Serious Forms Of Violence Research Articles

Domestic violence in Tunisia: which forms of physical violence?

IntroductionDomestic violence is a universal phenomenon that destroys the fabric of society and threatens the lives, health and prosperity of all.It can take different forms, including physical abuse. This is one of the most serious form of violence, as it can range from a simple shove to homicide.ObjectivesTo determine the prevalence and describe the various forms of physical violence perpetrated by husbands against their wives.MethodsWe contacted women who consulted at the psychiatric emergency of ‘Hedi Chaker hospital’,Sfax examined in the context of medical expertise on the period between May 2021 until January 2022.A questionnaire regarding the violence was asked to responders. It included a section for collecting socio-demographic and clinical data on the woman, and a section for assessing the various forms of domestic violence.Results122 women were surveyed. The average age of victims was 35.66 years with extremes of 18 and 64 years. 78.7% (n=96) of ladies were of urban origin. The majority of them (44,3%) had secondary level education.The half of the population (51.6%) had an average socio-economic level and 43.4% (n=53) lived in rented houses.All the women of our population were married: it was the first marriage in (89.3%) and the majority (86.1%) had children.Almost all women (95.1%; n=116) were victims of physical violence.Different types of physical violence were reported with decreasing prevalence: slap (65,6%), punch (58,2%), strangle (46,7%), kicking (38,1%), stabbing threat (28,7%), kidnapping (4,9%), and gun threat (3,3%).Should be noted that some women experience different forms of violence simultaneously.ConclusionsOur study showed a high prevalence of physical violence with different shapes.These figures must be taken into account by the authorities given the gravity of physical and psychological consequences of this form of violence.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

What is a ‘good enough’ prison? An empirical analysis of key thresholds using prison moral quality data

Performance thresholds and minimum standards in prison have preoccupied policy makers and practitioners alike for some time. These standards are based on widely accepted statements of principle, but benchmarks are rarely set or explored empirically. Nor has there been any attempt to describe or define higher-end thresholds; the point at which outcomes become positive, or stated principles are achieved. In this study, we provide an empirical demonstration of how quality of life thresholds may be determined using data from 518 Measuring the Quality of Prison Life (MQPL) surveys conducted in prisons in England and Wales (2009–2020) and examine their relationship to five violence outcomes: serious prisoner on prisoner assaults, serious assaults on staff, self-harm incidents requiring hospital treatment, self-inflicted deaths, and homicides. The results suggested that thresholds exist for most of the MQPL dimensions. A set of lower ‘unsafe’ and higher ‘minimally safe’ thresholds were produced. We found that the scores of prisons below the lower threshold had a very strong relationship with each of our five serious forms of violence in prison. Similarly, prisons that did not manage to cross the ‘minimally safe’ threshold also had strong relationships with incidents of violence in their prison but were at slightly lower risk of those incidents occurring. Striking differences in mean incidents rates were found when comparing prisons below the lower threshold to prisons above the ‘minimally safe’ threshold. Our findings suggest that to operate a safe enough (and therefore legitimate) prison, a combination of harmony, security and professionalism dimensions above a certain threshold should be achieved.

Neurobiological characteristics of individuals who have committed sexual offenses: A systematic review

Sexual violence is recognized as one of the most serious forms of violence. Assessment of individuals with history of sexual offenses is essential to inform placement decisions (e.g., inpatient or outpatient treatment, foster or residential placement), guide legal dispositions, prevent their offenses, and provide the basis for treatment planning. Insights into the neurobiological characteristics in subtypes of sexual offenses are particularly important both to the advancement of its understanding and guide research clinical efforts. The goal of this systematic review is to synthesize the findings regarding the neurobiological characteristics of individuals who have committed sexual offenses, focusing on the identification of the factors that should be targeted in the assessment of these individuals. Studies related to the topic were obtained from multiple databases, through rigorous exclusion and inclusion criteria. Only empirical studies with quantitative methodologies were included. Aims, methodological aspects (sample and instruments), and main conclusions were extracted from each study. In general, this systematic review found psychophysiological, neuroimaging, and neurophysiological studies, which used neurobiological techniques to evaluate individuals who have committed sexual offenses. A substantial part of the studies examined the neuroimaging profile of individuals who have committed sexual offenses against children with or without pedophilic interests, suggesting anatomical changes and functional deficits. Overall, there is enough evidence to support the link between specific neurobiological characteristics and sexual offenses, with this link being mainly revealed by neuroimaging and endocrinology studies. The knowledge about neurobiological characteristics implicated in sexual offending can help developing more accurate and valid protocols for the evaluation of individuals involved in such offenses, thereby improving diagnosis and treatment.

