By Muniratu Akweley Issah
Accra, Dec.5, GNA – Madam Angela Dwamena-Aboagye, Executive Director of The Ark Foundation, has expressed concern as Ghana’s services and coordinated institutional responses towards victims of gender-based violence (GBV), remain inadequate despite clear national policies and legal frameworks.
Madam Dwamena-Aboagye said that although Ghana had well-written laws and policies guiding responses to GBV, gaps in implementation, weak coordination among state institutions and inadequate funding continued to leave many victims unprotected.
The Executive Director expressed the concern in an interview with the Ghana News Agency as Ghana joins the world to commemorate the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence on the global theme: “Ending Digital Violence: Protect Women and Girls in Online Spaces.
This year’s theme focused on technology-facilitated GBV, including cyberbullying, sextortion, grooming, online harassment and the misuse of digital platforms for sexual exploitation.
She called for amendments to existing laws and increased public education to counter the rising trend.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one in three Ghanaian women experience physical or sexual violence, while an estimated 10 to 14 per cent of men and boys also suffer some form of abuse.
For over two decades, the Ark Foundation has provided frontline support for survivors through its shelter established in 1999, being one of the country’s longest-running safe homes for victims of domestic and gender-based violence.
The shelter accommodates survivors of domestic violence, sexual abuse, trafficking, incest, child marriage, and elder abuse among others.
Beyond accommodation, the Foundation offers counselling, legal and medical referrals, psychosocial support, and assists survivors through the Police, court and hospital processes.
The Executive Director of Ark foundation emphasised that GBV remained a widespread national problem, “unacceptably high,” prevalence, stressing that the issue persisted even in advanced countries due to human relationships, power imbalances and social norms.
“Gender based violence won’t go away on its own. It depends on a state’s preparedness to prevent violence, responding properly to violent cases, and ensuring accountability,” she said.
Madam. Dwamena-Aboagye recounted several cases where the Foundation worked with state agencies to rescue women and children from abusive environments, some of which resulted in successful prosecutions and long-term rehabilitation for the victims.
She, however, said that many cases still failed to
receive justice due to institutional lapses, lack of cooperation, limited resources, or perpetrators escaping.
She indicated that the biggest challenge remained coordination, saying, “Institutions need to work together, the social welfare, Police, hospitals, Non-Governmental organisations (NGOs), and courts. There should be a clear referral system so that wherever a victim enters, the system immediately responds to protect them.”
Madam Dwamena-Aboagye said organisations working directly with victims were struggling, as donor agencies increasingly prioritised advocacy and training over service delivery.
“Government support through the Domestic Violence Fund, is inadequate and often does not trickle down effectively to institutions mandated to respond to cases and many victims abandon cases because they are unable to afford the medical examination fees required after filing a police report and so a lot of cases drop at that point,” she indicated.
The Executive Director urged the government, civil society, traditional and religious leaders, and the media to intensify education and prevention efforts, noting that harmful practices such as child marriage, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), witchcraft accusations, widowhood rites and sex trafficking still persisted.
She also dismissed public claims that rape is caused by provocative dressing, describing it as a myth.
“Rape is an act of control and violence. Children and even women fully covered are abused. Clothing is not the cause,” she said.
She encouraged the public to speak up and act when they witness abuse, stressing that GBV was not a normal part of society, urging citizens to help protect vulnerable groups and challenge harmful social norms.
“If you see something that looks like gender-based violence, it probably is. Say something, and if nothing is done about it, push until something is done.” She added.
GNA
Edited by Christian Akorlie