WOMEC calls for stronger mental health support for women in crises

The Women, Media and Change (WOMEC) has joined the global community in marking World Mental Health Day, with a call for urgent and inclusive action to ensure access to mental health care for women and girls, especially during catastrophes and emergencies.

Observed annually on October 10, this year’s global theme, “Access to Services – Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies,” highlights the need to prioritise mental wellness in times of crisis. WOMEC said the theme was particularly relevant to Ghana and Africa, where economic hardship, floods, road accidents, epidemics, conflicts, and gender-based violence continue to undermine mental well-being.

The organisation noted that mental health needs escalate sharply during emergencies, yet access to services becomes more limited. It said women often bear the heaviest emotional toll in such situations due to social and economic inequalities.

“Women, who are already disproportionately affected by inequality, experience deeper emotional trauma during emergencies,” WOMEC stated. “Whether as survivors of domestic violence during disasters, caregivers during disease outbreaks, frontline workers, or mothers struggling through loss and displacement, they face the greatest psychological burden with the least support.”

According to WOMEC, women remain the emotional pillars of families and communities, yet they endure significant physical, economic, and psychological stress without adequate assistance adding this shows that women are more at risk of anxiety, depression, and trauma, but few receive professional help due to stigma, discrimination, and lack of accessible mental health services.

The statement highlighted that many women, particularly in rural areas, lack safe spaces to seek help, community-based counselling, or the financial means to afford private care. Cultural silence and fear of stigma also prevent many from seeking treatment.

It went on to emphasise that access to mental health care, particularly for women and girls, must be treated as a basic human right rather than a privilege. It therefore urged that every emergency response, community recovery plan, and national policy on peace and security integrate mental health support as a key element.

As part of its recommendations, WOMEC called on government and development partners to strengthen the mental health component of the Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds, especially for women and girls. It also urged the introduction of free trauma and psychosocial counselling for survivors of gender-based violence and the inclusion of mental health screening in maternal care services.

The organisation further appealed for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to be expanded to fully cover mental health services and medications.

Beyond government action, WOMEC called on civil society, traditional and faith leaders, employers, and families to play their part in promoting mental well-being. It said community and religious leaders should support women seeking help instead of perpetuating stigma, while employers should make mental wellness a workplace priority.

“Men and families must provide emotional support and end harmful stereotypes that silence women,” the statement read. “The media must also report responsibly to raise awareness and fight stigma.”

WOMEC reaffirmed that no woman should suffer in silence, stressing that mental wellness is not a privilege but a right. It underscored the link between women’s mental health and national development.

“When women are mentally strong, families are stable, children succeed, communities thrive, and Ghana develops,” WOMEC said. “When women heal, nations recover. When women thrive, Ghana rises.”