Act Of Violence Research Articles

Identifying predictors of adverse outcomes after termination of seclusion in psychiatric intensive care units.

Seclusion is a restrictive practice that many healthcare services are trying to reduce. Previous studies have sought to identify predictors of seclusion initiation, but few have investigated factors associated with adverse outcomes after seclusion termination. To assess the factors that predict an adverse outcome within 24 h of seclusion termination. In a cohort study of individuals secluded in psychiatric intensive care units, we investigated factors associated with any of the following outcomes: actual violence, attempted violence, or reinitiation of seclusion within 24 h of seclusion termination. Among the seclusion episodes that were initiated between 29 March 2018 and 4 March 2019, we investigated the exposures of medication cooperation, seclusion duration, termination out of working hours, involvement of medical staff in the final seclusion review, lack of insight, and agitation or irritability. In a mixed-effects logistic regression model, associations between each exposure and the outcome were calculated. Odds ratios were calculated unadjusted and adjusted for demographic and clinical variables. We identified 254 seclusion episodes from 122 individuals (40 female, 82 male), of which 106 (41.7%) had an adverse outcome within 24 h of seclusion termination. Agitation or irritability was associated with an adverse outcome, odds ratio 1.92 (95% CI 1.03 to 3.56, P = 0.04), but there was no statistically significant association with any of the other exposures, although confidence intervals were broad. Agitation or irritability in the hours preceding termination of seclusion may predict an adverse outcome. The study was not powered to detect other potentially clinically significant factors.

Речевой жанр криминальной угрозы в интернет-коммуникации

The author attempts to explore the threat as a speech genre of verbal aggression. It is argued that the threat is most often found in the texts of modern online-communication, the characteristics of which are close to a synthetic oral-written form of communication and the colloquial genre. It is emphasized that in modern studies the threat is researched from a legal and linguistic point of view. The author proves the idea that there are two main types of threat statements – a threat-warning, including a causal action, and a threatpunishment. A specific sub-genre of threat is a blackmail, which includes manipulation by means of information compromising the addressee. Semantically, the threat can be explicit, clearly expressed, and implicit, whose interpretation requires an appeal to the logics of the statement. Implicit threat in online-communication is the most difficult type to research, since its interpretation involves analyzing the logic of constructing a statement by identifying linguistic techniques presented in the text – the use of euphemisms, idioms, semantic convolution, metaphors, sarcasm, precedent case reference and non-verbal components of communication (images, emoji. Implicit threat is studied using data from various explanatory linguistic dictionaries and fragments of texts submitted for forensic linguistic examination. It is reported that the genre of a criminal threat should be distinguished from other genres such as promises, orders, warnings, verbally expressed suicidal intentions, malevolence, a threat in a broad sense, and calls to a violent action.

Internal structure of the volcanic island of Surtsey and surroundings: Constraints from a dense aeromagnetic survey

Surtsey, a young basaltic island off the south coast of Iceland, was built by volcanic activity in 1963–1967 from a pre-eruption oceanic seafloor depth of 130 m. An aeromagnetic survey was carried out in October 2021 over a 60 km2 area covering Surtsey and its surroundings. It aimed to explore the internal structure and the possible existence of basaltic intrusions associated with the five vents active at different times over the 3.5 years of eruptive activity. The survey line spacing was 200 m and the flying altitude was generally 90 m a.s.l. The strongest anomalies (amplitude ∼700 nT) are caused by the 30–100 m thick subaerially erupted lava field on the southern part of Surtsey, formed in two episodes of effusive activity:1964–1965 and 1966–1967. 2D spectral analysis and Euler deconvolution indicate that the causative bodies of anomalies outside the island of Surtsey are located within the uppermost 300 m of the seafloor and their horizontal dimensions are similar to or smaller than their depth. 3D forward modeling of the island and its surroundings, constrained by observations during the formation of the island and drill cores extracted in 1979 and 2017, is consistent with an absence, at all vents, of pillow lava and therefore effusive activity in their opening phases. However, the data support the existence of a 10–20 m thick pillow lava field on the seafloor, 2.5–3 km2 in area, extending about ∼1 km to the south of Surtsey. The field is considered to have been fed by magma reaching the seafloor via channelized intrusive flow through the foreset breccia constituting the submarine part of an emerging lava delta during the early stage of effusive eruption in May–July 1964. The general scarcity of significant magnetic bodies within the edifices is consistent with magma fragmentation dominating the submarine eruptions from the onset of activity. A small magnetic anomaly is observed over the submarine edifice of Surtla, built during short-lived activity over ∼10 days in 1963–1964. This anomaly is consistent with observed subaqueous weak or moderate explosive activity that may have allowed a dyke to be preserved within the submarine tephra mound. More violent Surtseyan activity was observed at other vents, however, and may have destroyed any initial dykes that, if preserved, might have been resolved magnetically. Indications of magnetized volcanic rocks of unknown age predating the Surtsey eruption are found beneath the flank of the ephemeral island of Jólnir, the southernmost of the Surtsey vents.

