operationalize the Domestic Violence Victims Support Fund and expand survivor services nationwide.

2.Institutionalize mandatory continuous training programs for police, social workers, and judicial officers on trauma-informed, survivor-centered approaches.

3.Strengthen key institutional bodies, such as the Domestic Violence Management Board.

4.Launch sustained nationwide awareness campaigns on the Domestic Violence Act.

5.Enhance accountability and case management systems.

6.Resource and institutionalize the one-stop center model to ensure that gains made under G-REP are sustained and expanded nationwide in the long-term.

The foundation believes that without these reforms, the Domestic Violence Act will continue to fall short of its promise. Survivors cannot wait any longer, and it is time for collective action to transform the Act into a practical shield of protection and empowerment for all women and girls.