Violent Attacks Research Articles

Factors Associated With Gun Possession Among High-School Students in the U.S. Before and During the Pandemic.

Background: Adolescents' possession of guns was a matter of concern even before the pandemic. It is pertinent to examine whether students continued possessing guns after schools reopened, and if so, identify factors that might have been associated with such behaviors. Towards this end, the present study examined the relationship between highschool students' experiences and their propensity to possess guns. Methods: This used responses from multiple nationally representative cross-sectional surveys of high school students from the 2019 and 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and the 2021 Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey (ABES). Gun possession within the past year was the main outcome of interest. Experiences of violence, assault, injury, and other adverse experiences were the independent variables. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions, adjusting for sample weights, were performed using SAS. Results: Out of a total of more than 25,000 and 38,000 valid responses, respectively in 2019 and 2021 to the question on gun possession, 4.7% and 4.2% reported carrying a gun at least once within the past year. Experiences of sexual violence, involvement in physical fight, perceived lack of safety, and being threatened/injured by weapons, were associated with higher adjusted odds of guns possession among males and females. Among ABES 2021 respondents (more than 7500), those who witnessed violence in the neighborhood were more likely to possess guns. This association was significant among males, whereas parents being informed about whereabouts was significant for females. Conclusion: This study shows that adverse experiences were associated with a higher odds of guns possession among female and male highschool students. Witnessing violent attack on someone in the neighborhood emerged as a risk factor for males. This suggests that social determinants of health as well as adverse experiences are associated with gun possession among high-school students.

Interpersonal and conflictual aspects that arise in transference and in the formulation of the interpretation

In this contribution, the author discusses some aspects of countertransference and interpretation through the unfolding of a case in four weekly analytic sessions. The focus is on the states of intersubjective listening: ways of engaging with the material offered by the patient, without neglecting more conflicted areas of the mind. Delving into the complexity of interpretation, the author explores the possibility of providing an intrapsychic interpretation that can be experienced not intrusively, but as an opening to that small fragile part that seeks to be understood and defended from violent sadistic attacks within the inner world.

The Virality of Hate Speech on Social Media

Online hate speech is responsible for violent attacks such as, e.g., the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in 2018, thereby posing a significant threat to vulnerable groups and society in general. However, little is known about what makes hate speech on social media go viral. In this paper, we collect N = 25,219 cascades with 65,946 retweets from X (formerly known as Twitter) and classify them as hateful vs. normal. Using a generalized linear regression, we then estimate differences in the spread of hateful vs. normal content based on author and content variables. We thereby identify important determinants that explain differences in the spreading of hateful vs. normal content. For example, hateful content authored by verified users is disproportionally more likely to go viral than hateful content from non-verified ones: hateful content from a verified user (as opposed to normal content) has a 3.5 times larger cascade size, a 3.2 times longer cascade lifetime, and a 1.2 times larger structural virality. Altogether, we offer novel insights into the virality of hate speech on social media.

Resilience Building after Violent Attack on Buddhist Community: The Case of Ramu in Cox’s Bazar District of Bangladesh

This study delves into the analysis of communal violence in Bangladesh, focusing on the 2012 violent attack on the Buddhist community in Ramu, Cox’s Bazar. It examines the extent to which the attack affected the social cohesion of the local Muslim and Buddhist communities and evaluates the efficacy of post-violence responses for strengthening social cohesion and building resilience. We applied a mixed-method approach by using descriptive statistics from a survey of 300 local people and qualitative data from Focus Group Discussions and Key Informant Interviews. Based on an analytical framework of communal violence and resilience-building, this paper argues that communal violence is an ideologically motivated phenomenon that endangers inter-community relations, which cannot be fully recouped as various inadequacies undermine post-violence initiatives. The violent attack on the Buddhist community in Ramu was, in this vein, instigated by rumour and misinformation, igniting communal sentiment using a questionable Facebook post/tagging, intentionally used to mobilise locals and outsiders. Besides immediate consequences such as the destruction of property and the desecration of ancient religious places, it damaged inter-community relations by creating trauma, mistrust, and fear, which ruptured social interaction. The authorities could not prevent the attack due to their inability to understand the gravity of the issue. The immediate recovery support was quick and sufficient. However, it remained limited to reinstating the structures destroyed by the attack. Steps undertaken by different authorities for resilience-building were restricted. Therefore, grassroots people remain unattached in social cohesion building and coexist in subtle discomfort, if not anxiety. Social Science Review, Vol. 40(2), December 2023 Page: 143-170

Healthcare Workers: Heroes or Victims? Context of the Western World and Proposals to Prevent Violence.