‘100 large fruit trees cut down by ISAF’: land, infrastructure and military violence

This article examines the military violence of land use and infrastructure. The analysis discusses the case of the British Army’s Royal Corps of Engineers in 1860s British Columbia and in Helmand, Afghanistan following the post-2001 invasion. It charts how across British colonial and liberal military projects, military infrastructure activities have mobilised towards the goal of capitalist development. Drawing analytic lines between the Royal Engineers’ activities establishing the settler colony and colonial capitalism in British Columbia and their role in imposing liberal social, political and economic norms in Helmand, the article puts forward an account of why, how and with what effect military violence can include things such as the felling of trees, the issuing of private land title, the use of topsoil for road fill or prohibiting local farmers from growing tall crops near a roadway. The central argument of this article is that we should conceptualise and understand military activities such as these as violence. This analysis develops understandings of violence within scholarship addressing coloniality, liberal war, settler colonialism; and land, territory and infrastructure. Beyond the immediate analysis of specifically military violence, this discussion has broader implications for understanding the nexus of infrastructure, land and violence.

Rethinking Insecurity and Scoping Security Threat in Nigeria: Looking Ahead

Early in the 2000s, Boko Haram emerged with an Islamisation agenda concentrating mostly on Nigeria the largest African economy. There is empirical evidence suggesting that the government of Nigeria has not successfully warded off this group’s hostility. Yet there are gaps in security threats and extant literature. This study therefore examined the instability and anomic conditions resulting from this insurgency using the document analysis method and the Containment Theory employed as the theoretical framework. The analysis showed that there is no clear reason why the Nigerian military has failed to contain the Boko Haram insurgency given the army’s undoubted gallantry after excelling in several international peacekeeping assignments. It was recommended that public programs for enlightenment through community engagement and transparency would influence positively the government’s efforts to contain these terrorist activities. Given the complex nature of terrorism, there is a need for robust empirical studies that have to be done before any meaningful policy implementation can be considered. This study will amplify the international awareness of violent extremist activities in this most populated African nation. It will significantly provide the Nigerian government, human rights groups, researchers, civil society, policymakers, and public and private security agents with more knowledge to understand these terrorists better. Keywords: Nigeria, Threat, Peace, Security, Boko Haram

Female bodies and dynastic legitimacy in the Nereid Monument at Xanthos

Abstract This article reassesses the so-called Nereid Monument (ca 380 BCE) at Xanthos in Lycia by focusing on the narrative and symbolic role of female figures within its sculptural programme. Constructed as the tomb for the Lycian dynast Erbbina, the monument has been noted for its over-human-size sculpture of Nereids, its historicising city-siege reliefs, as well as its spectacular fusion of visual and architectural styles, motifs and themes from various contexts throughout the Aegean and Anatolia. Building on this scholarship, I turn specifically to the monument’s innovative representations of non-mythological women in prominent areas of its visual programme: Erbbina’s dynastic consort and a distressed woman who is caught in the throes of military violence. By focusing on the role of female bodies in Erbbina’s funerary qua triumphal monument, I argue for the important narrative function of female bodies in articulating dynastic legitimacy and continuity. Finally, this article comments on the importance of femininity in addition to masculinity in dynastic expressions in the fourth century, thus anticipating major art-historical changes in the art of power at the beginning of the Hellenistic period.

Hand in hand: Consuming symbols, language and identity in post‐ETA Basque society

AbstractThis study examines the evolution of ethnic symbol consumption in the Basque Country following the end of ETA's violent activities in 2011. It delves into the shifting political and cultural context of the Basque provinces during this period, underscoring the impact that terrorism and its cessation have had on creating distinct patterns of cultural consumption. The focus then turns towards the case of the ‘Hand of Irulegi’, an Iron Age relic discovered in 2022 that allegedly contains the oldest inscription in an ancestor of Euskera—the Basque language. The paper argues that the rapid adoption of the Hand of Irulegi by Basque society as an ethnic symbol is directly related to transformations in the conception of Basque identity in the aftermath of ETA's dissolution. These transformations include, mainly, the intentional forgetting of recent historical events by a large segment of Basque citizens and the emergence of Euskera as the main fulcrum of contemporary Basque cultural identity. The Hand, due to its chronological remoteness and its exclusive association with the Basque language, seems to be custom‐made to serve as a symbol for this new type of identification.

