Efforts to explain the causes of victimization have been limited to the pioneering work of von Hentig, a few post hoc explanations of research findings, and scattered references to victim provocation. Victimologists have not only demonstrated little concern with the causes of victimization, they have also failed to give sufficient attention to the offender in their discussions of victimization. Explanations of victimization are necessarily related to theories on the causes of deviant behavior and changes of the offender since the offender's behavior is the direct cause of victimization. A review of the literature on victimization, the etiology of deviant behavior, and the operation of the legal system reveals that six different hypotheses about the causes of victimization have been advanced. These hypotheses predict that the probability of victimization is determined by: (1) exposure to offenders; (2) social distance from offenders; (3) economic attractiveness; (4) high status; (5) legal risk; and (6) physical intimidation. The image of the deviant and/or the motivations to deviate implied by each hypothesis are explored. Predictions from the six hypotheses are tested on questionnaire data from a middle class suburban high school in the Southwest. As expected, the research findings are most consistent with the predictions of the exposure hypothesis. The more exposed a student is to offenders, the greater the probability that he or she has suffered a theft or property destruction victimization both at school and elsewhere. The causes of both provoked and true personal victimization at school are also investigated. Exposure to offenders affects the probability of both true and provoked threat victimizations at school. However, high status and/or social distance from offenders also seem to play a role in true threat victimizations. Similar processes may be important in explaining attack victimizations at school.

Discrimination based on sexual orientation takes place on a regular basis in schools today. A major form of discrimination among learners in secondary schools is homophobic victimisation. South Africa is a democratic society with laws that protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) learners, yet discrimination towards these learners still occurs. The objective of this research is to investigate teachers’ perceptions of homophobic victimisation among learners within independent secondary schools. The researcher adopted a phenomenological approach. The research design was qualitative and of an exploratory, descriptive and contextual nature. Information was gathered through questioning participants via an open-ended, structured questionnaire. Teschs’s eight step method of data analysis was used. An independent coder, together with the researcher, analysed the data. Three themes (and attendant categories) were identified, discussed and supported with literature. The first of these themes pertains to the institutional level and the school context, in particular. The categories identified under this theme pertained to teachers’ thoughts regarding a culture of acceptance of homosexuality and school policy regarding sexual orientation and homophobic victimisation. The second theme related to the individual level of the teachers and their perceptions regarding, firstly, homosexuality and, secondly, homosexually-oriented learners. The third and final theme identified was that of the individual level of the learners and the difficulties they experience. In particular, these difficulties pertain to social difficulties, acts of verbal, physical and emotional victimisation and the learners’ self-concept.

With the increasing rate of violent criminal victimization, concerns about safety and prevention have begun to resonate across college campuses throughout the nation. Despite the efforts put forth by institutions of higher education to reduce fear of crime and criminal victimization, college students are subjected to coexist with the probability of crime victimization on campus. The main objective of this thesis was to explore new measures of crime prevention on college campuses. Specifically, the efforts put forth in this study were to focus on understanding the problem of property theft of personal belongings on college campuses. The findings based on Pearson correlations and multiple regression analyses indicate that students’ crime prevention awareness and behavior are highest amongst female and non- victimized students. Crime prevention behavior was best explained by awareness. Furthermore, expanded evaluation of contributing factors may lead to future crime preventive measures such as participation in crime prevention seminars. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The problem of this study concerns ethnoviolence on the campus of a predominantly white, state-supported university in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area. In order to study ethnoviolent behavior, the effects it has on the victims, and the perceptions that minority students have of the campus climate, all African-American, Hispanic, and international students enrolled at The University of Texas at Dallas were mailed a questionnaire.

A research report submitted to the School of Human and Community Development, Faculty of Humanities in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master’s in Community-Based Counselling Psychology, September 2017 / Crime on campus may threaten the sustainability of society. Literature states that a university has an ethos – good or bad – and that such moral criteria can transform students’ characters, defining them for future societies. This study reviewed literature to find evidence of a relationship between empathy and helping attitudes/prosocial behaviour, as well as the psychological impact of the fear of crime and victimisation on empathy and helping attitudes. The aim was to explore the existence of a relationship between the levels of empathy in South African students at the University of the Witwatersrand, and the helping attitudes of the same student cohort. A secondary aim was to determine whether empathy and helping attitudes were influenced by the fear of crime and victimisation at a specific South African. The research design was a non-experimental, cross-sectional survey designed to assess levels of empathy, victimisation, fear of crime, and helping attitudes in students who were willing to participate in the study. A university non-probability convenience population was chosen as an appropriate source of data, in accordance with previous research conducted. Firstly, a series of analysis was run; most of the scores on the independent sample t-tests had no statistically significant effect on the scores of helping attitudes, fear of crime on campus, and empathy. The MANOVA was determined to have had no statistically significant effect on the scores of helping attitudes, fear of crime on campus and empathy. Despite the MANOVA indicating no statistically significant results, further analysis was run, the hierarchical multiple regression scores indicated a statistically significant effect on the scores of helping attitudes, fear of crime, and empathy. The significance of current research is that it looks at the progression of factors that could lead to students’ fear of crime on campus. / XL2018

