The aim of this investigation was to assess if there was a correlation between touch avoidance and hierarchical position, perceived degradation, number of years spent in jail and age amongst men at a correctional institution. In addition, a possible correlation between hierarchical position and the amount of perceived degrading treatment was also explored. In the collection of the data a questionnaire containing 27 open and closed answer alternatives was utilized. A multiple regressional analysis was conducted to find possible correlations between touch avoidance and the other underlying variables. Also an independent t-test explored the possible effects of the control variables: place of birth and girlfriend. A correlational analysis was applied to investigate the other two control variables: physical and psychological abuse during childhood. An oneway-ANOVA-test was used to investigate the possible correlation between hierarchical position and the amount of perceived degrading treatment. The results of the study showed that a high amount of degrading treatment, a low hierarchical position and the longer the time served correlated with a high degree of touch avoidance. Age proved to have no correlation with touch avoidance, which is contrary to previous research. Regarding the inmates’ hierarchical position and the amount of perceived degrading treatment, a negative correlation was found; the higher hierarchical position an inmate had, the smaller was the amount of degrading treatment he was subjected to. Keywords: Touch avoidance, hierarchies, degrading treatment, inmates, prison

<p>The aim of this investigation was to assess if there was a correlation between touch avoidance and hierarchical position, perceived degradation, number of years spent in jail and age amongst men at a correctional institution. In addition, a possible correlation between hierarchical position and the amount of perceived degrading treatment was also explored. In the collection of the data a questionnaire containing 27 open and closed answer alternatives was utilized. A multiple regressional analysis was conducted to find possible correlations between touch avoidance and the other underlying variables. Also an independent t-test explored the possible effects of the control variables: place of birth and girlfriend. A correlational analysis was applied to investigate the other two control variables: physical and psychological abuse during childhood. An oneway-ANOVA-test was used to investigate the possible correlation between hierarchical position and the amount of perceived degrading treatment. The results of the study showed that a high amount of degrading treatment, a low hierarchical position and the longer the time served correlated with a high degree of touch avoidance. Age proved to have no correlation with touch avoidance, which is contrary to previous research. Regarding the inmates’ hierarchical position and the amount of perceived degrading treatment, a negative correlation was found; the higher hierarchical position an inmate had, the smaller was the amount of degrading treatment he was subjected to.</p><p>Keywords: Touch avoidance, hierarchies, degrading treatment, inmates, prison</p>

This thesis addresses the meaning and scope of application of the right not to be subjected to degrading treatment, a distinct form of harm within the absolute prohibition of torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Through an interpretive case-law analysis, the thesis presents a deeper conceptual understanding of the meaning of degrading treatment than is found in existing human rights literature. It is a central argument of this thesis that the concept of human dignity occupies a key position in the interpretation of degrading treatment adopted by the European Court of Human Rights. Consequently, it is argued that the meaning of human dignity in this context ‘frames’ the potential boundaries of the right. The thesis aims to facilitate identification of situations that may convincingly be argued to amount to potential instances of degrading treatment through generating a richer appreciation of the right’s proper scope of concern. A comprehensive account of the meaning of degrading treatment and corresponding state obligations is offered. This account provides a framework for future application of the right that is both practical and plausible.

