Master of Arts / Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work / Nadia Shapkina / This study examines male-based sexual violence prevention programs on college campuses. In an effort to combat the widespread problem of sexual violence against college women, universities have implemented sexual assault prevention programs. While past programs have focused on risk-reduction strategies that target women, new programs are beginning to focus on approaching men to challenge hegemonic masculinity and gender social norms that are conducive to sexual violence. Thus far, the methods of these programs have not been studied in detail. This study uses interviews, observation, and document analysis to analyze the methods and messages of male-based sexual violence prevention programs at six universities in the United States. The research describes and analyzes the origins, goals, structures, strategies, success, and challenges of these programs. Their strengths and limitations are discussed, and suggestions and considerations for the programs are provided. As male-based violence prevention programs become more popular on college campuses, this research offers a deeper understanding of these programs that may inform and improve the effort to combat violence against college women.

Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2010-06-29 22:05:58.284 / The growing global awareness of sexual violence as a weapon of war has been accompanied by the strategic and pervasive inclusion of womens personal stories of war rape. This representational strategy of Western media, academia and humanitarian policies was critically examined in order to understand how war raped women in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are discursively situated as Other. Drawing on the theoretical concepts of abjection and objection, the study did not question the truth of womens experience but rather examined whether the pervasive inclusion of war rape stories constituted a true feminine subjectivity. A foucaldian notion of discourse provided a method to expose meaning and dominant discourses, which render certain identities and stories of war rape more visible than others. The purpose of this study was to critically engage with dominant Western discourses of war rape and provide a more complex understanding of how diverse power structures, identities and representational practices impact the struggle of Congolese women to end rape and open self-determined pathways of empowerment. A qualitative method of critical discourse analysis was used to examine the textual and visual processes of representation. Samples of text were taken from three main areas: media coverage (print, television, web based, magazines, and films), feminist academic literature (journals, reports and books), and humanitarian policies (UN mission reports, security council resolution, mandates and reports). The results revealed that war rape victims, the DRC and acts of rape were all positioned as Other and as a media spectacle that was further consumed by Western audiences. It was also found that certain war rape identities and social factors remained invisible, including the Wests complacency in the DRC conflict. Ultimately, the study finds a tension between discourse as a tool of liberation and a tool of power and control. This thesis recommends that anti rape activists must examine their own dominance over war rape victims and consider new strategiesbeyond the simple act of storytellingthat will position rape victims as the subjects (not objects) of their own struggle to end war rape. / Master

This is a qualitative investigation into women’s awareness of sexual violence during emerging adulthood. Sexual violence refers to any sexual act that is experienced as a threat or violation and takes away an individual’s ability to control intimate contact (Adams, 2005). Current estimates suggest that one in six adult women in the United States has been the victim of rape or attempted rape in her life (Department of Justice, 2015). Women in emerging adulthood (18-28 years old) are three to four times more likely than all women to experience sexual assault, and sexual violence is more prevalent than other crimes on college campuses (Cantor, Fisher, Chinball, Townsend, Lee, 2015). Given the ubiquity of sexual violence, some researchers (e.g., Brison, 2002; Adams, 2005) have argued that the threat of sexual violence harms women. There is a growing body of literature, essays, documentaries, and news reports documenting college women’s experiences of sexual assault. However, the dearth of empirical psychological literature on the impact of women’s knowledge of the possibility of sexual violence impacts them has implications for practitioners and researchers working with women affected by sexual violence. Therefore, a phenomenological approach using semi-structured individual interviews was used in this qualitative investigation of how women in emerging adulthood are aware of the possibility of sexual violence. The study was guided by the following questions 1. How do women in emerging adulthood encounter sexual violence in their lives? 2. How are women in emerging adulthood taught to think about, prepare for, and deal with unwanted sexual encounters? 3. What social forces perpetuate rape culture? Six women in emerging adulthood and enrolled in university courses were interviewed for this study. During the interview process, participants described how they learned about sexual violence, how they think about it in the present day, how their awareness impacts their movement in the world, and how sexual violence impacts their relationships with others. The content of the interviews was analyzed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as described by Smith, Flowers, and Larkin (2009). Results from the data analysis yielded four superordinate themes: (a) Lack of dialogue about sexual violence, (b) Living with the possibility of sexual assault, (c) Discrepant understandings of sexual violence, and (d) Sexual assault and interpersonal relationships. These themes reflect an awareness of sexual violence that is informed by dominant representations of what sexual assault looks like. Participants’ narratives reflect the struggle of trying to understand their own experiences of sexual violation in a culture that represents narrow depictions of what counts as sexual violence. The participants also expressed hope and optimism for change in the future.

