EFFECTIVENESS OF MASS MEDIA MESSAGES IN CREATING AWARENESS ON SEXUAL ABUSE AMONG WOMEN IN ENUGU STATE
Keywords:
mass media, sexual abuse, awareness, sexual consent, messagesAbstract
In recent times, sexual abuse has become a matter of International and national concern. The female gender is always at risk of being abused by strangers and relatives. This study therefore seeks to determine if media messages are effective in disseminating information on sexual abuse among women in Enugu state, and the objectives sought to determine the level of awareness of sexual abuse possessed by women in Enugu state, identify mass media channels used in disseminating messages on sexual among women in Enugu state and evaluate the effectiveness of these messages in improving awareness of sexual abuse among women in Enugu state. The study is anchored on Social Learning Theory and the sample size is 384 as calculated by Australian Sample Size calculator. A Descriptive survey method was used in the study; with a questionnaire as the data collection instrument. Findings from the study revealed that radio and social media are effective in creating awareness on sexual abuse among women in Enugu state. It is also imperative to state that the study also revealed that a good number of women cannot differentiate between consent and abuse especially in marriage. The study also recommended that efforts should be geared towards using suitable media channels to disseminate information on sexual abuse.
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