Published June 11, 2025
The African Women Lawyers Association, Ghana (AWLA-Ghana), has issued a strongly worded statement decrying the persistent and increasingly brutal acts of violence perpetrated against women in Ghana. The Association’s latest concerns follow the harrowing report of the rape and murder of a 40-year-old nursing mother, Madam Afia Koowah, at Awutu Breku in the Central Region.
According to AWLA-Ghana, the victim was discovered in an uncompleted building near the Awutu Breku Eye Clinic under circumstances that, in the Association’s own words, were “senseless and brutish.” The crime, the Association maintains, is emblematic of the pervasive abuse of women’s rights in Ghana and underscores the urgent need for systemic reform and intensified enforcement of existing legal protections.
AWLA-Ghana’s statement further recalls several unresolved and distressing incidents of gender-based violence, including:
• The alleged murder of Joana Deladem Yabani, a final-year Biomedical Sciences student at KNUST, reportedly by her boyfriend who is also a student at the institution;
• The suspicious death of a teenager, Nana Zinabu, in Twifo Praso, whose body was discovered in her bedroom with her mouth appearing to be sealed with glue, and three used condoms found at the scene;
• The unresolved disappearance of Rhodaline Amoah Darko, a Senior Lands Administrative Officer with the Lands Commission, missing for nearly four years. Her husband, Dr Wilberforce Aggrey, a lecturer at KNUST, remains on bail pending prosecution for kidnapping.
These cases, AWLA-Ghana asserts, illustrate a pattern of impunity and systemic failure in addressing violence against women. Despite repeated advocacy efforts and growing public outcry, the response of relevant authorities, including law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies, remains inadequate.
In its statement, AWLA-Ghana announced its intention to hold a watching brief in the matter of Madam Afia Koowah and other related cases. This is consistent with its broader strategy to ensure effective investigation and efficient prosecution of all acts of violence against women, particularly those involving intimate partner violence, family violence, and sexual offences.
The Association has urged the Ghana Police Service and other relevant state actors to act with urgency and diligence to bring the perpetrators of such heinous crimes to justice. It has also reiterated its commitment to monitoring the investigative and prosecutorial processes closely, providing legal support to victims and their families, and advocating for legislative and institutional reforms to address the scourge of gender-based violence.