The extant theories in PTSD describe significant initial symptom reactions, and these reactions may provide opportunities for clearer early identification and treatment of PTSD. There are empirically identified trajectories of PTSD, which indicates there is a critical starting point to those trajectories. Generally, theories and results suggest that the re-experiencing (Cluster B) and hyperarousal (Cluster E) symptoms are common reactions after traumatic events, while hyperarousal and negative cognitions and mood (Cluster D) clusters are generally identified as the most important and/or predictive. Thus, this dissertation utilized retrospective reports in order to identify initial symptom reactions and then subsequently predict PTSD severity over time. Participants included college women who experienced sexual and relationship violence within the past 2 years. Two primary hypotheses were investigated within the dissertation: 1) Cluster B and E symptoms were expected to be the most prevalent initial reactions reported, and 2) Clusters E and D were expected to significantly predict PTSD severity over time. The results indicated partial support for each hypothesis, such that Cluster B symptoms were among the most prevalent initial reactions and Cluster D was a significant predictor of PTSD severity over time. Specifically, earlier Cluster D ordering interacted with the presence of negative beliefs and loss of positive emotions to predict PTSD severity over time. / Doctor of Philosophy / There are ideas and theories about how posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) starts and gets worse. People develop PTSD in different ways; some develop it very quickly and it is very bad, while others develop it slowly and it may not affect them much at all. The first signs and symptoms may be the best place to look, much like when you first get a cough or a sore throat with a cold or the flu. Generally, research suggests that common reactions are re-living the trauma and having reactions like being on guard all the time. Being on guard all the time also may be one of those important symptoms that will help predict if someone will get PTSD, as well as experiencing things such as thinking harsh things about oneself. This dissertation included reports from people after they had experienced trauma in order to figure out those first symptoms. Then, it used those first symptoms to predict how bad their PTSD was in the weeks and months later. Participants included college women who experienced sexual assault and domestic violence within the past 2 years. The results showed that people often re-live the trauma, but it may not be the most important when predicting whether they will get PTSD or not. Negative thoughts and beliefs about oneself were the most important set of reactions when predicting who will get PTSD and how badly. More importantly, the earlier they had those negative thoughts, the worse their PTSD was in the coming weeks and months.

Sexuality is one of the most central elements of human existence. Throughout history, attacks on women have been common during armed conflict. Frequently military forces have viewed sexual violence as a spoil of war, a punishment to defeated populations, or as the deviance of rogue soldiers. However, there are conflicts in which sexual violence is used as a weapon. In these conflicts, sexual violence evolves from a facet of conflict to genocide. When a military force’s command utilizes systematic and widespread sexual violence as a weapon of war, in both intent and effect, it fulfills every condition of the Geneva Convention standards of genocide. Three cases are analyzed within this thesis: Chile under the Pinochet dictatorship, Rwanda during its genocide, and Bosnia during the break-up of the former Yugoslavia. Motivations for each of the conflicts varied. However, the constant in all three conflicts was the intended elimination of a specific group and the implementation of a policy of sexual violence in order to do so. In order for crimes to be considered genocide they must fulfill one of the following conditions, as stated in Article 2 of the Geneva Conventions, any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group, as such: A. Killing members of the group; B. Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; C. Deliberately inflicting on the group the conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; D. Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; E. Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. Egregious acts of sexual violence and torture were utilized by all three respective commands in order to murder, incur grievous mental and physical harms, destroy the group’s ability to procreate in the future and impose measures upon the group intended to bring about its end. This work demonstrates that irrespective of the cause of a conflict, when systematic and widespread sexual violence is used as a weapon of war, it is genocide.

Thesis advisor: Usha Tummala-Narra / Women who experience sexual violence are more likely to be diagnosed with a depressive, anxiety, trauma-related or substance use disorder than women who do not experience sexual violence (Kendler et al., 2000; Walsh et al., 2012). The negative mental health sequelae that are associated with experiences of sexual violence are related to the types of responses survivors receive from others (Carlson et al., 2002; Littleton, 2010). These responses are informed by attitudes towards sexual violence. Extant literature on Sri Lankan immigrant populations indicates that cultural and contextual factors interface to shape attitudes towards violence. Much of this research, however, has focused on domestic violence in general as opposed to sexual violence in particular. Thus, little is known about how culture and context interact to inform attitudes towards sexual violence in the Sri Lankan community in the United States. A qualitative methodology, guided by an ecological framework and South Asian feminist lens, was used to examine attitudes towards sexual violence among Sri Lankan immigrants in the United States. Participants consisted of 14 first-generation Sri Lankan immigrants. In semi-structured interviews, participants explicated 1) the cultural values and socialization patterns that they were exposed to in Sri Lanka, 2) their experiences of navigating Sri Lankan cultural values and socialization patterns in the United States, and 3) how cultural and contextual factors from pre- and post-migration contexts have interacted to inform views on sexual violence. The findings of the present study revealed that patriarchal socialization regarding gender roles, sex, and sexuality in Sri Lanka facilitates silence and stigmatization around sexual violence among Sri Lankans. The negotiation of these values within the post-migration context contributed to more progressive views on sexual violence. Participants did not support the presence of silence regarding sexual violence and, instead, encouraged survivors of sexual violence to seek help. They also recommended that survivors receive support from multiple sources (e.g., family, community, legal system). Implications for clinical practice, community level interventions and research are discussed. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / This study aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of adolescents with regard to sexual harassment within the school environment. It was considered in the light of actual cases reported on the Cape Flats in the Western Cape where adolescent girls sought counselling after being sexually harassed over a period of time, and were eventually sexually assaulted on their school grounds, by their peers. A qualitative methodological approach was utilised, and the sample was made up of nine adolescent females and one adolescent male between the ages of 15 and 17 years, who were asked to participate on a voluntary basis. Their selection followed purposive sampling at two selected high schools on the Cape Flats in the Western Cape. The research instrument used was an unstructured interview with an open-ended question to allow the participant to share openly and freely. Sound ethical considerations were taken into account throughout the study. Phenomenology was used as a theoretical framework and the data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The four key themes, or essence of the adolescents’ lived experiences, that emerged for the study were: (1) boys don’t respect girls’ sexuality, (2) boys demonstrate power over girls, (3) girls who are sexually harassed at school are publicly humiliated, (4) reporting procedures at schools are inadequate. From the themes I concluded that for the girls, key principles relating to human rights within the South African Constitution were being violated; namely, the right to non-discrimination, the right to human dignity and the right to a safe school environment. Recommendations were made that address the role of the national and regional education departments as well as that of social workers.

