Ghana Police Warn: Refusing Sex in Marriage Could Lead to Two-Year Prison Sentence
Ghana’s domestic violence framework recognises the intentional denial of sexual relations within marriage as a possible form of emotional abuse, the Ghana Police Service has cautioned.
The warning was issued by Assistant Commissioner of Police Dennis Fiakpui during an interaction with journalists, PulseNets learnt.
Fiakpui explained that the Domestic Violence Act, 2007 (Act 732) clearly outlines behaviours within intimate and marital relationships that can constitute emotional or psychological harm, even when no physical violence is involved.
According to the senior police officer, a spouse who deliberately withholds sex from their partner in a manner that causes emotional suffering may be acting in violation of the law, provided a formal complaint is lodged and the matter is successfully proven in court.
“When the refusal of intimacy is calculated to punish or emotionally destabilise a partner, it may fall within the scope of emotional abuse,” Fiakpui stated.
PulseNets obtained that the Oti Regional Deputy Police Commander further clarified that women who consistently deny their husbands sexual relations, where such actions result in emotional distress, could be charged under the law and, if convicted, face a jail term of up to two years.
He, however, stressed that the legislation is not gender-specific and applies equally to both spouses within a marriage.
“The law does not excuse men,” Fiakpui noted. “If a husband’s actions—such as refusing intimacy, neglecting the home, or engaging in conduct that causes emotional pain—leave the wife distressed, she also has the right to report the matter for investigation.”
The police officer added that persistent behaviours like deliberate neglect, emotional withdrawal, or repeated actions that make a spouse unhappy could form the basis of a domestic violence complaint under Ghanaian law.
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The clarification has sparked renewed public discussion around marital rights, consent, and the broader interpretation of emotional abuse within Ghana’s legal system.
