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On Tuesday, 28th September 2021, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) through the Domestic Violence Secretariat (DVS) launched Ghana’s first ever ‘Domestic Violence Information Portal’ – DVIP.
This historic move demonstrates MoGCSP’s commitment to provide a one-stop-shop database on Domestic/Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Child Marriage in Ghana.
The Domestic Violence Information Portal was developed by the Ministry of Gender in collaboration with UNFPA GHANA to provide and enhance data sharing amongst all stakeholders in the fight against Domestic/Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Child Marriage.
DVIP also serves as a central repository of up to-date knowledge on Child Marriage to the general public since it will help to ensure that policymakers, academics, practitioners, and the general public have access to updated and relevant information on the subject matter and use it appropriately.
About Domestic Violence Secretariat
The Domestic Violence Secretariat was established by Domestic Violence Act, 2007 Act 732.
The Secretariat is managed by a thirteen (13) member Management Board established by the Domestic Violence Act.
The overall goal of the Domestic Violence Secretariat (DVS) is to facilitate the elimination of domestic violence from the Ghanaian Society, create family cohesion and provide for a peaceful environment for national development.
MANDATE
The mandate of the Domestic Violence Secretariat is to provide protection against domestic violence particularly for women and children.
The Child Marriage Information Portal
- Child marriage refers to a marriage or a union (cohabitation) where one or both parties in the marriage are below the age 18 years. According to Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, a person under the age of 18 is a child and therefore, cannot marry or be given off in marriage. Although child marriage affects both sexes, girls are disproportionately affected.2018 UNICEF data indicates that child marriage among girls are highest in Sub-Saharan Africa, where around 4 in 10 young women were married before age 18 and though decreasing globally, still, the total number of girls married in childhood stands at 12 million per year.
- A new focus has thus been placed on the critical importance of addressing child marriage in the new SDGs Agenda –under Goal 5- eliminating all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation, with specific target to eliminate child marriage by 2030. In addition, there is a renewed call by West and Central African countries to take bold measures to address child marriage as outlined in the outcome document of the High-Level 2nd African Girls Summit on Ending Child Marriage held in Ghana in November, 2018.
- To complement national efforts by Government and Civil Society partners, a UNFPA-UNICEF Global Program on Ending Child Marriage is currently being implemented in 12 countries, one of which is Ghana. The Governments of Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Norway, Belgium, the European Union and Zonta International fund it globally. Currently in its Phase II (2020-2024) design stage, in 2018 the Global Program reached almost three million girls at risk/affected by child marriage with critical information, skills programs and services.
As part of DV Secretariat’s commitment to provide a one-stop-shop database on child marriage Ghana, the unit in collaboration with UNFPA under the Annual Work Plan (AWP) for the year 2020 developed this Portal that readily shares information on Child marriage, SGBV and its related issues in an open source by a press of a button.