Why the victims of Intimate partner violence is increasing in Bangladesh: Understanding the Connection Between Hegemonic Masculinity and Intimate Partner Violence’

In Bangladeshi society, the notion of hegemonic masculinity has been existing for a long time and it has contributed to serious forms of violence against women in recent years. However, most of the empirical research that investigates the theoretical aspects of aggressive manhood, hegemonic masculinity, or gender performativity is centred on western societies. The historical and cultural contexts of intimate partner violence in South Asia have not been adequately explored in attempts to contextualize these gender norms and masculine characteristics. Although significant effort has been made in this field of interest, there is a dearth of literature concerning the conceptions of hegemonic masculinity, aggressive manhood, and gender performance to emerging and a typical patterns of violence against women. Thus, the primary objective of this research is to narrow the gap by demonstrating how the development of hegemonic masculinity and violent manhood is related to contemporary intimate partner violence in Bangladesh, specifically by examining the influence of violent manhood in intimate relationships. To conduct this research, a qualitative study has been used based on secondary data analysis that includes the theoretical analysis of Buttler, Connell, Sumerau, and other scholars. The findings of this research indicate that physical violence perpetrated by men against their spouses reinforces a gender system and culture that justifies husbands’ power over their wives. Therefore, masculinity is not a fixed entity embedded just in the body or personality traits of individuals. Rather, hegemonic masculinities are configurations of practice that are accomplished in social activities due to structural, cultural, and other forces which might differ according to the gender relations in a particular social setting.

The Wounded Body of Christ, the Church and Perennial Escalation of Gender-Based Violence and Its Implications for Pastoral Care

It is a known fact that gender-based violence is an infringement on human rights. Gender-based violence takes place all over the world in almost every place. It is experienced in homes, workplaces, communities, and in the Church as well. Today, church members, as well as pastors are wounded, fragmented, and hurting as they suffer serious abuses in silence. Christian children have fallen victim to sexual abuse that is perpetrated by their parents. Parents too, have become victims of violence; sometimes maimed by children who have become violent enough to kill their Christian parents in their homes. Furthermore, many Christian couples have continued to experience intra gender violence in their families that is often attributed to marital infidelity. Beyond that, there is also a common secretive kind of abuse in the form of marital sexual violence which is a serious form of violence against women. This is a hidden type of abuse that has been perpetrated behind closed doors for too long by members of the body of Christ. Due to its prevalence sometimes the victims themselves, often pretend that the problem in not present by keeping a deafening silence. This article, therefore, makes an in-depth investigation into the causes of the pervasive forms of gender-based violence that occur in some Zambian Christian homes, with particular emphasis on the ways in which this multifaceted phenomenon is very much hidden. This article expounds on how Christian couples have continued to suffer silently as their voices are suppressed due to fear and shame. In the conclusion of the article, it is suggested that, unless the church, in its pastoral care role, awakens from its slumber and begins to address issues of gender-based violence in the church with sincerity, honesty, and openness by admitting that indeed, the body of Christ is yearning to be healed, gender-based violence shall remain a perennial occurrence.

Geographic Analysis of Domestic Violence Incident Locations and Neighborhood Level Influences

Domestic violence is an important public health issue, and there is limited research to date that examines community-level influences on this serious form of violence. This article investigates the neighborhood characteristics of domestic violence incidents in the city of Greensboro, North Carolina. US Census block group boundaries and corresponding tables were used as proxies for neighborhoods. The article addresses an important gap in domestic violence research by combining geographic and statistical analyses at the block group level. Geographic data were analyzed using an Optimized Hot Spot Analysis (OHA) along with features selected by penalized Poisson regression model. The OHA was used to identify spatial clusters of high and low values while the penalized Poisson regression model was used to select the important variables from over 7000 candidates. The results of high-dimensional analysis produced six categories and 20 variables that were used to examine the characteristics of spatial clusters.

