Abstract
Various estimates in Ghana put the prevalence of physical and emotional abuse between 12.4% to 44.4% of children, and the prevalence of sexual abuse between 2.4% and 6.5% of children under age 17 (Investing in Children Earns Huge Dividends, 2015). About 650,00 Ghanaians suffer from severe mental health disorders and over two million Ghanaians suffer from moderate to mild mental health disorders (Harvard Global Health Institute, 2020). Adjorlolo et al. (2017) found evidence of childhood maltreatment at the child, caregiver, household, and community levels in Ghana, and concluded that childhood maltreatment significantly predicted, and accounted for, significant variance in depression, self-efficacy, and life satisfaction, as well high depression scores among Ghanaian children. Despite these grave concerns, addressing child maltreatment in Ghana has yet to gain the full attention it needs. This ongoing mixed-methods study seeks to establish whether primary prevention approaches are utilized to address child maltreatment in Ghana. Preliminary findings indicate that child maltreatment in Ghana is addressed from a reactionary/secondary approach, and factors such as cultural norms and practices, insufficient funding, lack of training of child welfare workers, and disjointed governmental efforts contribute to a lack of primary prevention approaches to mitigate child maltreatment in Ghana.
Presenters
Hadih DeedatAssistant Professor, Social Work, West Chester University, Pennsylvania, United States Jerry John Nkrumah
Part-time Lecturer, Media and Business, Multimedia Institute of Ghana, Ghana
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2023 Special Focus: Agency in an Era of Displacement and Social Change
KEYWORDS
SOCIAL WELFARE, CHILD WELFARE PRACTICE, CHILD MALTREATMENT, INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL WORK
