Sharing intimate images or videos without permission, as well as using them to blackmail someone, is a criminal offence under Ghanaian law, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has warned.
In a statement dated Friday, November 6, the ministry said it had received repeated reports involving indecent exposure, secret recordings of intimate encounters and threats to release private material.
It called on the Ghana Police Service and other law enforcement agencies to investigate complaints, protect victims and survivors, and ensure that due process is followed.
The Cyber Security Authority has also reported a sharp increase in online blackmail. Between January and April 2025, losses reported to the authority totalled GH¢499,044.
Consent does not cover recording or publication
The ministry said agreeing to an intimate relationship or sexual encounter did not amount to permission for the event to be recorded or made public.
“Equally, no individual has the right to use intimate images, videos or personal information to threaten, extort, humiliate or exercise control over another person,” it said.
It criticised the circulation of private images on social media, including posts accompanied by ridicule or sensational commentary. The deliberate sharing or reposting of such material could itself have legal consequences, it added.
“Public interest in an incident does not justify further violations of the privacy and dignity of the persons involved,” the statement said.
Women and men who have been threatened or affected were urged not to comply with demands, but to report the matter and seek protection. Bloggers and other social media users were also asked not to spread the material further.
Penalties under Act 1038
The ministry referred to the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), and the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038).
Under Section 67, distributing an identifiable person’s intimate image or prohibited visual recording without consent is an offence when it is intended to cause serious emotional distress. The provision also applies to anyone who causes another person to distribute the material.
The person must reasonably have expected privacy when the image was created and when it was shared. A conviction carries a sentence of not less than one year and not more than three years. Serious emotional distress includes fright, grief, anxiety, humiliation and physical pain.
Section 68 separately criminalises threats to distribute a prohibited intimate image or visual recording where the threat could reasonably cause distress and is made in a way that creates a reasonable fear it will be carried out. The penalty is also between one and three years’ imprisonment.
Sexual extortion is covered by Section 66. It prohibits threats, made by post, email, text or other electronic means, to distribute private images or moving images of a person engaged in sexually explicit conduct in order to harass, coerce, obtain money or another benefit, or force unwanted sexual activity. Carrying out the extortion is also covered by the same offence.
Section 66(2) applies where the image involves a child. A person who breaches either subsection can, under Section 66(4), receive between ten and twenty-five years in prison on summary conviction. The ministry’s explainer on teenagers online sets out further provisions of Act 1038 concerning images of children.
How to report
The Cyber Security Authority accepts reports by call or text on 292, WhatsApp on 0501603111, email at report@csa.gov.gh, or through the form on its website.
Anyone threatened with the release of an intimate image should report the matter immediately and must not pay. Complaints can also be made to the Ghana Police Service.
