The topics and abstracts are as follows:

Social Class Manifestations in Contemporary Religious Practices in Ghana

Dr. James Dzisah

While there is a consensus as to the diversity and divergence in religious rituals and practices in Ghana, the same cannot be said of social class manifestations. Nukunya (2003) for example, suggest that if social classes are understood as suggesting the existence of groups of individuals who are conscious of their economic and political interests and are consistently working to promote them at the expense of one another, then Ghanaian society does not have social classes. However, Assimeng (1999) supports the position that there is a form of stratification in Ghana. Utilizing an integrated qualitative methodology based on participant observation and in-depth interviews of forty-nine participants, this paper found that there is a nuanced expression of the reality of hierarchies within contemporary Christian religious practices but this reality is tinged with biblical normalization. The paper argues that Christians in Ghana prefer to speak about class-based manifestations in other denominations rather than their own.

Media Narratives of Child Sexual Abuse in Ghana: the potential for poly victimization

Dr. Peace Tetteh

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a relatively pervasive global phenomenon even though the discourse around it is often muted, uncomfortable and emotionally unpleasant. Many people would rather pretend that the problem does not exist rather than face it. Despite this, there exists a plethora of reports of the incidence of CSA in Ghana in both rural and urban areas. Apart from anecdotal evidence, a lot of the knowledge and awareness that people have of child sexual abuse have been gleaned from reports and narratives in the media. There exist a myriad of questions surrounding the media’s reportage of CSA and the nexus between these representations in the media and child rights and welfare. This study uses content analyses to unpack the media’s reportage of child sexual abuse and interrogates how the media narratives empower or disempower parties involved in incidences of child sexual abuse. Specifically, it assesses the content of the media narratives and the potential these hold for multiple (poly) victimization of victims as well as an increase in the vulnerability of children.