Episodes of direct violence against healthcare workers and social workers represent a worrying and widespread phenomenon in Western countries. These violent attacks, whether verbal or physical, occur in various work environments, targeting professionals working in private facilities, medical practices, or those employed within the National Health System facilities. We conducted a search using a single search engine (PubMed) using the terms "violence against healthcare workers AND Western" for the period 2003-2023, identifying 45 results to which we added to the literature through hand searching. Our review thus analyzed the sector literature to highlight the phenomenon of violence against healthcare workers, particularly in Western countries. We began with an analysis of the problem and then focused on the true purpose of the study, which is to propose new solutions to protect healthcare workers in all work settings. Consequently, we aim to improve both the working environment for healthcare professionals and to enhance the overall healthcare and public health outcomes.

ADVANCES IN NETWORK SECURITY FOR A RESILIENT DIGITAL CYBERSPACE INFRASTRUCTURE

In network security, safeguarding digital cyberspace infrastructure against malicious intrusions remains a paramount concern. This study addresses this imperative by proposing a novel approach that integrates digital watermarking, Huffman coding, and sophisticated attack classification techniques within the Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol framework. The proliferation of interconnected systems and the increasing sophistication of cyber threats necessitate novel strategies to fortify network defenses and ensure resilience in the face of adversarial activities. The research problem revolves around the need to develop an effective method for detecting and categorizing reconnaissance and violent attacks within cyberspace networks, particularly those utilizing the CAN protocol. Despite advancements in security protocols and intrusion detection systems, existing methodologies often fall short in accurately distinguishing between benign and malicious network activities, leaving critical infrastructure vulnerable to exploitation. This research uses digital watermarking to embed metadata within network packets, Huffman coding for efficient data compression, and advanced attack classification algorithms for real-time threat identification. The experimental results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach in accurately differentiating between reconnaissance probes and violent attacks, thereby enabling timely and targeted responses to mitigate security threats.

Human Rights Violations Committed Against Human Rights Defenders Through the Use of Legal System: A Trend in Europe and Beyond

Human rights defenders (HRDs) fight for various human rights and address concerns related to corruption, employment, the environment, and other issues. They also challenge powerful state and private stakeholders and seek justice for human rights abuses. Therefore, HRDs are increasingly becoming targets of violent attacks and abuse with the aim of silencing them. This article begins by providing a brief definition of HRDs and then proceeds to outline the risks associated with their work in defending human rights. It also identifies the perpetrators responsible for these violations. The article categorises the types of abuses against HRDs into two main categories, with a particular focus on the widespread tactic of using the legal system to target and silence defenders in Europe, which is also emerging globally. It introduces a taxonomy of various types of violations through the legal system. By categorising the types of violations against HRDs and establishing a taxonomy to aid in identifying these tactics, the article seeks to deepen understanding and awareness of the varied abuses experienced by HRDs, as well as their deviation from human rights standards, providing a valuable resource for academics, practitioners, and defenders.

Ethno-religious Conflict in Kaduna, Nigeria: Perceptual implications for Residential Property Development

This study investigates the causes of ethno-religious conflicts prevalence in Kaduna and its attendant influence on residential property development decisions in Kaduna, Nigeria. Data was collected through structured questionnaires and administered by trained Assistants to residential property owners/investors in selected neighbourhoods of Kaduna North and Kaduna South. A total of 5,439 questionnaires were administered to respondents (Property Owners/Investors) and 3,431 was retrieved. This includes 1,608 from Kaduna North and 1,823 from Kaduna South representing a total of 63.08% response rate. Quantitative data obtained from the questionnaires were analysed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. The findings indicate that in Kaduna North, the incessant ethno-religious conflicts in the area, resulted to problems associated with low occupancy ratio occasioned which is a consequence of voids in many completed residential properties in the area, negatively affected investment decisions (B = 1.275, p = 0.049). In Kaduna South, the incessant conflicts in the area resulted to more significant problems which negatively affected residential property investment decisions including property loss due to violent attacks (B = -1.102, p < 0.001), limited access to financing (B = -3.392, p < 0.001), overall insecurity in the location (B = -1.816, p < 0.001), low property demand (B = 9.269, p < 0.001), and challenges with disposal and attracting quality tenants/occupants/buyers (B = -7.029, p < 0.001). The study recommends the need for strengthened security measures, improved access to financing, peace-building initiatives, infrastructure development, market support and capacity building. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders in residential property development ventures in developing targeted strategies to promote sustainable residential property development in Kaduna.

