Our programme in depth

According to our partners’ research, one in three women in Ghana has experienced violence in their lifetime.? Violence against women takes the form of physical, psychological, sexual and economic violence, and harmful traditional practices, and it takes place in the home, at school and in the workplace.?

Such violence against women and children is widely accepted, and there is little legal recourse for women to gain protection from abuse.? Police, health workers, local magistrates, teachers and welfare workers are inclined to see violence as a private matter, and Ghana lacks an infrastructure for the reporting of violence, at both state and local levels.? In this context it is not surprising that few women report abuse or seek help.

Against such a backdrop, WOMANKIND’s Nkyinkyim project in Ghana aims to ensure that violence against women and children is no longer tolerated or treated as a private problem, and that solutions are found, both at an individual level and throughout society.

The key tasks of the project are to:

Increase the reach of the COMBATs into new communities
Sensitize state agencies, opinion leaders and communities in understanding and responding to the prevalence of violence against women
Build and sustain civil society networks to make sure anti-violence against women activities are integrated into their organizations
Influence policy and practice at a local, regional and national level in relation to violence against women

Progress to date

The COMBATs (community based action teams) have earned respect in their communities, which has enabled them to achieve real benefits for women.? In each community, at least 500 men and women have taken part.? Both women and men have observed a clear reduction in violence against women.?

Women are increasingly making their own choices without fear, and enjoying rights which were previously denied them
They are more able to refuse unwanted sexual demands, choose the number of children they wish to have, and to own and control their own property
The increased independence of women is reflected in the growing number involved in independent income generating activities, credit schemes and community decision-making bodies

The Nkyinkyim programme is setting the standard for other organizations, and learnings from the COMBATs inform lobbying activities undertaken by partners and the National Coalition on Domestic Violence.? WOMANKIND has also introduced its Ghana partners to other partners around the world to share strategies on violence against women.