Domestic Violence in Africa: Your Rights and Where to Find Help
Domestic and intimate partner violence in Africa: what it is, what the law and the Maputo Protocol say, how to find safe help and how RFLD responds.
Last updated · October 6, 2026
Domestic violence is the most common form of violence women face in Africa. Most of it happens at home, at the hands of a husband, a partner or a relative. It is a human rights violation, and in a growing number of African countries it is a crime.
If you are in danger now, go to a safe place and contact someone you trust. Our SAFE page explains how to get help discreetly. RFLD does not track your IP address, and you can leave that page instantly with the Escape key.
Survivor Support Toolkit
Free tools for women and girls who have lived through violence, and for the people supporting them. Nothing you type here is saved, sent or stored. It disappears when you close the page.
1. What to do now: your next steps
Choose the situation closest to yours. You decide what to do and when.
- If you are in danger right now, move to a room with an exit and no weapons, or leave to a neighbour, a shop or any public place. Call the police or someone you trust.
- Get medical care for any injury, even if it looks small. Ask the health worker to record the injuries. A medical certificate helps if you file a complaint later.
- Make your safety plan with the tool below: trusted person, code word, documents, money, where to go.
- Keep a private record of what happens, only if it is safe for you. Use the incident diary below and print or send it to someone you trust.
- Talk to a women’s organisation. They can listen, help you think through your options and go with you to the police, the health centre or a lawyer. Start from our Get Support page.
- Know the law in your country with the finder below. Many countries now punish domestic violence and offer protection orders.
- Go to a safe place and, if you can, to someone you trust.
- Seek medical care within 72 hours if possible. A health centre can give treatment to prevent HIV, emergency contraception (most effective as early as possible, up to 5 days), care for injuries and a medical certificate. You can receive care without filing a complaint.
- If you may report later, keep the clothes you wore in a paper bag and avoid washing if you can. It is still your choice.
- Write down what you remember when you feel able: date, place, who, what was said. Use the incident diary below.
- Ask for emotional support. Shock, numbness, fear or anger are normal reactions. A counsellor or a women’s organisation can help. The calming exercise below can help in difficult moments.
- Decide about justice in your own time. A legal aid organisation can explain the steps and time limits in your country.
- If you are held or controlled, look for a safe moment to contact the police, a hospital, a church, a mosque or a trusted organisation. Ask for help in your own language.
- You are not to blame, even if you agreed to travel or to the job. Debts imposed by traffickers are not real debts.
- Your documents belong to you. Nobody has the right to keep your passport or ID card.
- Ask for protection. Most African countries have an anti-trafficking agency or a specialised police unit. International standards say survivors must not be punished for offences they were forced to commit.
- Get care and support: medical care, a safe place to stay, legal advice and help to return home or rebuild your life.
- Before any job or travel offer, check it with a trusted organisation, keep copies of your documents and agree on regular contact with your family.
- Find the laws of your country with the finder below: violence, marriage, family, land and health.
- Know your regional rights. The Maputo Protocol protects women’s right to life, integrity and security, equality in marriage, access to justice and inheritance.
- Keep copies of your identity documents, marriage certificate, children’s birth certificates and any land or property papers.
- Ask for free legal aid. Many women’s organisations and bar associations offer it. Start from our Get Support page.
- Report discrimination. National human rights institutions and, when national remedies fail, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights can receive complaints.
- Believe her and listen without judging. Say: “It is not your fault. I am here for you.”
- Do not confront the abuser or trafficker. It can put her and you in danger.
- Let her decide. Offer options, never pressure her to leave, report or forgive.
- Offer practical help: keep a copy of her documents, a bag or some money, agree on a code word, go with her to a service.
- Protect her privacy. Never share her name, photo or story without her written consent.
- Take care of yourself too. Supporting someone through violence is hard.
2. Build your safety plan
Tick what applies and fill in what helps. Print it or save it as a PDF only if it is safe for you to keep it, or give it to someone you trust.
People I can call
Where I can go
Things to keep ready
My children and me
3. Incident diary
A simple record can support a complaint, a protection order or a medical file. Only keep it if it is safe for you. Nothing is saved on this site.
4. Find the laws that protect you
Choose your country to open its profile with the laws on violence, marriage, family, land and health on RFLD’s Dɔnùesè platform.
