News
Forcibly sleeping with wife punishable – Experts
- /home/u249204778/domains/spectator.com.gh/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 27
https://spectator.com.gh/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Some-participants-at-the-meeting.jpg&description=Forcibly sleeping with wife punishable – Experts', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
- Share
- Tweet /home/u249204778/domains/spectator.com.gh/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 72
https://spectator.com.gh/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Some-participants-at-the-meeting.jpg&description=Forcibly sleeping with wife punishable – Experts', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
There is a limit to everything in this world and it is better for humans especially men to becareful of their actions and inactions that have the tendency of coming into conflict with the law.
It is, therefore, a crime for married men to forcibly have sex with their wives because marriage is not a guarantee for marital rape.
Two panelists at a stakeholders’ engagement on violence against women at Wa on Tuesday cautioned men against marital rape which according to them was punishable by law.
The panel members unanimously argued that although the general notion after marriage was that women were available for sex, there were instances they were overwhelmed by natural circumstances that did not permit sex and the husbands were expected to understand and excuse them.
The meeting formed part of a 16-days activism for the commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Children and was held by the Network for Young Women Empowerment, a non-governmental organization at Wa in the Upper West Region.
The Commander at the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DVVSU) at the Regional Police Command, Assistant Superintendent of Police, (ASP) Adongo Apiiya said marital rape was seriously perpetuated in most homes and the women who were left victimised had no voice to complain due to social stigma.
“Marriage comes with sexual relations but when the woman says she is sick and not feeling well, she should not be coerced into having an affair she is not ready for because that could compound her situation”, he stated.
He explained that wellness was not just about the physical being and indicated that women could be suffering from some emotional or psychological trauma at the time and was incumbent on the husbands to see to their recovery before they requested for such intimate responsibilities from them.
“If a woman is bold enough to report marital rape to the police and she is able to provide enough evidence to substantiate her claims, the husband can suffer legal consequences because even though she is his wife, she has the right to say no to sex when she is not well”, he added.
He, however, cautioned women against hiding behind legal protection to deny their husbands sex when they were clearly capable of going into the act but encouraged them to embrace their marital responsibilities for happier homes.
Adding his voice, a broadcaster with the regional station of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Mr Seidu Bhomajo also said even after the woman had consented to a sexual relation, she had the right to withdraw the consent in the course of the act and the man had to respect her wishes.
He called on his colleague males to regard sexual relations as an act of mutual understanding and avoid coercion in order to make their wives excited in their marriages.
From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Wa
Deputy Director of Operations at the Presidency, Mustapha Gbande, has alleged that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) appears more concerned and emotionally invested in the imprisonment of its Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, than the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Speaking on Joy Prime on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Accra, Mr. Gbande argued that the NPP played a major role in the legal process that led to Wontumi’s conviction.
According to him, the law under which Wontumi was convicted originally carried a maximum prison sentence of three years but was later amended by the NPP administration to increase the maximum punishment to 15 years.
“The law that jailed Wontumi was three years. The NPP enhanced it to 15 years,” he stated.
Mr. Gbande further claimed that the evidence used to prosecute Wontumi was gathered during the previous NPP administration.
He maintained that the case against the NPP chairman did not begin under the current government but was built by officials who served in the former administration.
“The docket that jailed Wontumi was built by the NPP. The evidence that convicted him was built by the NPP,” he asserted.
To support his argument, Mr. Gbande referred to actions taken by the former Minister for Lands and Natural Resources in July 2022, when the minister declared activities linked to Wontumi in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve illegal.
He stressed that once an activity has been declared illegal, it remains a breach of the law regardless of who is involved.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has warned that traders, transport operators, businesses and individuals who refuse to accept Ghana cedi coins as payment for goods and services could face arrest, prosecution, fines or imprisonment.
In a public notice issued on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, the central bank expressed concern over the widespread refusal to accept 1 pesewa, 5 pesewa, 10 pesewa, 20 pesewa and 50 pesewa coins, as well as the GH¢1 and GH¢2 coins.
It explained that all coins issued by the Bank of Ghana remain legal tender and must be accepted for transactions across the country.
According to the BoG, none of the coins has been withdrawn from circulation or demonetised, and no trader, transport operator, business or individual has the right to reject them because they consider them inconvenient or of low value.
The bank cited the Bank of Ghana Act, 2002 (Act 612), as amended, and the Currency Act, 1964 (Act 242), as the laws governing the use of the country’s currency.
It noted that under the Currency Act, refusing to sell goods or provide services simply because a customer is paying with legal tender coins or banknotes is a criminal offence, unless the currency has been withdrawn from circulation.
The BoG stated that anyone convicted of the offence could face up to three years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.
It added that people who encourage or instruct others to reject coins, including business owners who direct their employees to do so, are equally liable under the law.
The bank further indicated that a person caught committing the offence may be arrested without a warrant.
To ensure compliance, the BoG said it would work with the Ghana Police Service and other law enforcement agencies to enforce the law against offenders.
It encouraged members of the public to report cases of coin rejection to the nearest Bank of Ghana office, the Ghana Police Service or through the bank’s official communication channels.
The central bank called on individuals, businesses and institutions to accept and handle Ghana’s currency responsibly in all its denominations, saying this would help uphold confidence in the country’s legal tender.
By: Jacob Aggrey