Martial(ling) peace at the war museum: Emotion, desires and representations of the war-peace dichotomy

This article investigates the role of emotions and the conceptual use of peace to justify martial violence. Drawing upon empirical evidence collected at the Canadian War Museum, the article explores how representations of war history present militarized violence as both a threat to, and the solution for, global peace. Building on scholarship in IR and Peace Studies that theorizes the relationship between war and peace, this article puts forward a novel analytical concept – martial peace – to investigate this paradox. It theorizes that manoeuvring peace as a justification for military activities not only results in depoliticizing the contexts of conflicts and war, but also serves to euphemize the violence that occurs in the name of peace and within so-called peaceful societies. Using Canada as a case study, the article explores how martial peace obscures settler colonialism and generates affective militarism as key components of nationalist projects.

Windigo Violence and Resistance

The windigo is a generally malicious figure in several Indigenous cultures of the land currently administered by the governments of the USA and Canada. In traditional narratives, the windigo is generally associated with hunger, greed, winter, and cannibalism. In this paper, I discuss how both Indigenous and non-Indigenous writers have used the figure of the windigo to critique and challenge environmental injustice. While some windigo stories present the being as a terrifying monster of the “wilderness”, others use the figure as an embodiment of environmental destruction and the injustice that comes with it. Windigo stories also highlight three further aspects of colonial violence: military violence, sexual violence, and religious violence. Although some stories depict windigos being defeated through violence, many stress the importance of care and healing to overcome the windigo affliction. In fact, storytelling itself may be part of the healing process. Windigo stories, I argue, can be a useful way to interrogate the injustices created by colonialism and environmental destruction, and the stories can also offer hope for healing and for an environmentally just future.

Real-Time Violence Detection in Surveillance Videos Using Deep Learning Approach

Abstract: In order to tackle the ongoing problem of keeping fruits fresh, this research presents an automated freshness detection. The ever-growing presence of surveillance cameras has undoubtedly enhanced public safety. However, manually reviewing vast quantities of video footage for violence detection remains a tedious and error-prone task. This paper proposes a deep learningbased approach for anomaly detection in surveillance videos, with a specific focus on identifying violent activities. Traditional surveillance methods often lack the sophistication to distinguish between normal behaviour and potentially threatening actions. Deep learning offers a significant advantage by automating the identification of deviations from established behavioural patterns in video data. This automation enables real-time analysis of footage, potentially signifying the occurrence of violent incidents and allowing for a swifter response from security personnel. This research delves into the application of deep learning models for violence detection in surveillance footage. We begin by discussing the limitations inherent in conventional methods, such as motion detection and manual review, which struggle to capture the nuances of human behaviour. Subsequently, we explore the advantages that deep learning-based approaches bring to the table, including their ability to learn complex patterns from large datasets and identify subtle anomalies that might escape human observation.

Sociodemographic Background Predisposing Youths into Gang Violence in Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria

The historical and constitutional responsibility of youths in any country cannot be underrated because youth remain one of the vital weapons for accelerating and harmonizing societal orderliness Evidence gathered from extant publication shows that youth formed the larger percentage of people apprehended for violence activities in most correctional facilities in the world. In Nigeria, Extant publications were reviewed while Anomie and rational choice theories were adopted for the study. Mixed methods were adopted for collections of data from the inmates in the Lagos correctional facility approved for the study400 hundred copied of structured questionnaires in the three approved corrections in Lagos But 347 of the questionnaires were retrieved for the quantitative analysis while 36 out of 40 interviews conducted were found useful using In-depth interview for the inmates while key informant interviews were used for collection of verbal data from the member of the Nigeria Police Force, Correctional Officers, market men/women and community elders in Lagos. The concluded that gender positioning (t-047), family background (t-=083) and marital status (t=014) significantly predisposed youths into violent activities compared with employment (t= 816), age (t=123) and level of education (t=482). In addition, the qualitative data indicated that immaturity and poor parental background influence youth gang violence. The social interventionist should encourage the family, youths and community members to get involved in decision making, adequate youth development programme should be encouraged and youth should develop act of self-creativity and innovation toward promoting self-image in Nigeria

Relative Power and Costly Signals of Civilian Loyalty: Protest Behavior Against Armed Actors in the Colombian Civil War, 1990–2004

