Nearly 50% of Women Affected by Domestic Violence at District level — GSS Report
The Central Region has emerged as Ghana’s domestic-violence hotspot, recording the highest prevalence of physical violence at 44.6%, followed by the Savannah Region at 42.9% and the Volta Region at 40.2%.
This is according to new District-Level Small Area Estimation findings released by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), which combine data from the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey and the 2021 Population and Housing Census.
The report shows that the Volta Region recorded the highest levels of sexual violence at 22.3% well above the national trend. The Central and Savannah regions follow with 19.6% each, while the North East Region posted the lowest figure at 5.2%.
The district-level analysis reveals extreme vulnerabilities that national averages often conceal. Sawla-Tuna-Kalba in the Savannah Region recorded the most alarming figure nationwide, with an estimated 61.9% of women aged 15–49 experiencing at least one form of domestic violence, physical, emotional or sexual.
Conversely, several districts in the Bono, Bono East, Upper West and North East regions posted significantly lower levels of physical violence, some falling below 25%, underscoring stark protection disparities across the country.
According to the GSS, safeguarding women in high-risk areas will require a deliberate shift toward district-specific interventions, particularly in Central, Volta and Savannah, where prevalence rates remain most severe.
The report stresses that institutions such as the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), family courts and district gender desks must be adequately staffed and resourced to respond effectively to increasing cases.
The Service further urges government to integrate the new district estimates into local planning and budgeting frameworks to ensure that funding and programs are targeted at communities with the highest levels of risk.
It also recommends deeper engagement with traditional and religious leaders to help challenge social norms that sustain domestic violence and discourage reporting.