POLICE REFORM IN DIVIDED TIMES

POLICE REFORM IN DIVIDED TIMES

Some Recommendations for Preventing Child Sexual Abuse in Viet Nam

Crime prevention is an outreach measure to stop crime before it can occur. Prevention measures vary in different countries. Child sexual abuse is an issue of growing concern in Viet Nam. Child sexual abuse can cause serious damage to cognitive, social, and emotional development of a child. Effectively combatting this serious form of violence against children requires. Vietnamese government has initiated and supported services and policies that enhance children’s development, health and safety as well as advocated for policies and programs to help meet the basic needs of children and families. In this paper, the author intends to exam the child sexual abuse situation and crime prevention in the world and Vietnam

Deconstructing neighborhood effects across aggravated, domestic, and simple assault

ABSTRACT Although prior research has long examined neighborhood effects on violent crime generally and aggravated assault specifically, less attention has been paid to how structure affects less serious offenses. However, neighborhood factors such as single-parent households or poverty are likely important predictors for the commission of less serious forms of violence, though their relative effects may vary depending on the level of severity of violence employed. The current study disaggregates assaults and examines whether neighborhood factors have differential effects on aggravated, non-aggravated (simple), and domestic assaults. Using data from Cleveland, OH we conduct a series of negative binomial regression models and use seemingly unrelated postestimation commands to identify differences across assault type. We identify important differences in the neighborhood drivers of assault, especially single-parent households, disadvantage, and residential stability, and between domestic assault from simple or aggravated. Our findings underscore the importance of disaggregating assaults to unmask distinctions in how community context influences serious and less serious forms of violence. In doing so, we identify important elements that crime reduction strategies should consider – particularly for less serious but more common forms of violence – in order to implemented more effectively.

International Legal Documents on Preventing and Combating Terrorist Crimes

One of the most serious forms of violence in the contemporary world is terrorism. The detrimental level of terrorist offences is extremely high. It is determined, on the one hand, by the fact that given crimes threaten public security, peace, human security, transport, public authorities and state security, as well as life, health, integrity, personal freedom, heritage and the environment and, on the other hand, by the fact that those offences have recently become widespread. These serious crimes can only be combated through fruitful international cooperation and collaboration. Only in this way is it possible to protect security and international peace.

A novel approach for understanding trauma-related youth violence in low resource contexts: A retrospective case file review in Northern Ireland

Adverse life events during childhood have been associated with increased rates of violence. Despite decades of violent conflict, there continues to be a paucity of contextually relevant data related to youth violence in Northern Ireland. Prospective studies are useful but these require time and resources that are not often available. In the absence of such studies, there remains a need to understand the prevalence and impact of serious youth violence in a cost-effective and timely way. The primary aim of this study is to present a novel method for collecting and analyzing violence-related data using existing administrative data through a retrospective case file review of young people aged 10–18 who spent time in custodial services ( n = 145) over a 1-year period (January 2019 to December 2019) in Northern Ireland. A digital worksheet was developed and following a review, data from each file were extracted. Analyses examined the relationship between potentially traumatic life events and violent offending. Consistent with previous studies, this study found that rates of both adversity and violent offending are high. However, not all forms of adversity are associated with the same violent outcomes. Regression models illustrated, for instance, a significant relationship between community-based victimization and violent offending. Those who experienced more serious forms of violence were more likely to engage in higher harm violence. This study adds to the international literature on psychological trauma and youth violence and makes recommendations for future investigation.

Empowerment and IPV in Married Women of Reproductive Age: Evidence from Pakistan Demographic Health Survey 2017-2018.

The study was an attempt to identify demographic, household, and women empowerment factors that predicted emotional, physical, and sexual violence in ever-married women of reproductive age (15-49 years, n = 3,965) in Pakistan by performing secondary analysis on Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey, 2017-2018. The analysis was done using SPSS (v.22) and binary and multivariate logistic regression techniques were performed for analyses. The analysis found that 30.2% of women experienced emotional, 24.1% reported less severe physical, 6.5% experienced severe physical, and 4.3% experienced sexual violence, respectively. The multivariate analysis found that husband's age, education, wealth, and alcohol consumption were significant predictors of intimate partner violence (IPV). Additionally, womens' age, education, and number of children also significantly predicted IPV. With respect to empowerment variables, ownership of house was a significant predictor of less severe physical violence, ownership of property significantly predicted emotional violence, and autonomy in household purchase decisions was significantly related to severe physical violence. The control on husband's income as a measure of empowerment significantly predicted all four types of IPV. Belief in patriarchy also turned out to be an important factor in determining emotional and less severe physical violence. The study concludes that women empowerment in household context can prevent less serious forms of violence but to hinder serious forms of violence, interventions at family and community level will be required.