ABSTRACT The paper examines one of many actions that civilians employ to resists peacefully armed actors during civil wars: protests. I argue that the costs for mobilizing against armed actors depend on the level of control that armed actors exert in the territory. By examining the civil war in Colombia between 1990 and 2004, I find that civilians protest against the weaker actor to reveal their loyalty to the dominant actor and to prevent the strong side from conducting future violent actions against the population. Protesting works as a costly signal of loyalty. I reveal that non-combatants protest against the stronger actor when both civilians and combatants share the same political ideology. In that circumstance, punishment by the strong combatants is improbable as protesting against them is likely to be interpreted as a renegotiation of the contract or a reminder of its terms. Finally, I show that civilians in contested zones declare themselves neutral and protest against both sides. Non-combatants take advantage of the power contestation to improve their current situation. Any punishment by combatants in contested zones would lead to defection, and citizens protest against both actors knowing that armed actors cannot afford to punish non-combatants for their hostile attitude.

Stones that Tell Stories

When a historical building, monument, or cultural heritage artifact is affected by a natural or anthropic event, the first reaction is to recover and restore to maintain our heritage for the next generations. If they are made of stone, some are completely destroyed, but it is often still possible to recognize the facts that made them a cultural item. In many cases, the marks of violent actions are visible on the stone, especially if the impacts came from a non-massive destructive weapon, such as rifle bullet marks or cannon marks from centuries ago, with a lower level of destruction than today. These marks are also part of our heritage and, as a reminder of the history of our cities and countries for generations, it is recommended that they be preserved as a testimony to avoid the repetition of unnecessary violence. This is the aim of the stones that tell stories.

Sociologia della radicalizzazione

Sociology of radicalization ABSTRACT: The new century has seen the expansion of the concept of radicalization, with this term being adopted in various contexts with heterogeneous functions. This paper aims to investigate this phenomenon from a sociological perspective. The first focus is on examining the definition of the term “radicalization” in sociology. Acknowledging that radicalization is not exclusively an Islamic phenomenon, it will be seen that it is considered both a political and a religious matter. In attempting to define this concept, it will be observed how it encompasses various elements that may or may not involve the presence of violent action. Having delved into this initial aspect, the article then explores the reasons that can lead to radicalization and thus the path followed by individuals undergoing 'radicalization.' It will therefore examine the categories of individuals who are more likely to adhere to extremist ideologies, considering both French and Italian contexts. Finally, it will consider how these collected data can enable the construction of a strategy for preventing radicalization. SOMMARIO: 1. Introduzione - 2. Definizioni e ambito di indagine - 3. Traiettorie e intersezioni - 4. Ricerca e prevenzione.

Stalking, harassment, gendered abuse, and violence towards politicians in the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery era.

High levels of harassment and threats against parliamentarians are being reported internationally, especially in the social media space. This is occurring alongside changes in our social landscape, with increasing political polarisation and the ongoing ramifications from the COVID-19 pandemic. Harassment of politicians has been shown to have implications for psychological wellbeing and physical safety. To investigate harassment and violence towards parliamentarians in the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery era, including whether there had been a change in its nature and quantity, and to explore the contribution of social media. A survey of all New Zealand's parliamentarians was fielded in 2022, focusing on their experiences of harassment analysed quantitatively and with manifest and latent content analysis of free text responses. Data were disaggregated and compared by gender. Secondary analyses were conducted on similar data collected from parliamentarians in 2014 to compare trends over time. We obtained a cleaned achieved survey sample of 54 Members of Parliament (MPs). Harassment was reported by 98% of respondents, ranging from disturbing communication to actual physical violence. The vast majority of MPs endorsed multiple modalities of harassment occurring on multiple occasions. Ninety-six percent of MPs had been harassed over social media, with over half being threatened, including threats of physical violence (40%), sexual violence (14%), threats made towards MP's family members (19%), threats towards staff (12%), and death threats (27%). Almost all forms of harassment had increased significantly since 2014. Most MPs reported experiencing abuse related to the Government response to the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g. lockdowns and vaccine mandates). Many MPs commented that the frequency and intensity of abuse increased markedly during the COVID pandemic and had not subsequently abated. Women were at significantly higher risk of certain types of social media harassment including gendered abuse, sexualised comments, threat of sexual violence, and threats toward their family. Harassment of parliamentarians is an escalating issue. Online threats and misogyny are increasingly apparent. This harassment has significant psychosocial costs for victims, their family and staff, and for democratic processes.

