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BMC Women's Health
Published in: BMC Women's Health 1/2018

Open Access 01-12-2018 | Research article

Ghanaian media coverage of violence against women and girls: implications for health promotion

Authors: Ebenezer Owusu-Addo, Sally B. Owusu-Addo, Ernestina F. Antoh, Yaw A. Sarpong, Kwaku Obeng-Okrah, Grace K. Annan

Published in: BMC Women's Health | Issue 1/2018

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Abstract

Background

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is an important public health issue. Framing studies indicate that how the news media cover public health issues is critical for designing effective health promotion interventions. Notwithstanding this, there is little research particularly in low-and middle-income country context examining how the news media frame VAWG. This paper examines news coverage of VAWG in Ghana, and the implications of this for health promotion.

Methods

This study used frame analysis as the methodological framework in examining how VAWG in Ghana is represented by the media. Qualitative content analysis approach to frame analysis was performed on 48 news articles which constituted the unit of analysis.

Results

The findings indicate that media framing of VAWG was episodic in nature as the acts of violence perpetrated against women and girls were presented as individual cases without reference to the wider social contexts within which they occurred. Similarly, victim blaming language was largely used in the news articles. In framing VAWG as an individual incident and women as helpless victims, the media fail to shape society’s perception of VAWG as a social and public health issue.

Conclusions

For the media in Ghana to contribute to the prevention of VAWG, there is the need for news coverage to focus on social construction of the issue, and also raise awareness about support services available to victims.
Footnotes
1
In Ghana, the Criminal Code amended by Act 458 section 2 (a) defines rape as the carnal knowledge of a female 16 years and above without her consent while defilement is the carnal knowledge of any female under 14 years of age, whether with or without her consent.
 
2
A total of 6380 more cases of VAWG were reported in 2014 as compared to 2011 (DOVVSU, 2014).
 
3
According to the 2010 census report, about one-fifth (20.1%) of the population in Ghana can read and write in the English language (Ghana Statistical Service, 2013).
 
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Metadata
Title
Ghanaian media coverage of violence against women and girls: implications for health promotion
Authors
Ebenezer Owusu-Addo
Sally B. Owusu-Addo
Ernestina F. Antoh
Yaw A. Sarpong
Kwaku Obeng-Okrah
Grace K. Annan
Publication date
01-12-2018
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Women's Health / Issue 1/2018
Electronic ISSN: 1472-6874
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-018-0621-1

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