Enhancing Smart City Safety and Utilizing AI Expert Systems for Violence Detection

Violent attacks have been one of the hot issues in recent years. In the presence of closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) in smart cities, there is an emerging challenge in apprehending criminals, leading to a need for innovative solutions. In this paper, the propose a model aimed at enhancing real-time emergency response capabilities and swiftly identifying criminals. This initiative aims to foster a safer environment and better manage criminal activity within smart cities. The proposed architecture combines an image-to-image stable diffusion model with violence detection and pose estimation approaches. The diffusion model generates synthetic data while the object detection approach uses YOLO v7 to identify violent objects like baseball bats, knives, and pistols, complemented by MediaPipe for action detection. Further, a long short-term memory (LSTM) network classifies the action attacks involving violent objects. Subsequently, an ensemble consisting of an edge device and the entire proposed model is deployed onto the edge device for real-time data testing using a dash camera. Thus, this study can handle violent attacks and send alerts in emergencies. As a result, our proposed YOLO model achieves a mean average precision (MAP) of 89.5% for violent attack detection, and the LSTM classifier model achieves an accuracy of 88.33% for violent action classification. The results highlight the model’s enhanced capability to accurately detect violent objects, particularly in effectively identifying violence through the implemented artificial intelligence system.

Does Youth Resentment Matter in Understanding the Surge of Extremist Violence in Burkina Faso?

Abstract The year 2019 marked an unprecedented step in violence in Burkina Faso. Before 2018, attacks targeted central government officials and expatriates. In 2019, the victims of sexual assaults, attacks, abductions or forced disappearances and assassinations were mostly local civilians. The surge in these violent attacks against civilians generates population movements. As of 2023, internally displaced people represent about 10% of the total population in the country. Several observers point to the youth of the attackers. This study investigates the motives that could drive young people to resort to violence in the country. It aims to highlight youth resentment's effect on violence against civilians in the country as of 2019. It takes advantage of one of the latest nationwide United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)-sponsored surveys conducted in Burkina Faso before some parts of the country became inaccessible because of attacks. Among other information, this survey collected data on youth resentment towards the ability of their kinship to fulfil their needs in 2018, namely before the shift in violence against civilians. We merge this survey into an original dataset that gathers data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), mining data from the MINEX project and distance data computed using Burkina Faso's roads information. The results of an event count model show that youth resentment matters in understanding the occurrence of conflicts. Moreover, the presence of mining companies, the remoteness of infrastructures, ethnic diversity and polarisation also significantly affect violence against civilians.

Legislation as Disinformation: The Love Jihad Conspiracy Theory in Law and Lived Experience

The “love jihad” conspiracy theory in India purports that Muslim men are deceptively seducing or kidnapping non-Muslim women in large numbers to convert and marry them. State laws in India have moved to control conversions—resulting in legislation as disinformation—and sparked violent attacks against Muslims. We identify this as the third wave of state-level anti-conversion laws in India and study how the conspiracy theory is embedded into the text of the law and its relation to the current period of Hindu nationalist ascendancy. Combining narrative analysis of the 2021 Gujarat amendment and interrogating the everyday experiences of interfaith couples who face administrative, police, and vigilante violence we analyze the infrastructure and frameworks of Hindu nationalist ideological dominance in India today. Our study questions the presumptions that underlie the characterization of India as a “democracy” considering the current political, ideological, and legal configurations in the country under the BJP.

An examination of the strategic logic of nonviolent resistance in Fela's Afrobeat

This study explores Fela Anikulapo Kuti, arguably Africa’s most iconic resistant artist of the twentieth century by analysing the strategic logic of Nonviolence in his responses to numerous violent attacks by the repressive and oppressive regimes of the post independent Africa, nay Nigeria. Using the conceptual tool of music as social process and philosophical tool of critical and constructive analysis, the study combines documentary data in Fela’s Afrobeat and Key Informant Interview, in order to demonstrate the strategic logic of nonviolence in conflict engagement and transformation in Fela. The study argues that Afrobeat is a musical philosophy shaped by disregard for human rights and gross irresponsibility on the part of government that have manifested in Africa/Nigeria’s underdevelopment since the Union Jack was lowered in 1960s. The study avers that chose to be part of politics of revolution by using his music to exude protest and persuasion, non-cooperation and intervention against injustice that has created the many problems of man and social reality. The study concludes that Fela won against the oppressed post-colonial African leaders as he was the public conscience of the oppressed Africans who have continued to win despite being repressed.