Innovative Technologies in Countering Extremism and Terrorism

Terrorism and extremism are distinct concepts often interconnected in discussions about political, religious, or ideological violence. Terrorism mentions to the use of vehemence, pressure, or force to attain party-political, spiritual, or conceptual areas, disrupting normal life and exerting pressure on governments or societies. Extremism, characterized by extreme political or religious views, often involves radical ideologies and intolerance towards opposing beliefs, often seeking dramatic changes in society or politics, rejecting moderation. Extremist ideologies can sometimes lead to terrorist acts, but not all extremists resort to violence. It's crucial to differentiate between extreme beliefs and violent actions, as not all terrorists are driven by extremism. Recommendations to safeguard against security threats are proposed.

Dark Triad and the attitude toward military violence against civilians: The role of moral disengagement

AbstractScholars pay great attention to sociopsychological factors that predict attitudes toward military action, but they rarely address personality variables. The purpose of this study was to analyse the relationship between the Dark Triad traits, general moral disengagement, and military attitudes. We conducted three surveys between May and November 2022 in three samples of Russian residents (N = 736, 795, and 752). The results showed that the Dark Triad was only marginally related to attitudes toward military action abroad, but emerged as a consistent positive predictor of support for violence against civilians with psychopathy showing the strongest effect. Moreover, this relationship was mediated by moral disengagement. At the same time, Big Five traits and sociopsychological variables predicted the attitudes toward military action, but were generally unrelated to the attitudes toward violence against civilians. The findings suggest the existence of distinct pathways underlying the support of general military action and unethical military action.

Soldier Defection as a Revolutionary Strategy in Myanmar

The military coup in Myanmar on February 1, 2021 unleashed massive popular uprising against military rule, which was met with heavy handed military violence. Less than a month after the coup the first soldiers joined the civil disobedience movement (CDM) along with many civil servants who refused to work under the military. The resistance to the military was soon named the Spring Revolution, with calls for pervasive transformation of Myanmar’s political structures and security forces. Military defections gradually developed into a “revolutionary strategy.” This article explores how this development evolved and how defectors were transformed into “revolutionary actors” during the ongoing revolutionary situation. The analysis is based on the personal narratives and collective activities of those soldiers who became active in the CDM. Applying a conversion narrative approach, the article traces the processes of defection from individual disaffection with military violence to the formation of CDM soldier groups and the personal transformation of soldiers. Adding to existing literature on military defections during popular uprisings against authoritarian regimes, the article demonstrates that defection holds significance not only for the outcomes of revolutions, but also for the shaping of revolutionary ideas and practices during revolutionary situations.

The development and validation of the Palestinian children's traumatic events checklist in a war-torn environment

Traumatic experiences in childhood can lead to trauma symptoms and impaired mental health, especially when children are exposed to war and political violence. Despite significant attention to child's exposure to traumas, few instruments to detect potentially traumatic events have been validated psychometrically. Our study aimed to develop, adapt and validate a user-friendly traumatic events checklist in Palestinian children living in three areas affected by low-intensity war and ongoing political and military violence. 965 Palestinian children (494 males and 471 females) living in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem were administered with a tailor-made Traumatic Events checklist, Children Impact of Events scale, and Strengths and Difficulties Scale. Exploratory and Confirmatory factor analysis was run to detect the factorial structure of the checklist. Furthermore, ANOVA was performed to identify statistically significant demographic differences among participants. A three factors structure emerged with Political violence-related traumatic experiences (PVTE), military violence against individuals (MVI), and military violence against individuals and families (MVF). Gaza children and adolescents resulted in being the most exposed to potentially traumatic events. The instrument can clearly portray potentially traumatic experiences in children exposed to violent events and adverse childhood experiences.

Minoritized Communities in Iran: The Struggle for Unconditional Equality

Following the tragic murder of Jina Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish woman, in 2022, subsequent protests in 2022–23 presented a significant intersectional challenge to the Islamic Republic of Iran's (IRI) political order, revealing deep-seated issues of ethnic, economic, gender, and political discrimination. Originating in the Kurdish region, these protests quickly spread across Iran and its diaspora, offering a glimpse of potential intersectional solidarity cutting across ethnic, gender, and religious lines. Notably, Kurds and Baluchis played a leading role in the protests, bearing the highest toll in terms of lives lost and injuries sustained. The Iranian regime responded ruthlessly, employing military violence to supress dissent and systematically dehumanizing these communities in an attempt to undermine their vocal opposition to the exclusionary and hierarchical rule rooted in Persian and Shiite dominance. Throughout history, the Kurds have consistently stood at the vanguard of resistance against the political authority in Tehran, as well as challenging the dominance of Persian and Shiite supremacy. This enduring opposition is instrumental to understanding the widespread, well-articulated, and mobilized resistance to the IRI's abuses of power. This resistance finds its epitome in the Women, Life, Freedom social movement.1