RT Article
T1 A Vignettes-Based Exploration of Attitudes of Parents Toward Reporting of Child Sexual Abuse in Ghana
JF Journal of interpersonal violence
VO 38
IS 7/8
SP 6138
OP 6166
A1 Amo-Adjei, Joshua
A2 Deliege, Antoine
A2 Nurzhynska, Anastasiya
A2 Essuman, Ruth
A2 Khan, Muhammad Rafiq
LA English
YR 2023
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1837991049
AB Reporting child sexual abuse (CSA) to law enforcement institutions is the ideal child protection imperative. The role of parents in this process is unquestionably profound. Yet, there is limited evidence on parental perspectives on reporting CSA to law enforcement agencies in developing country contexts. We apply vignettes to describe the views of parents about reporting CSA perpetrated by “family members, schoolteachers, and strangers.” Data was collected from 89 parents from four culturally diverse regions of Ghana. A systematic inductive approach was used to determine patterns and similarities in participants’ attitudes toward reporting. We note that the attitudes of participants about reporting CSA varied considerably; these are influenced by the nature of social relationships between the victim and perpetrator. In a seeming order of severity, CSA perpetrated by a family member was viewed less seriously compared to victimization by a teacher or a stranger. The desire to preserve familial/kin ties and reputation and keeping to the cultural heritage of resolving “disputes and disagreements” amicably were primary norms against reporting CSA. However, attitudes toward reporting CSA by teachers were influenced by expectation of higher moral standards, which made reporting CSA by a teacher a reasonable cause of action. Positive attitudes toward reporting CSA by “strangers” were prevalent. Child protection programs must recognzse the segmented attitudes toward CSA and tackle the deep-seated cultural and social norms through social and behavioral change communication (SBCC).
K1 Ghana
K1 Norms
K1 Social Relations
K1 Child Sexual Abuse
DO 10.1177/08862605221127215