My latest column for Infoboxx on community engagement strategies to end violence against women:
Violence against women is one of the world’s most common, but also most tolerated violations of human rights. One in three women worldwide are survivors of sexual violence – a figure far higher than terrorism, yet one that fails to make many headlines, especially across the continent.
Gender-based initiatives and legislation are, by now, commonplace in most African countries. Ghana, for example, has enacted a wide range of laws aimed to address sexual violence, including the Children’s Act, Domestic Violence Act, Human Trafficking Act, and various amendments to Criminal Offenses Act. Ahead of many of its peers across the continent, Ghana even has Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking Secretariats. Yet with all of these laws and institutions, why do one in three Ghanaian women experience domestic violence?
Passing bills alone cannot solve the issue.