Reflection on violent attacks in schools

Reflection on violent attacks in schools

The ‘Temptation of Indifference’ and the Search for an Elemental South in A.S. Byatt’s ‘Crocodile Tears’ (Elementals)

Heading south to seek oblivion or erasure may be considered as something of a topos. What the aptly named Patricia Nimmo in Byatt’s ‘Crocodile Tears’ chooses to call ‘indifference’ is a mild word for the character’s mystifying reaction to the death of her husband, struck by a violent heart attack in an art gallery: catching a glimpse of the body, Patricia runs off, leaving it for others to deal with. Her escape involves several brushes with death from which she is saved, as it happens, by a Northerner encountered in the city of Nîmes. The overall trajectory of the story seems almost too simple: the headlong flight south comes to an end when the first step is taken towards a process of mourning which is not only marked by a return to the North but by the restoration of polarities threatened by ‘the temptation of indifference’. Such simplicity is nevertheless challenged from the beginning by the tension at work between the dream of an ‘elemental’ South, associated with the possibility of driving story and history out of the landscape, and a haunting textual south which creeps back at every turn. As storylines multiply and get woven into Patricia’s own story, the 75-page long text turns into a dense visual and textual network and Byatt’s South into a place in the making that transforms itself at every step at the same time as it transforms the character. ‘Indifference’ itself becomes ambivalent as it turns into an exploratory mode. The numbing of emotions offers a vantage point to conduct an experiment in seeing which welcomes whatever presents itself to the eye. The journey which starts in a London gallery and moves to the deep yellow South of Van Gogh recounts an imaginary flight which is not just an illusory flight. It takes the form of an intense material encounter which produces a series of striking pictures, an intricate landscape that remains after the journey has ended.

Criminal law counteraction to violent attacks on police in China

Criminal law counteraction to violent attacks on police in China

Dysfunctional Social Systems, Experiential Traits and Sheer Wickedness: Interrogating the Vicissitudes of Criminal Violence in South Africa

The daily incidents of violent crimes are rampant in South Africa. This incident of violent attacks has placed the country in a bad light in the global ranking of violent countries. Not only has this fact not changed, but it has worsened with recent incidents occasioned by the COVID-19 lockdown. From its description as the world’s ‘murder capital’ and rape capital due to the prevalence of criminal activities, criminal violence in South Africa has grown in intensity. This paper argued that the scourge of criminal violence in South Africa is, partly, a manifestation of a dysfunctional social system that has entrenched the culture of violence as an instrument of interaction in a society characterised by individualistic instinct and consciousness. Exacerbated by the lived experiential traits imbued with wickedness, violent criminal activities have created a society living in fear of instant death and degradation. The research used an interpretivism method from several South African studies, including the culture of violence, criminal violence, and the justice system, to discuss the criminal justice system. This paper submits that a deliberate and conscientious approach, through a reformed criminal justice system as well as societal re-orientation, would be necessary to recalibrate the subconsciousness of citizens to be attuned to the appropriate social order stimulated by responsive and responsible governance structures.

Rails and responsibilities: Perspectives of railroad police officers in China

Abstract In policing practices, railway policing has an essential role to ensure the public security of extensive railway network. However, limited attention has been given to understanding the perspectives of police officers involved in this specialized field. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring the perspectives of railway police officers. Through in-depth interviews with 31 railway police officers from different regions, this research examines their experiences, challenges, and perceptions regarding their roles and responsibilities. The findings reveal that conflicts of interest within the railway police department pose potential risks to its internal cohesion. These officers used different strategies for response to violent attacks in ordinary and high-speed trains, highlighted instances of avoidance of duties due to internal conflicts, suggesting deficiencies in the evaluation mechanism employed. This study not only contributes to our understanding of railway policing in China but also provides insights for global railway policing and criminal investigation coordination.