Forced and Child Marriage at the Intersection of Health, Gender and Human Rights: Understanding the Determinants in Morocco and the Impact of the Migratory Context in Belgium


 
 
 With over 650 million women alive today already suffering the consequences of child marriage, the practice of forced and child marriage disproportionally affects girls and women. Given its impact on physical and psychological wellbeing, it is a serious form of violence against women.
 In view of the global magnitude of forced and child marriage, and the increasing numbers of international migrants, the general objective of this research is to ascertain the determinants of forced and child marriage in Morocco and the impact of the migratory context on the issue among Moroccan migrants in Belgium.
 Our research analysed forced and child marriage in both settings from two angles. First, we studied policies and the socio-cultural context in a top-down perspective through the analysis of legislation, public debates and through expert/stakeholder interviews. Secondly, we investigated the determinants of forced and child marriage in both research settings from a bottom-up perspective through Focus Group Discussions and household interviews, as well as investigating the impact of legislative conditions and restrictions on migrants and their families.
 KEY WORDS: CHILD AND FORCED MARRIAGE, WOMEN’S RIGHTS, SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, VIOLENCE, MOROCCO, MIGRATION, BELGIUM
 
 

Homicides in Brazil in the last decade: an integrative review

Homicide is the most serious form of violence with a negative impact on the population. It is broadly studied in the scientific field and disseminated in print and in the virtual media. The scope of this article is to locate papers in national and international journals, seeking the synthesis of knowledge and the incorporation of the applicability of the results of significant studies. It involved an integrative review of the SciELO, PubMed and LILACS databases of articles published between 2006 and 2016. The following key words were researched: Homicide and Brazil. The publications were selected by the title, abstract and methodology. For homicide and health studies in Brazil, 427 papers were found, of which 98 were selected. There were publications with emphasis on the national scenario, followed by the state of São Paulo and Pernambuco. The quantitative study was the most used, with collection of secondary data. The papers dealt with homicides in the population in general (48%), Femicide (14.3%) and Social Determinants (7.1%). The Brazilian scientific production on homicide and health is on the increase. It is important that researchers, analysts and editors turn their attention to the development of papers in this area, aiming to improve the quality of published articles.

Understanding Reporting of Type II Workplace Violence Among Home Health Care Nurses.

Background: Home health care nurses (HHNs) work alone in patients' homes. They experience high rates of Type II (client/patient-on-worker) workplace violence (WPV); however, little is known about the extent and factors of their reporting. Methods: A convenience sample of employees aged 18 years and older and working as an HHN or management staff were recruited from a U.S. nonprofit home health care agency. To describe the extent of reporting of WPV events, an HHN survey was conducted. To identify the barriers and facilitators to reporting, two HHN focus groups were conducted, and management key informant interviews were employed. Findings: We recruited 18 HHNs and five management staff into the study. Almost all HHNs reported to management the most serious forms of violence they experienced, and that HHNs reported WPV when they perceived that reporting was beneficial (alerting other nurses and management) and supported by management staff. However, they were unwilling to report when it was perceived as disadvantageous (reliving the trauma), discouraged (by a norm that experiencing violence is a part of the job), unachievable (unstandardized reporting process), and ambiguous (uncertain of what is reportable). Management staff perceived a lack of standardized reporting processes as a barrier when responding to HHNs' reporting. Conclusion/Application to Practice: High reporting was related to strong support from management. Policies and procedures should clearly define WPV, the threshold for reporting, how to report, and how management will respond to the reports.

Forced and Child Marriage at the Intersection of Health, Gender and Human Rights: Understanding the Determinants in Morocco and the Impact of the Migratory Context in Belgium

With over 650 million women alive today already suffering the consequences of child marriage, the practice of forced and child marriage disproportionally affects girls and women. Given its impact on physical and psychological wellbeing, it is a serious form of violence against women. In view of the global magnitude of forced and child marriage, and the increasing numbers of international migrants, the general objective of this research is to ascertain the determinants of forced and child marriage in Morocco and the impact of the migratory context on the issue among Moroccan migrants in Belgium. Our research analysed forced and child marriage in both settings from two angles. First, we studied policies and the socio-cultural context in a top-down perspective through the analysis of legislation, public debates and through expert/stakeholder interviews. Secondly, we investigated the determinants of forced and child marriage in both research settings from a bottom-up perspective through Focus Group Discussions and household interviews, as well as investigating the impact of legislative conditions and restrictions on migrants and their families.

