Ghanaian men who have championed eradication of violence against women

Gender-based violence (GBV) or violence against women and girls (VAWG), is a global pandemic that affects 1 in 3 women in their lifetime.

According to the World Bank, one-third of women worldwide - or nearly 1 billion women – have or will experience intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. This is equivalent to the population of Africa.

Globally, as many as 38% of murders of women are committed by an intimate partner. Recent global estimates indicate that 60 million girls age 20-24 were married before age 18.

There are lots of ways in which we can help. One of them is to speak out.

In accordance to the celebration of International Day for the Eradication of Violence Against Women, www.ghanaweb.com brings to you a list of some Ghanaian male celebrities generating awareness around this crime against women.

John Dumelo

The award-winning actor and NDC Parliamentary candidate for Ayawaso West Wuogon isn’t just an eye candy actor on your screen but also a strong voice against violence against women.

When Gabriella, an aspiring Victoria Secret model and actress shared her sad experience of domestic violence from her boyfriend of eight months on Instagram, John couldn’t just watch on. Apparently, he took to social media and called men who hit women cowards.

“For a man to exhibit such level of stupidity and immaturity means he’s ready to go to jail. Men who hit/beat women are cowards. No matter how much a woman provokes you, as a man you should learn to be a man and comport yourself. Men who beat women should be given the death sentence! Stop domestic violence!” his post read.

Among other things, Mr. Dumelo uses his status to campaign against the phenomenon.

Sarkodie

Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie is killing it on the microphone but behind the glamour of the stage lights lies a painful past. He is a domestic violence survivor who had an abusive childhood but that can’t stop him from moving forward. Now, he’s using his music to empower others. In a song titled Obibia, the rap king highlights the dangers of an abusive relationship. He has also on countless occasions on different platforms called out women abusers and advocated for the right treatment of the opposite sex.

Maurice Ampaw

Maurice may live in a world of his own but when it comes to his love for fighting against violence on women, you would definitely want to share in his world. The legal practitioner quest for dealing with the menace has seen him call on the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service and other law enforcement agencies to introduce domestic violence taskforce to combat domestic cases. The taskforce he opines will be needed to visit homes to educate the public about the law, arrest married couples or people who flout the law and also counsel them in order to perfect marriages.

Wanluv

Not only is Wanluv unbelievably talented, he is also a huge voice on violence against women. The ‘FoKn boy’ is fully aware of the horrors of domestic abuse. In August 2019, he urged the public to boycott Ghana’s biggest street art festival ( Chale Wote) because its creative director is a perceived abuser of his spouse.

u guys dey work with AccDotAlt whose director is known among the art community to be a sexual predator & woman abuser. kudos. #cancelled https://t.co/gXkHpQPUY0

— #Libilibi (@wanlov) August 11, 2019