폭력적ㆍ치명적 공격에 대한 경찰 물리력 행사 연구

Since November 24, 2019, the police force regulations, “Rules on Standards and Methods of Using Police”, have been in effect. According to this rule, police determine that the act to be reported is ‘cooperative control’ at the ‘compliance’ stage, ‘contact control’ at the ‘passive resistance’ stage, ‘low-risk physical force’ at the ‘active resistance’ stage, and ‘medium-risk physical force’ at the ‘violent attack’ stage, ‘high-risk physical force’ is being used at the ‘fatal attack’ stage. The use of physical force by front-line police officers is active when the behavior of the person being reported is in the ‘compliance’, ‘passive resistance’, and ‘active resistance’ stages. However, it is not possible to be active when using ‘medium-risk physical force’ at the violent attack stage or ‘high-risk physical force’ at the fatal attack stage. The reasons why police officers on the front lines hesitate to use physical force in the event of a violent or fatal attack by a person to be reported are the criminal, civil, and administrative responsibilities they will experience after using physical force, and the「Police Officers Execution of Duties Act」and 「Rules on Standards and Methods of Exercise of Police Force」. This study was analyzed using a literature research method, and interview data from fellow police officers while working as a team leader at the police box was used as supplementary material. We presented a realistic plan for front-line police officers to actively use physical force in the event of violent or fatal attacks. As improvement measures, it was proposed to expand the reasons for reduction of sentences due to performance of police duties, revise the「Police Officers Execution of Duties Act」and 「Rules on Standards and Methods of Exercise of Police Force」, and improve the police baton, which is a police equipment.

Pulwama Attack: A Content Analysis of Media Framing in Indian and Pakistani News Papers' Websites

The coverage of media about the attacks by the terrorists plays a vital role in shaping the masses' understanding of the issue. The Pulwama attack is one of its kind, which opens the door for researchers to study various aspects. The incident was carried out on February 14, 2019. This attack is known as a major and big horrific violent attack in the context of Indo-Pakistan relations that provoked a record-high amount of tension between the two countries. The tension between the two countries escalated right after the attack and it jeopardized the whole aspect of peace and prosperity between the two countries. The media of both countries played a great role in setting their own perspectives among the masses.This study mainly focuses on analyzing the content about the attack, published in the print media. The study includes the analysis of framing the attack differently by both the countries’ respective print media. In order to examine the coverage of the attack, the researcher selected one of the topmost newspapers of both states. Daily Dawn from Pakistan and Times of India from India. The researcher studied the content of the stories published from February 14, 2019, to March 31, 2019, and then analyzed them through a qualitative content analysis strategy.This study seeks to evaluate the attack in order to find the answers to the basic research objectives. The main objective of the study is to examine the coverage of the Pulwama attack in Dawn and Times of India and how they both differ in framing the attack respectively. Another objective of this research is to identify the sources and references used by both newspapers in reporting the Pulwama attack. The findings of the study show that the Indian print media covered and present the clashes of both neighboring countries in a negative and provoking manner whereas Pakistani media neutralize the incident and focused on facts only. The frames chosen by Indian media promote sensationalism in the audience.

Abandoned War-Torn Homes as Casualties and Witnesses of Violence

Most global conflicts are followed by a simultaneous war against domestic architecture. However, this phenomenon remains largely ignored by contemporary spatial discourses. Similarly, previously destroyed homes are marginalised and remain disconnected from the contemporary life of the region. This text-based essay frames the region of the former SFR Yugoslavia as a concrete case study and casts light on the uncertain position domestic interiors hold in times of political fluctuations and ethnic conflicts. It specifically focuses on the time after the acts of violence have taken place, when these sites have lost their prime domestic identity and stand as discarded ruins caught in an ambiguous zone between past and present. The analysis is presented through findings of a unique physical and psychological exploration of the aftermath of ethnic conflicts — TRAVELS (2011–2014). Findings from TRAVELS are here applied as a universal material and used to analyse the aims, meanings, and consequences of violent attacks in the contexts of widespread ethnic, cultural, and political violence. This essay offers a distinctive perspective by positioning the domestic interior as a direct casualty and witness of violence. As the key driver of all spatial explorations in this essay, scenography deepens our understanding of the meaning and impact of violence on the current uncertain position of the attacked homes. With scenography taking a forensic standpoint, these sites emerge as abandoned mise-en-scènes inscribed with layers of spatial narratives, traces of time, and tactile remnants of past violence and trauma. This essay proposes that the acts of violence transform the meaning of home. In times of conflict, strategic acts of violence are framed as modes of cultural and ethnic cleansing and domestic space as their true medium. In the aftermath, while officially detached from contemporary life, war-torn homes represent survivors of history and metamorphose into uniquely powerful monuments of the collectively lived trauma.