Studiens syfte var att undersöka och analysera pedagogers erfarenheter av en skriftlig utformad plan för att motverka diskriminering och kränkande behandling i förskolan. Det är en kvalitativ studie som bygger på intervjuer med pedagoger på förskolor. Frågeställningarna som låg till grund för studien var: Hur upplever pedagogerna processen kring utformandet av den skriftligt utformade planen för att motverka diskriminering och kränkande handling? Hur beskriver pedagogerna den skriftligt utformade planens användning i arbetet att motverka diskriminering och kränkande handling? Vilka utvecklingsmöjligheter ser pedagogerna kring den skriftligt utformade planen som verktyg i arbetet att motverka diskriminering och kränkande handling? Resultatet i studien visar bland annat att pedagogerna upplever processen kring utformandet av planen som svår då det till exempel var svårt att få tag i information. Användningen av planen beskriver pedagogerna som en punkt på dagordningen, de tycker att den används samtidigt som den upplevs mer som en pappersprodukt än som ett innehållsförankrat dokument. När det gäller utvecklingsmöjligheter kring planen ger pedagogerna uttryck för att de själva behöver mer kunskap i ämnet och planen behöver på olika sätt implementeras mer i verksamheten. / The purpose of this study was to investigate and analyze teachers´ experiences of a written plan designed to counter discrimination and offensive behavior in preschool. It is a qualitative study based on interviews with educators at preschools. The questions that formed the basis for the study was: How do preschool teachers experience the process of designing the written plan designed to counter discrimination and offensive action? How do teachers describe the use of the written plan designed to combat discrimination and offensive action? What development opportunities do the teachers see around the written plan designed as a tool in efforts to combat discrimination and offensive action? The results of the study show that teachers experience the process of designing the plan as difficult as it was difficult to obtain information. The teachers describe the use of the plan as an agenda item, they think that it is used while it is perceived more as a paper product than as a content embedded documents. When it comes to development opportunities of the plan the teachers express that they need more knowledge on the subject and the plan needs to be more implemented in the preschool’s activity.

The following paper is about degrading treatment in preschools and the essay discuss degrading treatment according to the Swedish school law, in preschools and the chosen focus for this study is three to four year old children. The aim is to see whether or not preschool children proceed with degrading treatment towards other children and if preschool teachers believe that children this young have the ability to do so. The questions for this study are: Can children proceed with degrading treatment towards each other? Which conflicts evolve through children’s interactions? Can children in pre-schools have a degrading behavior? To answer these questions participant observation at two preschools and interviews with four preschool teachers were chosen as method. The perspective of this paper is based on the view on children as actors, which is used to acknowledge and enhance the possibilities of letting the children’s own voices be heard. Theories used for this paper is Van Ausdale and Feagin’s (2001) theory about three to four years olds awareness, one about children’s relation to adults presented by Thorne (1993) and Wyness (2012) and lastly Gripsruds explanation of the influence of media combined with statistics from Statens medieråd (Swedish media council). The result of this study show that children between the ages of three to four, use different strategies to include or exclude other children and used things such as age and limitations of participants in a play as excuses. However, these reoccurring excuses cannot be seen as degrading treatment or behavior, according to definition made by the school law. An interesting finding is that the children sometimes used their parents to excuse their actions or used them to threat others. Overall the observational study shows how difficult it can be to see and acknowledge degrading treatment within preschools. The interviews with the preschool teachers indicates that they do not spend much time on acknowledging or trying to prevent degrading treatment amongst children. The preschool teachers discussed children’s quarrels but they tended to see it as something natural within children’s interactions. The conclusion of this essay is that degrading treatment could not be seen at the two preschools, which is contradicting to some of the literature used in this paper.

