Witchcraft and Violence in Ghana

No Peace in the House: Witchcraft Accusations as an "Old Woman's Problem" in Ghana

Witchcraft beliefs are a part of every day life in Ghana and a part of aging in Ghana as well. This is typically not a problem for older adults, in a country where the connotation of the English word “old” is more positive; a colloquial term for translating, “I am old” means “I have grown” (van der Geest 2005). In addition, older adults who are known to have the wisdom that comes with knowing w...

Physical violence during pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes in Ghana

BACKGROUND In pregnancy, violence can have serious health consequences that could affect both mother and child. In Ghana there are limited data on this subject. We sought to assess the relationship between physical violence during pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes (early pregnancy loss, perinatal mortality and neonatal mortality) in Ghana. METHOD The 2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey da...

Witchcraft and Magic in Ireland

Domestic Violence against Women in Ghana: An Exploratory Study in Upper West Region, Ghana

As elsewhere, domestic violence is prevalent in Ghana. This paper was conducted in the Upper West Region of Ghana and aimed to explore domestic violence from the perspectives of adult men and women. The study participants were selected based on purposive sampling. Due to its qualitative nature, 20 married male and female participants were recruited for the study. The data was obtained through i...

Determinants of domestic violence against women in Ghana.

BACKGROUND The prevalence of domestic violence remains unacceptably high with numerous consequences ranging from psychological to maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity outcomes in pregnant women. The aim of this study was to identify factors that increased the likelihood of an event of domestic violence as reported by ever married Ghanaian women. METHODS Data from the 2008 Ghana Demog...