5. Stay safer online
- Use private browsing, or delete this page from your history.
- Change passwords and turn on two-step verification.
- Check which apps and people can see your location.
- Do not delete threatening messages: take screenshots with the date and keep them somewhere safe.
- Report intimate images shared without consent to the platform. See our African Digital Safety Compendium.
6. A moment to breathe
When fear or panic rises, follow the circle: breathe in as it grows, out as it shrinks. Then name 5 things you see, 4 you can touch, 3 you hear, 2 you smell and 1 you taste.
You are not alone
RFLD’s 1,143 member organisations in more than 35 African countries support survivors every day. Read survivors’ stories, find help on our SAFE page or contact us at admin@rflgd.org.
How widespread is domestic violence in Africa?
The World Health Organization estimates that 32% of women in sub-Saharan Africa have experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner during their lives. Worldwide, about 140 women and girls are killed every day by a partner or a family member.
These figures only count what women report in surveys. Many survivors never speak about it, because violence at home is still treated as a private matter, as discipline or as a normal part of marriage.
What counts as domestic violence
Domestic violence, also called intimate partner violence or spousal violence (in French, violences conjugales), takes several forms. They often happen together.
- Physical violence: hitting, slapping, choking, burning, or threatening someone with a weapon.
- Sexual violence: forcing a wife or partner to have sex or to perform sexual acts. Marriage does not give anyone the right to sex without consent.
- Psychological violence: insults, humiliation, threats, isolation from family and friends, constant control of phone and movements.
- Economic violence: taking a woman’s income, stopping her from working, refusing to support the children, or selling family property without her consent.
What the law says
The Maputo Protocol, the African Union treaty on the rights of women, protects every woman’s right to life, integrity and security of the person. Its Article 4 requires States to adopt and enforce laws that prohibit all forms of violence against women, including unwanted or forced sex, whether it takes place in private or in public.
Several countries have specific laws. Ghana adopted its Domestic Violence Act in 2007. Benin’s Law 2021-11 sets special measures to punish gender based offences and protect women. Senegal made rape a serious crime in 2020. Gaps remain: in several countries marital rape is not clearly criminalised, protection orders are hard to obtain, and many cases end in family settlements instead of court.
The World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law 2024 gives countries an average score of 36 out of 100 on legal protection of women’s safety, which covers domestic violence, sexual harassment, child marriage and femicide. You can check the laws of your country on our Dɔnùesè legislative platform, for example for Benin, Ghana, Nigeria or Senegal.
Getting help safely
- Make a safety plan. Keep identity documents, some money and important phone numbers in a safe place or with someone you trust. Agree on a code word with a friend or neighbour.
- Get medical care. A health worker can treat injuries and record them. A medical certificate is often needed to file a complaint.
- Report when you are ready. Many police services now have gender desks or specialised units. A women’s organisation can go with you.
- Ask for legal aid. RFLD member organisations in many countries refer survivors to lawyers, paralegals and legal clinics. Start from our Get Support page.
How RFLD responds
RFLD is a pan-African feminist network of 1,143 member organisations in more than 35 African countries. On domestic violence, the network works at two levels. Locally, members run listening centres, shelters, counselling and legal aid, and RFLD funds grassroots women’s groups through the West African Feminist Fund. Regionally, RFLD tracks laws, publishes data and advocates before the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights for full implementation of the Maputo Protocol.
Frequently asked questions
Is domestic violence a crime in Africa?
It depends on the country. Some States have a specific law on domestic violence, others punish it through the general penal code. The Maputo Protocol, ratified by most African Union member states, requires every State party to prohibit and punish all forms of violence against women.
Can a husband be prosecuted for raping his wife?
In several African countries, yes. The Maputo Protocol covers forced sex in private life, including within marriage. Where national law is silent, women’s organisations are pushing for reform.
What if I am not ready to leave?
That is your decision. You can still make a safety plan, talk to a counsellor and learn about your rights. Good support services respect your choices and your pace.
How can I help a friend who is being abused?
Listen without judging, believe her, and avoid confronting the abuser, which can put her at greater risk. Share safe information such as our SAFE page, and offer practical help like keeping documents or going with her to a service.
Sources
Advance gender justice with RFLD
A pan-African feminist network of 1,143 member organisations across 35+ countries — advocacy, research, re-granting and direct service delivery.