The Ghana Police Service has issued a strong warning to married couples and partners in intimate relationships across the country.
According to the police, deliberately denying a spouse sexual relations may attract criminal punishment, including imprisonment.
The warning highlights how certain actions within marriage, often treated as private matters, can fall under criminal conduct when they cause emotional harm.
The police say such behaviour is recognised by law and can be prosecuted if reported and proven.
Speaking on the issue, Assistant Commissioner of Police Dennis Fiakpui explained that Ghana’s Domestic Violence Act, Act 732 of 2007, classifies some conduct in marriage as emotional abuse.
He said withholding sex from a spouse in a way that causes emotional distress is covered by the law.
“Denying your partner sex can amount to emotional abuse,” Fiakpui said.
The senior police officer noted that a spouse who files a complaint and proves emotional abuse in court may secure a conviction against the offending partner. Upon conviction, the offender could face up to two years in prison.
Fiakpui clarified that the law is not gender-biased. He said women who intentionally deny their husbands sexual relations could be charged under the Act.
Likewise, husbands who deny their wives sexual intimacy may also face investigation and prosecution.
He further explained that emotional abuse in marriage goes beyond sexual matters.
According to him, actions that consistently cause emotional pain, humiliation, or distress to a partner may form the basis of a complaint at the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU).
Fiakpui cited examples such as a husband repeatedly refusing to eat his wife’s food, deliberately staying out late, or engaging in conduct that leaves a partner emotionally distressed. He stressed that such actions, when persistent, can be reported to the police.
He urged individuals experiencing emotional abuse in their marriages to seek help from the authorities instead of enduring the situation in silence.
The Police Commissioner concluded that the police remain committed to protecting victims and enforcing the provisions of the law.