Guidance

Ghana: information for victims of rape and sexual assault

Published 7 October 2022

If you have been sexually assaulted it is important to remember that it was not your fault. Rape and sexual assault is always wrong – no matter who commits it or where it happens. It is traumatic and it can affect you both physically and emotionally. Do not be afraid to get help.

This information is provided to help British nationals overseas make informed decisions about whether and how to:

• seek medical advice and attention
• report to local police
• engage with foreign legal authorities following a rape or other form of sexual assault overseas

For information on support available in the UK, see Rape and Sexual Assault: Returning to the UK.

First steps

It is your choice about what you do next, but this information may help you in coming to a decision. The most important thing is to make sure that you are as safe as you can be. You can:

• contact the emergency police number in Ghana on 191 or 18555
• contact your tour operator if you are travelling with one
• contact the British High Commission in Accra or call the high commission on +233 302 213 200. High Commission staff will be polite, patient, sensitive and non-judgmental, and can provide information on local police and medical procedures. Anything you tell them will be treated in the strictest confidence. They can contact your family or friends for you if you wish

If you want to report the incident to the police in Ghana

If you have a tour operator, they should be able to arrange for someone to support you. If you do not have a tour operator and you would like assistance from the British High Commission, we will try to send a consular officer to support you, where timing and location allow. You will always be able to speak to trained consular staff on the telephone 24/7.

If you approach the police directly, you can also ask them to inform the British High Commission in Accra on +233 302 213 200.

If you choose to report the crime, try to do so as soon as possible, so forensic evidence can be retained. Washing yourself or your clothes may make it difficult for the police to obtain forensic evidence. If you change your clothes, think about taking those you were wearing to the police. You may wish to preserve evidence by retaining items such as condoms, toothbrushes, or texts.

Tell the police if you think you have been drugged.

You should ask for a copy of the police report. In Ghana, the police report will be conducted in English.

It is likely that the police will allow us to accompany you. However, accompanying you will only be for welfare basis.

If you do not want to report the incident to the police in Ghana

The British High Commission in Accra will be able to help you. This includes helping you to contact your insurance company, your family, making arrangements to travel back to the UK and/or provide you with information on local support in the UK.

They can provide you with lists of English speaking medical facilities and lawyers.

If you are travelling with one, you can report the incident to your tour operator and ask them for assistance. Where possible and if you wish, the tour operator may accompany you to the local hospital.

It is your choice on whether to report the crime, but if you do not report it, your case may not be investigated if there is a lack of forensic evidence.

In Ghana, crimes should be reported in person.

If you do not report the crime, you may still be able to get medical examination but not a forensic examination.

If you want to report the incident to the police in the UK

It is possible to report the crime to police in the UK. However, it is for foreign police forces to decide whether to investigate a crime in their jurisdiction. UK police forces cannot investigate crimes committed overseas.

If you report the incident to the police in the UK, it is likely that the police in the UK will treat it as a complaint rather than a report of a crime. It can therefore be very difficult to guarantee that any justice can be accessed without reporting the crime locally.

See guidance on rape and sexual assault: returning to the UK for more information.

Reporting the crime in Ghana

If you are reporting a crime in Ghana, the police will take a statement/report as to what has happened and they may ask you for the description of the attacker.

If you change your clothes, think about taking those you were wearing to the police, as the police will keep any clothes, which may be evidence of your attack to present to a forensic examiner. They may also take your personal effects to use as evidence.

The medical examination: what to expect

All government hospitals and private clinics in Ghana treat victims of rape and sexual assault. It is advisable to go to a government hospital for evidential purposes as prosecution court accepts medical forms from these hospitals.

The medical officer on duty carries out the examination and sends the report to the police.

Consular staff can accompany you to the hospital should you wish, but this will only be for welfare basis.

Treatment

Government hospital and private clinic medical staff can give you advice on Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) medication, a treatment that may prevent HIV infection. This can be prescribed at any hospital. More information on risks is on the NHS website..