The protection of survivors of sexual violence during court proceedings is as important as the court proceedings themselves, as any mishaps may impact greatly on the well-being and future engagement of these survivors with the criminal justice system. The issue of secondary victimization remains a problem faced by many survivors of sexual violence who try to seek justice for their ordeal. It is against this background that several international, regional and national documents have been enacted with hopes of mitigating the issue of secondary victimizations from the criminal justice system and its actors. The court as an institution within the criminal justice system is established to handle all criminal and civil cases within a defined jurisdiction and as such is charged to handle all cases of sexual violence filed before it. However, the role of the court in protecting victims especially victims of sexual violence is increasingly being questioned. Therefore, the dissertation seeks to explore the issues surrounding the protection of survivors of sexual violence in the Ghanaian court. To adequately explore the issue under consideration, a qualitative research approach was adopted, which entailed on-site observations and interviews. As a case study, the gender court was selected as the site for the research. The findings of the study support a strong argument for an expansive approach from the court and all stakeholders of the criminal justice system, from both structural and legal approaches as well as the need for an attitudinal change to harness the protection of survivors of sexual violence who seek justice for their ordeal. Thus, the findings point to the need for urgent attention to help reduce the risk of secondary victimization in the court.

Ample research explores individual factors associated with sexual violence, yet individual, dyadic, and environmental influences on intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) occurring in the larger context of non-intimate partner violence (NIPSV) remain relatively unexplored. The current study aimed to determine the extent to which county-level indicators in combination with individual and dyadic factors are associated with sexual violence across relationship types. Reported IPSV and NIPSV cases were obtained from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s (TBI) online incident-based reporting system. County-level variables indicative of neighborhood physical disorder, violent crime, income inequality, firearm prevalence, and community alcohol use patterns were retrieved from the online resource County Health Rankings and Roadmaps. Using a nested case–control design, we determined significant sexual violence risk within younger cohorts and across relationship types, finding three significant county-level factors: 1) income inequality, 2) rate of firearm fatalities, and 3) percentage of female residents. Suggested prevention and intervention efforts include targeting younger age groups for IPSV and NIPSV education, developing resources for a range of relational partners, improving legal access and law enforcement training for reporting, and continued examination of the role of firearms.

Conflict-related sexual violence against men is a largely unrecognized and forgotten perspective in both research and international policies. Reports document that conflict-related sexual violence affects men, yet detailed consideration of the issue remains missing due to the lack of comprehensive research. The existing research is scarce and focuses primarily on the policy perspective or call for increased attention towards recognizing the subject. This study has sought to increase the understanding of the phenomenon through the perspective of mass media. The objective of the study has been to examine how the subject is portrayed by the media, including how male survivors in media describe their own experiences of sexual violence regarding masculine norms and stigma. The study has been conducted as a qualitative desk study by using empirical data from news articles in online newspapers. The study has followed an abductive approach and applied an analytical framework consisting of the two theories Social Stigma and Hegemonic Masculinity. A thematic analysis was used to interpret the empirical data and three main themes were identified. The findings suggest that the subject tends to be portrayed as unusual or as an exceptional phenomenon. The news articles use similar words to describe the subject, such as hidden, silent, ignored, and underreported. The subject is also deeply associated with stigma and masculine norms, both by the survivors and in the articles. The male survivors tend to illustrate how they feel ashamed, humiliated and stigmatized as a result of their experiences. The survivors also reflect upon a sense of loss in their masculine identity and have either avoided speaking about it or been rejected by society due to normative masculine expectations.