Muertes por homicidio-suicidio en Bogotá

Introducción: las muertes en el contexto del homicidio-suicidio (H-S) son eventos poco frecuentes y por lo tanto poco estudiados en nuestra región. Sin embargo, su estudio ayuda a comprender el escenario de una de las formas más graves de violencia en cuanto niega el derecho humano fundamental a la vida y suprime, en consecuencia, todos los demás derechos. Este estudio describe los casos de H-S sucedidos en el periodo 2007-2012 en Bogotá, mediante su caracterización epidemiológica.
 Métodos: los casos de estudio fueron seleccionados a partir de muertes por suicidio que se relacionan con otros fallecidos en los mismos hechos, registrados en el Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal y Ciencias Forenses de Colombia; se excluyeron aquellos casos en los que uno de los dos, perpetrador o víctima finalmente sobrevivieron a pesar de las lesiones y aquellos en los que el contexto corresponde a pactos suicidas o suicidios dobles. Adicionalmente, se realiza una tipificación de los eventos de H-S estudiados con base en las características sociodemográficas y el contexto de cada evento.
 Resultados: se identificaron 25 eventos de H-S, en los que, en su gran mayoría, fueron hombres los perpetradores/suicidas, y mujeres y niños, sus víctimas. El instrumento más utilizado fue un arma de fuego. En el 60% de los casos los eventos ocurrieron en un domicilio y en el 88% de los casos la muerte del perpetrador ocurrió en el mismo lugar donde ocurrió el homicidio. Los factores precipitantes del hecho fueron principalmente sentimientos de amor-celos y la retaliación.
 Conclusiones: los eventos de H-S son en su gran mayoría perpetrados por hombres hacia mujeres con quienes mantuvieron algún tipo de relación sentimental, lo que los ubica en contextos de violencia de género. Es importante que las comunidades jurídica y forense visibilicen estos casos de manera que su detección y análisis permita el diseño de estrategias de promoción y prevención que ayuden a disminuir su ocurrencia.

How and where? The violence against woman with disabilities in Portugal

This paper addresses the issue of violence against women with disabilities in Portugal. It draws from the reports of 28 women with all types of disabilities about the ill treatment and discrimination that they experienced, over the last five years. We identified the various types of violence these women had faced (Physical, sexual, psychological, economic, institutional, bullying at work and symbolic) and the places where it occur (Public transport, family, workplace, school and training organizations, health organizations, social space in general). Dependency emerges as the key driver of the conflicts and ill treatment that generated the most serious forms of violence and the humiliations that were perpetrated against these women.

Attitudes of native and immigrant students towards school bullying in Greece

Although school bullying is a serious form of violence, relevant studies do not agree if immigrant students are at higher risk to be involved in bullying than native students in ethnically diverse schools. The purpose of the study was to investigate the attitudes of Greek and non-Greek students about school bullying. The sample composed of 719 native and 120 non-native students attending primary and secondary schools in Greece. Data were collected via a self-report questionnaire, and the Statistical Package SPSS was used for their analysis. Results showed that positive interpersonal relationships between Greek and non-Greek students are associated with low frequency of bullying. A significant percentage of students from both groups had observed bullying between native and immigrant children. However, the majority of them had never been bullied or victimized in their school. Verbal bullying was the most dominant bullying behaviour. The importance of the findings is discussed.

Adolescents as perpetrators of aggression within the family

Although family violence perpetrated by juveniles has been acknowledged as a potentially serious form of violence for over 30years, scientific studies have been limited to examining the incidence and form of home violence. The present study examined the prevalence of family aggression as perpetrated by youths; we examined groups drawn from clinic-referred and forensic samples. Two audits of case files were conducted to systematically document aggression perpetrated by referred youths toward their family members. The purpose of the first audit was fourfold: i) to identify the incidence of the perpetration of family aggression among clinical and forensic samples; ii) to identify whether there were any reports of weapon use during aggressive episodes; iii) to identify the target of family aggression (parents or siblings); and iv) to identify the form of aggression perpetrated (verbal or physical). The second audit aimed to replicate the findings and to show that the results were not due to differences in multiple deprivation indices, clinical diagnosis of disruptive behavior disorders, and placement into alternative care. A sampling strategy was designed to audit the case notes of 25 recent forensic Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) cases and 25 demographically similar clinic-referred CAMHS cases in the first audit; and 35 forensic cases and 35 demographically similar clinic-referred CAMHS cases in the second audit. Using ordinal chi-square, the forensic sample (audit 1=64%; audit 2=82.9%) had greater instances of family violence than the clinical sample (audit 1=32%; audit 2=28.6%). They were more likely to use a weapon (audit 1=69%; audit 2=65.5%) compared to the clinical sample (audit 1 and 2=0%). Examining only the aggressive groups, there was more perpetration of aggression toward parents (audit 1, forensic=92%, clinical=75%; audit 2, forensic=55.17%, clinical=40%) than toward siblings (audit 1, forensic=43%, clinical=50%; audit 2, forensic=27.58%, clinical=30%). Based on these findings, we would urge professionals who work within the child mental health, particularly the forensic area, to systematically collect reports of aggression perpetrated toward family members.