Orange the World and the Web: Ending digital abuse against women and girls in Ghana

As the world marks this year’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence under the global theme “Orange the World: Unite to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls Now!”, we at Amnesty International Ghana join millions of activists around the world to demand urgent action to end the pervasive violence women and girls continue to face online. We will be painting the world orange from 25th November to 10th December 2025.

It begins with a notification.

A young woman in Accra shares her opinion on women’s rights online — within minutes, she’s flooded with hate. Anonymous accounts threaten her, others mock her looks, and someone digs up her personal details and posts them publicly. By the end of the day, she deletes her post.

By the end of the week, she deactivates her account. What started as a simple act of expression has turned into digital violence — the kind that silences women every day.

Digital spaces have become an extension of our homes, workplaces, and classrooms — yet they are increasingly hostile toward women and girls. Online gender-based violence takes many forms: cyberstalking, non-consensual sharing of intimate images, doxxing (leaking private information), trolling, sexual harassment, and online blackmail.

In Ghana, we’ve seen disturbing cases — from women’s intimate videos being shared without consent, to young girls being extorted by predators under the guise of friendship. Digital abuse often follows victims offline, with devastating psychological and reputational consequences.

Despite the growing threat, digital abuse remains difficult to stop. Many survivors do not report for fear of stigma or because reporting systems are slow, unresponsive, or dismissive.

Police units like the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) are still under-resourced and often ill-equipped to investigate cyber-related cases. The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection must prioritize digital safety in its national gender policy — including supporting victims of online abuse and training law enforcement to respond to tech-facilitated violence.

We cannot ignore the dark corners of the internet fuelling this violence. Misogynistic online networks — such as manosphere communities and incel forums — are spreading harmful narratives that normalize violence, demean women, and recruit young men into dangerous ideologies.

These digital echo chambers breed hostility that spills into real life, reinforcing sexism and hate. Their growing influence demands urgent attention from tech companies, educators, and policymakers alike.

At Amnesty International Ghana, we are amplifying survivor voices, educating young people on digital rights and safety, and pushing for stronger laws and accountability from social media platforms. We’re also calling for a national conversation on cyberbullying, privacy, and consent, so that no woman or girl has to choose between being online and being safe.

To prevent and report online abuse, we urge everyone to speak up and support victims, document evidence of abuse, report accounts through platform mechanisms, and avoid sharing harmful content that perpetuates shame. Digital citizenship begins with each of us.

And to parents — talk to your children about the internet not just as a place of learning, but one of risk. Teach them empathy, critical thinking, and boundaries online. Create trust so that if they face abuse, they can come to you without fear.

The digital world should not be another battlefield for women’s rights. It should be a space of empowerment, learning, and freedom. As we mark these 16 days, let’s turn our outrage into action — to ensure that every girl and woman, online and offline, can live, speak, and dream safely.

Through our human rights education, advocacy, and campaigns, we have been amplifying the voices of survivors and exposing the systemic failures that allow violence to persist.

Aside online gender-based violence, earlier this year, we released a report titled Branded for Life: How Witchcraft Accusations Lead to Human Rights Violations of Hundreds of Women in Northern Ghana, which documents the violence, exclusion, and discrimination older women face due to harmful traditional beliefs.

We have also supported survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) through partnerships with community networks, legal aid providers, and youth activists who continue to challenge stigma and demand justice.

Beyond Digital Violence, there is a rise in GBV in general.

Ghana has witnessed a disturbing rise in reported GBV cases in recent months — many of which have captured national attention: In March 2025, a man was arrested after a viral video showed him brutally assaulting a young woman holding her baby in Accra. The case is now before the Court, but it underscores how normalised violence against women has become in public spaces.

In October 2025, a teenage girl in Tolon District was allegedly gang-raped, sparking outrage and renewed calls for police action and community protection for girls.

Data from DOVVSU in 2024 showed more than 4,000 cases of domestic violence recorded nationwide, yet only a fraction were prosecuted — a stark reminder of how survivors are often left without justice.

More recently, we saw a video circulating of a woman being beaten by her husband out in the public where she had been stripped of her clothing. We are happy to hear the man has been arrested.

Even more troubling was the young girl beaten to death by her own father just because of her trivial domestic issue with her brother.

These incidents are not isolated. They reflect a broader pattern of underreporting, poor investigations, and social pressure that forces survivors into silence or informal “settlements.”

We are not angry enough, we should be storming the streets of Accra by now, walking to Jubilee House to demand the government to do something! The Government of Ghana must move beyond statements to concrete, coordinated action to end gender-based and digital violence.

1. Resource and Enforce the Domestic Violence Act

The Domestic Violence Victim Support Fund must be fully resourced to support shelters, psychosocial care, legal aid, and medical services across all regions — not just in Accra. Amendments should ensure accountability for delayed disbursements and include provisions for digital forms of abuse.

2. Strengthen DOVVSU and Law Enforcement Capacity

Enhance DOVVSU with trained cyber-forensic units and survivor-centred procedures for handling online and offline GBV. Police must pursue cases through the courts — not “settle” them privately — and ensure timely justice for survivors.

3. Amend the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038)

The Act should be updated to explicitly criminalize online gender-based violence, including cyberstalking, image-based abuse, and online harassment. It must mandate collaboration between the Cyber Security Authority, DOVVSU, and the Ministry of Gender for prevention and response. The recent amendments passed in Parliament were not explicit on online gender-based violence.

4. Increase Public Education and Prevention Efforts

The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection should expand on their nationwide campaigns, in partnership with civil society and the media, to challenge harmful gender norms and raise awareness on digital safety and reporting mechanisms.

5. Ensure Transparency and Accountability

Government must publish regular, sex-disaggregated data on GBV and digital abuse — including reports, prosecutions, and convictions — to guide evidence-based policy.

This year, as we “Orange the World,” we reaffirm that violence against women and girls is preventable, not inevitable.

At Amnesty International Ghana, we will continue to mobilise, educate, and demand justice — until every woman and girl in Ghana can live free from fear, violence, and discrimination.