Youth Fight Against SGBV

Sexual and Gender-Based Violence remains a major human rights and public health issue in Ghana, undermining the safety and well-being of women, and vulnerable groups. The 2022–2023 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) shows that 24.4% of women aged 15–49 have experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner.

Beyond these alarming figures, violence is increasingly perpetrated through digital platforms. Young people, especially adolescent girls, face rising incidents of online harassment, sextortion, and other forms of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), which heighten their vulnerabilities.

Such abuse often causes psychological distress, loss of self-confidence, and social isolation, further limiting opportunities for education and participation. Contributing factors include limited digital literacy among parents and teachers to guide safe online behavior, cyber fraudsters exploiting young girls with false promises of money or opportunities, limited youth participation in policymaking on SGBV and cybersecurity, and low awareness of the Domestic Violence Support Fund and how to access it.

To address these challenges, the Youth Fight Against SGBV Project, led by the Youth Action Movement Ghana, seeks to combat TFGBV by empowering young people with knowledge of digital rights while strengthening survivors’ access to protection and support through the DV Fund. The project also seeks to advocate for stronger enforcement of Ghana’s Cybersecurity Act (2020) and Data Protection regulations. Through awareness creation, advocacy, and partnerships, the project envisions safer online and offline spaces for all.