of domestic violence, while the lack of comprehensive national data on DGBV further compounds the challenge. Survivors often refrain from reporting due to limited awareness of gender-based violence, the legal protections available, and the existing mechanisms for support and reporting.

To address this pervasive issue, the Human Rights Advocacy Centre (HRAC) launched a multi-faceted project aimed at fostering awareness, building capacity, and creating sustainable community structures to combat DGBV. The project began with strategic stakeholder engagements involving heads of state and non-state institutions, including traditional and religious leaders, the Ghana Health Service, Department of Social Welfare, Domestic Violence Secretariat, Ghana Police Service, Market Women Association, and others. These meetings were critical for introducing the project, creating awareness of DGBV, and building partnerships to ensure its success. Twenty stakeholder representatives, evenly split between males and females, participated and pledged their support by nominating focal persons from their respective institutions to serve as key points of contact for the initiative.

A significant component of the project was capacity-building through a series of workshops. HRAC organized a train-the-trainer workshop to equip its staff with skills in social media advocacy. This training enabled HRAC staff to effectively educate beneficiaries and engage the public on DGBV through digital platforms. A subsequent workshop focused on building the capacity of six paralegals from The Woman’s Alliance, training them on human and legal rights, social media advocacy, case management, and providing wellness support for DGBV survivors.

The cornerstone of the project was a capacity-building workshop held on February 10, 2022, for 22 stakeholder representatives (15 females and 7 males). This workshop prepared participants to serve as focal persons in their institutions and communities. Participants were trained on identifying and reporting DGBV cases, engaging in social media advocacy, and conducting sensitization efforts to educate their communities on DGBV. The focal persons defined their roles, which included conducting sensitization sessions in schools, churches, and mosques; engaging in social media campaigns; organizing community outreach programs; educating parents and teachers during Parent-Teacher Association meetings; and working with youth groups to raise awareness.

By empowering these focal persons, HRAC established a sustainable framework for addressing DGBV at the grassroots level. The project emphasized the importance of collaborative efforts, leveraging the roles of schools, religious institutions, and community groups to eliminate harmful practices and support survivors.
Overall, this initiative underscores HRAC’s commitment to tackling DGBV through education, stakeholder engagement, and capacity-building. By equipping communities with the knowledge and tools to advocate for survivors and prevent violence, HRAC has laid a strong foundation for creating safer, more inclusive environments across Ghana.