HIV PEP medication needs to be taken within 72 hours of the incident for it to be effective. The NHS may be able to commence or continue the 28-day treatment on return to the UK.

In Ghana, emergency contraception can be bought from local pharmacies or given to you at the hospital as part of the emergency treatment. It needs to be taken within 72 hours of the incident for it to be effective. However, the pharmacy may ask for prescription depending on your age.

Hospital care is private in Ghana, therefore you may be asked to pay for your treatment. You can make a claim through your insurance.

If you have had medication administered overseas, you may wish to keep the label or make a note of the name of the medication, so that you can tell your local health provider the details of your medication when you return home.

Police investigations in Ghana: what to expect

You will be required to give a statement.

You will be taken to the police station for identification once the accused is apprehended. This may be done in an open room, and therefore, both the accused and victim may be able to see each other during identification.

The police may take you and the accused to the scene of the crime for a reconstruction of the case. At this stage, you may come into contact with the accused. To avoid post-event trauma, you may request to not have contact with the accused.

An arrest in Ghana can take up to a few years. There is no limit on how long it can take. When the police enquiry is complete, the information will be passed to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The DPP then chooses the right offence, followed by an indictment. You and the accused will then be called to court, and trial will start.

After the case is filed, you can leave the country. However once trial starts, you will have to be in country to give evidence. If you decide to leave country, you will have to provide the court and police with a reliable postal address and contact number so that you can be informed of when trials will start. Contact details should also include the email address and if available, WhatsApp details.

Court procedures

If the accused is ordered to trial, you will be expected to testify in court. You will have to testify in Ghana, as testifying from UK can be difficult and requires approval from the court. However, you do not need to be present at every court session.

If you wish to drop charges, you will have to write to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP)/police to say that you do not wish to proceed with the case. However, the DPP/police can still insist that the case be heard as final decision rests with them. Indictment cases cannot be withdrawn.

The accused party can bring a civil action for damages against you if they believe that you have made a false accusation. If accusations are found to be false, police may also prosecute for ‘deceit of a public officer’.

Taking case to trial

The Director of Public Prosecutions/police decides if a case goes to court.

There is no time delay for reporting a criminal crime. This must be done in country, and you can report the crime yourself.

Trial procedures

The police will inform the parties of the trial dates. The proceedings are conducted in English. Witnesses can depone in any language they wish. English is the official language of the court. Everyone is expected to speak in English unless if it is not the language of the party.

If you have to attend trial in Ghana, Ghanaian authorities will not assist with travel and accommodation arrangements.

It normally takes about one year for the case to come to trial; however, this may be longer depending on how the case is proceeding.

Communication

The police will normally communicate with you, especially when attendance is required in court.

Legal aid

You do not require legal aid in a criminal case as it is led by the DPP/police.

When you return to the UK

You may want to let your GP or a Sexual Assault Referral Centre know what has happened to you so that you can talk about the experience and seek further support and advice.

If you believe you may be at risk of having contracted a sexually transmitted infection (STI), you should ask your local health provider to test you. You should do this even if you have been tested in Ghana.

Read our advice on returning to the UK after rape and sexual assault abroad.

Support organisations in Ghana and UK

It is your choice to let people know about an assault. If you are ready to talk about it, the following organisation may be able to help you.

Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) is a unit in the Ghana Police Service. It has the capacity to oversee matters of domestic abuse against women and children. DOVVSU has a mission to prevent, apprehend and prosecute culprits of domestic violence and child abuse.

GPS Headquarters
Ring Road East
Cantonments
Ghana

Telephone/helpline: 055-100-0900- DOVVSU helpline; +233 302 779 300/+233 302 779 302-5

Email: info@police.gov.gh

Website: https://police.gov.gh/en/index.php/domestic-violence-victims-support-unit-dovvsu/