Feminist Studies
PUBLIC PERCEPTION AND KNOWLEDGE OF FEMALE SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN ACCRA
Sexual harassment for a long period of time, has been contextualized as a workplace
environment phenomenon, however it is a societal problem. Gender-based violence including
sexual harassment and sexual assault in Ghana, are not treated seriously. This can be linked to
the patriarchal society that Ghana is, which has male entitlement of female bodies, a persistent
rape culture which fosters victim blaming and shaming.
It is against this background that, this study sought to explore the perceptions and understanding
of Ghanaians in Accra on female sexual harassment. Using the qualitative approach, interviews
were used to seek the views of twenty respondents of the public on sexual harassment and expert
knowledge on media discussions reporting and discussions on female sexual harassment.
The findings revealed that majority of the respondents had little to no knowledge about sexual
harassment. However, after furnishing them with the definition, majority of male respondents
admitted to being offenders while female respondents revealed they were victims of sexual
harassment. Also, experts positioned that media discussions and reportage on female sexual
harassment were generally poor. In line with the findings, recommendations made included the
development and adoption of a comprehensive communication strategy for the ministry of
Gender, Children and Social Protection on sexual harassment and the need for media persons and
journalists to be trained in sexual harassment and sexual assault reporting and discussions.
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