Willingness to Report Sexual Offenses to the Police in Ghana

Abstract

This study examined reasons why women in Ghana would report or not report sexual offenses to the police. Using a representative field survey, data were collected during summer of 2011 (N = 431) in the capital, Accra. We found that women would report sexual offenses because they want the offender to be caught and punished, and because crimes should be reported. Reasons for not reporting include when women consider the incident not serious enough, the perpetrator is known, and family will solve it. A multivariate analysis shows that only previous sexual victimization is a significant predictor of sexual offense reporting among women in Ghana.

Keywords:

• sexual assault
• victimization
• violence against women