Previous researchers have recommended that universities should be deemed very safe places. However, reports of crime have dominated the news, including shootings and mass murders at schools and universities. The issue of reality versus perception is of foremost importance when student safety is at stake. In this paper, the researcher presents the findings from unique data collected from university students related to situational crime prevention, fear of crime, self-protective behaviors, and perceptions of crime prevention programs to better understand the antecedent variables relating to crime prevention. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

This qualitative study focused on understanding risk influences for sexual violence against female students at the University of KwaZulu Natal, Westville Campus (formerly the University of Durban- Westville) in South Africa with the aim of suggesting intervention strategies for prevention. The participants of the study were male and female students at the University. One hour same gender focus group interviews were facilitated by trained Psychology Masters students of the institution in the afternoons after lectures. Interviews for the male groups were facilitated by males and female groups by females. Participants' responses were captured by tape recorders and then transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data. The factors that influence sexual violence on campus are discussed within the framework of the Theory of Triadic Influence (TTI).The emergent data of the current study suggested multiple influences for sexual violence within the three streams of influences of the TTI, namely, the intrapersonal, social context and cultural environmental streams of influence. It emerged that sexual violence was a problem on campus and most incidences were not reported to the University authorities. Participants in the current study also revealed a broader understanding of sexual violence than the current definition of rape. The majority of incidences of rape were reported to occur within the first few weeks of the academic year at parties meant to welcome new students. At intrapersonal level first year students' inability to adjust to University life, lack of assertiveness, misinterpretation of a woman's friendly behaviour by male as well as alcohol and drug abuse emerged as factors influencing sexual violence against women at the intrapersonallevel. At the social context level, peer influence among male and female students was found to be another contributing factor for sexual violence against women on campus. Depending on the group norms, male students would be pressured into being violent towards their partners. Female students were found to be pressurized into remaining in an abusive relationship. At the cultural! environmental level, participants revealed beliefs of men's superiority over women and these were reported to be brought about by socialization in society. Based on this study recommendations are made for possible interventions to prevent incidences of sexual violence against women in tertiary educational institutions in South Africa. These include orientation programmes for first year students that will assist them adjust to University lifestyle. Life skills education should be aimed at changing men's negative attitudes and aggressive behaviours as these have detrimental effects towards partners. Social events aimed at entertaining students should be closely monitored in order to eliminate every kind of unacceptable behaviour. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Geography / Master / Master of Geographic Information System

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master in Technology: Public Administration-Peace Studies, Durban University of Technology, 2017. / Since Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980, the issue of achieving sustainable peace and development has remained a challenge due to a lack of comprehensive approaches to issues of human rights violations. With such a problem, it becomes easy for individuals and society to use violence as a means to an end and, thus, it has become culturally acceptable, not only in political spheres but also in the school sphere. Therefore, this study aims to promote positive attitudes among students to reduce levels of bullying and to enable to realise the prevention mechanisms that exist within themselves through an action research intervention. Action research with a group of ten students was used create awareness on the negative impact of bullying and also the importance of creating and maintaining peaceful schools. Research proved that violent behaviour among students appears to be a serious problem at Prince Edward School and at Cranborne High School. I worked together with students in two schools to design, implement and evaluate a programme designed to reduce bullying behaviour. It is recommended that students, academic staff, police and the Ministry of Education work together to design interventions that include students in reducing bullying in schools. / M

Fear of crime is argued to be a social problem that may lead to restriction of activities, increased security costs, and avoidance behaviors. Findings from research indicate that there are many demographic influences on the fear of crime. Specifically, gender has been found to be one of the most consistent predictors of crime, that is, females significantly fear crime more than males. Additionally, research suggests that a person's fear of crime or perceived risk to crime may increase their engagement in precautionary behaviors, such as carrying a weapon for protection. The current study examined these relationships using data collected from 588 students at the University of Central Florida in the fall of 2006. The results indicated that females reported significantly higher mean scores on the fear scale for all crimes except property crimes, as well as higher mean scores for most crimes on the perceived risk of victimization scale. Females also reported feeling less safe from crime in their neighborhood and at home. Furthermore, females were more likely to engage in precautionary behaviors, but less likely to engage in risky behaviors. Fear of crime was not a significant predictor of the use of precautionary behaviors. However, respondents with greater perceived risk were more likely to use a greater number of precautionary behaviors. Additionally, respondents who had a perceived lack of safety were more likely to use precautionary behaviors and engage in them more often. Risky lifestyle behaviors were not significant predictors of either fear or guardianship activities. Exposure to the media was only shown to increase fear, perceived risk, and perceived lack of safety at the bivariate level. And finally previous victimization was not a significant predictor of fear or perceived risk. Overall, the results were fairly consistent with previous literature. Implications for future research and policy are discussed.