The seminar entitled ‘Religious contexts of women’s vulnerability to HIV in Ghana‘ will be delivered by Dr Yaw Adjei-Amoako on Thursday 6 October from 1-2pm. Join us at the Sorby Room in the Wager Building on Whiteknights Campus. This seminar is open to all University staff and students.
Abstract:
HIV continues to exact its toll in sub-Saharan African countries, including Ghana, distorting their demographics, and weakening their economies and institutions. Little is known about the role that religious denominations play in the spread or control of HIV in Ghana. Using semi-structured interviews and focus group discussion data collected in various Christian congregations in rural and urban areas in Ghana, this paper explores how women’s vulnerability to HIV are mediated by type of Christian denomination – ‘mainstream’ churches or ‘healing’ churches. The results point to differences in women’s exposure to HIV-related information, knowledge, attitudes and behaviour to the disadvantage of women who attended healing churches, particularly in the rural area. The study concludes that interventions aimed at initiating behavioural change and reducing women’s vulnerability to HIV must be comprehensive, broadly oriented in the communities and take into consideration the many complex personal and contextual factors, including religious affiliation and participation.