On the occasion of the 2026 International Women’s Day celebration, the Media Foundation for West Africa’s (MFWA) Programme Assistant for Media for Democracy and Good Governance, Paul Kofi Gozo, reflects in this piece on the growing safety concerns facing female journalists in Ghana and why urgent action is needed.
On Friday, 11 July 2025, the Ablekuma North constituency parliamentary rerun turned violent. During the altercation, a masked man deliberately turned toward JoyNews digital journalist Sally Martey and without provocation, slapped and shoved her.
“I did nothing. He just came at me and attacked me,” a visibly shaken Sally recounted afterward. She was there to report as she had always done. Nothing more.
Sally’s ordeal is far from isolated. Several female journalists have faced similar attacks, including Akosua Otchere of Citi FM/Channel One TV and Ohemaa Sakyiwaa of Adom FM, who was not only slapped but also had her phone destroyed.
Sadly, the challenges faced by female journalists in Ghana are akin to being caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. On one side, they face physical and online attacks and threats for simply doing their jobs. On the other side, they contend with intimidation, sexual harassment, and limited opportunities for advancement within the newsroom.
In fact, every story put forward by a female journalist carries not just professional responsibility, but also a personal risk.
As Ghana marks International Women’s Day on March 08 under the theme “Rights. Justice. Action.”, Sally’s experience, along with those of many other female journalists speaks directly to the three pillars of this year’s celebration: the right to work safely and freely, the pursuit of justice in the face of abuse and harassment, and the urgent call for action to protect and empower women in every sphere, particularly the media.
Right – To Work Safely and Freely
Article 24(1) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana states that “every person has the right to work under satisfactory, safe and healthy conditions, and shall receive equal pay for equal work without distinction of any kind.” This constitutional guarantee affirms that every Ghanaian, including female journalists, is entitled to carry out their professional duties without fear of violence, harassment, or discrimination.
However, the reality on the ground says otherwise especially for most of female journalists. Research conducted during the development of the MFWA’s Strategy Document on Promoting Gender Equality in Ghana, revealed that deep-seated gender inequalities, entrenched in content and institutional structures, continue to undermine the ability of the media to reflect and champion the diversity of the Ghanaian society. It was noted that women occupy less than 30% of leadership positions in Ghanaian media organisations, with even fewer holding the most influential roles such as Editor-in-Chief or Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
While women enter journalism schools and the profession in large numbers (often outnumbering men), their representation declines sharply at the upper levels of newsroom leadership. This disparity points not to a shortage of qualified women, but to structural barriers that limit their progression into positions where editorial direction and institutional priorities are determined.
As if this isn’t enough, the imbalance extends to content. Several monitoring exercises in the past few years show that women are quoted less frequently than men in stories on politics, economics and governance. In fact, women and girls are often relegated to reproductive, stereotypical or hypersexualised roles in media narratives.
Additionally, findings from the 2025 Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) show that progress toward gender equality in media representation has largely stalled. Globally, women account for only 26% of people seen, heard, or spoken about in print and broadcast news — a figure that has changed by just nine percentage points over the past 30 years, with only a two-point increase recorded in the last fifteen years. This pattern suggests that gains in women’s visibility in the news have largely flatlined since around 2010.
When women’s voices are absent or underrepresented in the stories shaping public discourse, the result is an incomplete portrayal of society and a public debate that fails to fully reflect the experiences and perspectives of half the population.
Justice – Must be Done and Seen to be Done
“Freedom and Justice,” the two democratic ideals embedded in our national emblem — the Coat of Arms — speak to the need for a society where liberty is protected and fairness prevails for all.
To this end, while freedom is assured and justice is served, it is not enough for justice to merely be done. As Lord Stewart famously noted, “justice should not only be done, but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done.”
Unfortunately, since violence against journalists started being documented, not a single security personnel has been criminally prosecuted for the attack of journalists in Ghana since 2006 even though several assaults have been reported. This long-standing pattern of impunity means that security personnel who physically attack journalists often face no formal criminal charges for the abuse itself.
In fact, the only time a security officer was brought before a court in connection with an assault on journalists was not for the violence against the journalists, but for unrelated traffic and licensing offences after the incident.
In the widely condemned March 14, 2019 case involving three Ghanaian Times reporters, Sergeant Ebenezer Akrofi was charged in motor court with seven counts related to careless riding and use of an unregistered motorcycle but none of the charges addressed the police assault on the journalists themselves.
During the assault, the only female among the journalists, Raissa Sambou Ebu, who was a nursing mother at the time, had recently undergone a caesarean section. Sergeant Akrofi reportedly used his elbow and fist to punch Raissa in the abdomen, causing her to collapse and requiring her to be rushed to the emergency unit of Ridge Hospital for treatment.
Over the years, this lack of accountability has sent a dangerous signal that violence against journalists carries no cost.
Beyond external accountability, justice must also extend inside the media institutions. Stakeholder consultations under the development of the MFWA’s Strategy Document revealed the non-reportage and absence of gender-sensitive policies addressing critical issues like discrimination, representation, participation, gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH), making them go underreported. This often leads to psychological stress, professional withdrawal or self-censorship.
While the media demands transparency and accountability from public institutions. To remain credible, it must uphold those same standards internally.
Action – To Protect and Empower
The MFWA Strategy Document on Gender Equality offers a practical roadmap for advancing gender equality in the Ghanaian media. It calls for the enforcement of zero-tolerance anti-harassment policies, the institutionalization of confidential reporting systems, regular gender audits of newsroom leadership and media content, expanded mentorship pathways, and the integration of gender-sensitive editorial standards into everyday newsroom practice.
These measures complement Ghana’s broader legislative momentum, including the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024 (Act 1121). However, policy frameworks alone are not enough; they must translate into real change on the ground. Media owners, editors, and professional bodies must establish measurable targets and monitor progress. Protecting women journalists physically and digitally must become an institutionalised practice rather than a reactive response.
As we mark International Women’s Day the questions for reflection include: Are women journalists safer today than they were yesterday? Are newsroom cultures genuinely equitable? Are women shaping the governance narratives they risk their safety to report?
On this International Women’s Day, the call to Rights. Justice. Action. must go beyond symbolism. Rights must be protected. Justice must be enforced. Action must be sustained. Anything less leaves our democracy exposed and erodes the gains made.
