Spotlight on Knowledge SPOTLIGHT ON KNOWLEDGE: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

In this paper, Adomako Ampofo discusses the activism and struggles that gave birth to the domestic violence law in Ghana. A professor in African Studies and a women’s rights activist herself, Adomako Ampofo traces the trajectory of Ghanaian women organizing for change from the pre-colonial period, through the independent struggles to the passage of the domestic violence bill into law. She particularly highlights the activities of the Coalition of Domestic Violence Legislation, which was established in 2003 to push specifically for the passage of the legislation. She points out that at various times, the Coalition worked closely with, and at other times independent of, or even in conflict with, the state to ensure that the passage of the bill into law became a reality. This paper is a masterpiece on civil society’s role in shaping the definition of Domestic violence in Ghana and by extension how this definition changed the discourse of Domestic Violence in the country.