Behind Closed Doors: Unmasking the Silent Rise of Domestic Violence in Ghana

Domestic violence in Ghana is rising, yet much of it remains hidden behind closed doors. Women, girls, and even boys are silently enduring abuse that affects their health, education, and future.

Beyond physical harm, the psychological scars run deep, influencing entire communities. Understanding the scale, causes, and consequences of this hidden epidemic is the first step toward meaningful intervention and support.

To speak of domestic violence in Ghana is to speak of shadows; the kind that creep into the corners of our homes, of our hearts, and into the very fabric of society. Though many of us believe violence in the home to be a private matter, something too tender or too shameful to bring into the public eye, the truth is painfully clear: this is not a private matter. It is a national crisis and we must sit up in unison.

Recent data from the Ghana Statistical Service confirms what too many already suspect: nearly three in ten women (28 %) and two in ten men (20 %) experienced domestic violence in the 12 months preceding the survey. (statsghana.gov.gh) These are not faceless statistics; they are mothers, daughters, brothers; Ghanaians who wake each morning into fear, not safety.

Economic violence is particularly pervasive: 12.8 % of women report being denied funds, food, or even the right to work because of someone they live with. (statsghana.gov.gh) Psychological abuse is not far behind; a slow erosion of dignity, comprising insults, threats, and isolation that quietly corrode one’s very being. (statsghana.gov.gh)

Shockingly, more than half of those who endure this violence never speak out: 51 % of affected women did not tell anyone, and only 9 % first reached out to the police. (Ghana News Agency) This silence is not consent; it is self-protection in a culture that too often treats domestic abuse as a private, not criminal, issue. That narrative must give rise to prosecution in our law courts.

Yet even when victims find the courage to report, the path to justice is rocky. Distrust in authority looms large, with many describing poor experiences with state institutions. And while Ghana’s Domestic Violence Act (Act 732) provides a legal framework, enforcement lags behind. The National Development Plan itself calls for “more robust enforcement … and survivor-centred support systems.”

In some corners of the country, the scale of violence is growing alarmingly. The Ashanti Region’s DOVVSU (Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit) has publicly noted a surge in reports; not just of physical abuse, but of psychological, verbal, and sexual violence. (Adomonline.com) Meanwhile, the Daily Graphic has bluntly warned that violence against women “must be checked,” pointing out that around 1,500 cases involving women and children are reported each year. A figure the paper deems alarmingly high. (Graphic Online)

Even more sinister is the rise in domestic homicides. The Ghana Police Service has reported over 120 cases in just the first quarter of 2023 alone, with more than 65 % of victims being women. (Graphic Online) These are not just statistics, these are stories of lives extinguished, often in places that should have offered refuge.

What lies at the root of this epidemic? Many causes deepen this wound: entrenched gender norms, economic pressures, weak institutional support, and, in too many cases, the perception that violence is a private matter. According to the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, a distressing percentage of men and women still justify spousal violence for reasons such as child neglect or “arguing too much.” (Ghana News Agency)

As an activist who has spent years building movements and shaping narratives, I see not just a policy gap, I see a moral and civic gap. We need more than police and courts. We need a transformation of culture. The voices of survivors must be amplified, not silenced. We must invest in systems that support them: safe houses, well-funded DOVVSU units, trained counsellors, and economic empowerment programmes that give them genuine freedom.

At the same time, policing must evolve. That means strengthening DOVVSU, yes, but also embedding gender-based violence training deeply into the police force. It is a hopeful sign that gender-based violence has become an examinable subject in Ghana Police Service training schools. (ghana.unfpa.org) Such reforms are vital, but they must come alongside community-level education: engaging women, girls, men and boys, religious leaders, and youth in dialogues that challenge harmful stereotypes.

And let us not forget prevention. We must demand accountability not only when tragedy strikes, but long before. Social norms that excuse violence must be dismantled, brick by brick. Citizens, civil society organisations, and government institutions should collaborate in a shared mission: zero tolerance, zero shame towards ending domestiv violence of all forms.

If we fail to call out the hidden violence behind closed doors, we are complicit in its survival. If we underestimate the scale of the problem, we leave countless women, girls, boys and even men trapped in suffering. But when we shine a light on this epidemic; when we refuse to treat it as a secret; the path to healing becomes visible.

This is not just an issue for survivors. It is a wound on the body of our nation. And if Ghana is to live up to its highest promise, we must answer this call: to break the silence, to protect the vulnerable, to reshape a society where violence has no sanctuary. Because only then will we truly claim the dignity, respect, freedom and justice that every person deserves as enshrined in our Fourth Republican Constitution.

A Social Activist’s Call to Action

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