Cultural Norms, Faith Communities, and Perceptions of Child Sexual Abuse in the UK-Based Ghanaian Diaspora
AI Summary
Early sexualisation and adultification, plus patriarchal norms, purity expectations and victim blaming, create cultural barriers that inhibit disclosure.
Religious institutions are experienced as simultaneously protective and complicit, shaping responses to abuse and sometimes enabling silence.
Younger Ghanaian women in the diaspora increasingly prioritise accountability and child centred perspectives, signalling a generational shift against enforced silence.
Violence Against Women. 2026 Jul 7:10778012261461588. doi: 10.1177/10778012261461588. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
This study examines attitudes toward disclosing sexual violence and confronting unwanted sexual contact as children/adolescents among Ghanaian-born women living in the United Kingdom. Semi-structured interviews with eight women (ages 22-38) were analyzed thematically. Findings reveal early sexualization, adultification, and cultural barriers to disclosure, including patriarchal norms, purity expectations, and victim-blaming. Religious institutions were seen as both protective and complicit in abuse. Despite pressures to remain silent, younger women demonstrated a shift toward accountability and child-centered perspectives. While limited by sample size and virtual interview challenges, this study highlights a generational transition in attitudes toward sexual violence within the Ghanaian diaspora.
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