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

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

doi:10.1186/s12905-018-0621-1

Abstract

BackgroundViolence 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.MethodsThis 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.ResultsThe 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.ConclusionsFor 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.

Highlights

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is an important public health issue
With regard to the kind of information on VAWG provided by the media, the results indicate that the media covered areas such as the nature of violence, the victims and the perpetrators involved in the act, the immediate cause of the violence, and the actions taken against the perpetrators
Implications for health promotion First, the findings suggest that VAWG in Ghana receives limited coverage in the media which emphasises the private nature of the issue

Summary

Introduction

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. This paper examines news coverage of VAWG in Ghana, and the implications of this for health promotion. Overview of violence against women and girls (VAWG) Globally, VAWG is a major public health threat for victims and society at large. A recent report of WHO with London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Medical Research Council [1] indicates that worldwide, about 35% of women have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence. Studies from Ghana indicate that violence against women has harmful effects on taking pregnancy to full term and the health of unborn babies [9]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion