The recent disturbing viral video of a man named by the Ghana Police Service as John Odartey Lamptey physically assaulting his estranged wife, Harriet Amuzu, at Ofankor, a suburb of Accra puts today’s (November 25) commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women into perspective.
The worrying statistics of widespread violence against women and girls are a blunt reminder of the work that still needs to be done.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), in the last 12 months alone, a whopping 316 million women and 12.5 million adolescent girls worldwide had faced sexual violence.
Nearly one in three women worldwide, approximately 840 million, have experienced physical or sexual violence during their lifetime.
The report released ahead of the day notes that violence against women remains one of the world’s most persistent and under-addressed human rights crises, and has made little progress in the last two decades.
In Ghana, nearly 41 per cent of women aged 15-49 have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) with 35.2 per cent experiencing emotional violence, 22.7 per cent physical violence, and 11.2 per cent sexual violence.
Fourteen per cent of women aged 15-49 have experienced sexual violence with six per cent experiencing it within the last 12 months.
On physical violence, 33 per cent of women have faced physical violence since age 15, with 12.2 per cent going through it often or sometimes in the last 12 months.
In the words of WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, “violence against women is one of humanity’s oldest and most pervasive injustices, yet still one of the least acted upon.
No society can call itself fair, safe, or healthy while half of its population lives in fear. Ending this violence is not only a matter of policy; it is a matter of dignity, equality and human rights.”
The period November 25 to December 10 marks the 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-based Violence on the theme: Unite to end digital violence against all women and girls.
Digital violence is intensifying, yet nearly half of the world's women and girls lack legal protection from digital abuse. Digital violence encompasses online harassment, stalking, gendered disinformation, deep fakes, and non-consensual sharing of intimate images.
This online problem spills into real life, spreading fear, silencing voices, and leading to physical violence and femicide.
Without mincing words, the Daily Graphic says violence against women and girls must be stopped.
This is not just a women's issue; it is a human rights crisis that affects all of us.
The impact of violence against women and girls is pervasive and responsible for cycles of poverty, inequality and social injustice.
The Daily Graphic’s rallying call is simple: we must not remain silent.
Our silence empowers perpetrators of violence against women. It is important to continue to raise awareness about the prevalence and long-term health, social and economic consequences of gender-based violence.
According to the UN, violence against women and girls remains “largely unreported due to the impunity, silence, stigma, and shame surrounding it.”
Most women do not talk or report the violence they face because they think no one will believe them.
But one support we can offer survivors of gender-based violence is to believe their story and advocate their rights.
We must speak out against patriarchal attitudes and behaviours that sustain violence.
The paper calls on all to unite to end digital violence and create a safer digital space for everyone.
We support the 2025 Unite Campaign that urges governments to pass and enforce laws that criminalise digital violence, protect personal information and strengthen tech sector accountability.
Educate yourself and others about digital violence.
Also, tech companies must ensure platform safety, remove harmful content, enforce codes of conduct and publish transparent reports.
Support survivors by funding women's rights organisations and provide survivor-centered services.
Perpetrators like John Odartey Lamptey must face the music.
Law enforcement agencies must be trained and re-oriented to recognise gender-based violence, non-physical abuse and act to save survivors.
As narrated by the survivor, Harriet Amuzu, several complaints to the police yielded no results.
This is common in this country and it is worrying.
Law enforcement agencies must investigate and not dismiss reports made to them.
