Failing to disclose your STI status before sex is a crime-E/R DOVVSU Director

The Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit's (DOVVSU)  Eastern Regional Director, Chief Inspector Monica Agyemang, has cautioned that it is a criminal offence for any individual to engage in sexual relations without informing their partner of an existing sexually transmitted infection (STI) or disease.

She explained that knowingly concealing such information places the unsuspecting partner at risk and constitutes sexual abuse under Ghana’s laws, attracting severe penalties. Citing the Domestic Violence Act, Section 1(b)(ii), she noted that sexual contact by a person aware of being infected with HIV or any other STI, without prior disclosure to the partner, is explicitly recognised as an abuse of sexual integrity.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ engagement on Gender and Sexually-Based Violence organised by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in New Juaben North, Chief Inspector Agyemang urged young people to prioritise sexual health through honesty, regular medical check-ups, and protection. She further encouraged women and adolescent girls to report cases of sexual and gender-based violence to DOVVSU rather than remain silent.

The engagement, supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), brought together traditional leaders, faith-based organisations, civil society groups, security agencies, and the media to address sexual abuse, adolescent health, and gender equality.

NCCE Deputy Director of Programmes, Hargar Ampah, stressed the need to protect vulnerable groups from gender-based violence, while the New Juaben North Municipal Director of NCCE, Ebenezer Acheampong, underscored the Commission’s constitutional mandate to promote civic education. He highlighted that defilement, rape, and gender-based violence remain pressing issues in the municipality, warning that such cases must be reported to the police rather than settled privately.