Studiens syfte var att undersöka hur utvalda organisationer arbetar mot kränkande behandling på nätet bland barn och unga. Metoden som användes var kvalitativ och det empiriska materialet inhämtades genom intervjuer. I studien deltog sex respondenter, fyra av respondenterna var från de olika organisationerna Friends, Bris, Tjejjouren samt Barn- och elevombudet som kommer i kontakt med kränkande behandling på nätet. Två av respondenterna arbetade som skolkuratorer inom skilda elevhälsoteam på två skolor. Resultatet analyserades med hjälp av innehållsanalys och ett teoretiskt ramverk som bestod av institutionell teori och isomorfism. Resultatet visade att arbetsgrunden hos de olika organisationerna skiljde sig åt då de arbetade efter olika lagar och teorier. Organisationerna arbetade med olika insatser, exempelvis genom stödverksamhet, föreläsningar och utbildningar till olika målgrupper. Gemensamt för organisationerna var att de arbetade med liknande metoder mot kränkande behandling på nätet som de använde sig av mot traditionella kränkningar. Resultatet visade att det finns olika sätt för samverkan att bildas mellan organisationer, detta kan vara genom formell samverkan eller informell samverkan. Flera av organisationerna i vår studie riktade sitt arbete mot skolan och resultatet visade att det finns brister i hur den samverkan genomfördes. / The purpose of this study was to explore selected organizations work against degrading treatment on the internet among children and youths. We used a qualitative method and the empirical material was collected by interviews of six participants. Four of them were from the different organizations Friends, Bris, Tjejjouren and Child and School Student Representative which somehow were connected to the issue degrading treatment on the internet. Two of the participants worked as school counselors in various student health teams at two high schools. The material has been analyzed using content analysis and the theoretical framework of institutional theory and isomorfism. The result showed that the working basis of the organizations differed according to laws and theories. The organizations worked with different actions, for example supporting activities, lectures and educations to different target groups such as e.g., school. The organizations had in common that they worked with similar methods against degrading treatment on the internet as against traditional degrading treatment. The results showed that there were different ways to form cooperation between organizations, for example through formal or informal agreements. Several of the organizations in our study directed their work toward the school and the result showed that there are shortcomings in how the cooperation was performed.

"Torture continues to feature as a serious human rights violation in Africa. This explains why, during its 32nd ordinary session held in Banjul, The Gambia, the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (the African Commission) resolved to adopt the Guidelines and Measures for the Prohibition and Prevention of Torture, Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in Africa (The Robben Island Guidelines (RIG)). This is a new development in Africa aiming at operationalisng article 5 of the African Charter. The RIG are phrased in a seemingly ambitious language, but their implementation by the African states remains doubtful because they are not legally binding. This has to be viewed in the light of the fact that many African countries are states parties to major regional and international human rights instruments, but human rights violations still persist. ... Chapter I has covered the proposal which includes the background to the study, research question, research methodology, limitation of the study, definition of torture, torture as jus cogens, literature review, and the division of chapters. Chapter II covers a synopsis of the international instruments and mechanisms to combat torture. Chapter III deals with the European and American systems' approach to combating torture. Chapter IV covers the African human rights system and torture, and finally, chapter V includes the general conclusion and recommendations. A draft of the recommended African Charter on the Prevention of Torture which has been drafted after looking at international, the European and Inter-American conventions on torture, has been attached as the main recommendation." -- Introduction. / Thesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa)) -- University of Pretoria, 2005. / Prepared under the supervision of Professor Julia Sloth-Nielsen at the Faculty of Law of the University of the Western Cape, Republic of South Africa / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/academic_pro/llm1/dissertations.html / Centre for Human Rights / LLM

In this qualitative study, eight school policies against degrading treatment and bullying, which were applied in eight municipalities in six different counties in Sweden, were analyzed to study what interventions the schools used to prevent degrading treatment and bullying and what course of actions the schools took in case such behavior was shown. These policies were analyzed with thematic analysis, which involved finding codes in the qualitative data and developing them into themes within the data. As a result, the study showed that 130 interventions were used in these schools. These interventions were developed into 59 themes, which were categorized according to the frame factor theory, which included four frames: judicial, administrative, physical, and social frames. They were also categorized into five levels, at which they were applied: school-level, classroom-level, individual-level, school-level interventions that were applied by students, and security-level. The first three levels were taken from Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP), and the following two levels were constructed during the study. The results showed that the four frames and the interventions in them intervened more with each other than it was originally discussed in the frame factor theory, as well as with the different levels at which they were used. The results also suggested the necessity of a remodeling of the theory in the light of conclusions based on the data and changes in school as an institution caused by changes in society. Keywords: Middle school policies, thematic analysis, frame factor theory, degrading treatment, bullying.

This thesis deals with the prohibition of torture in international law. The prohibition of torture is considered one of the fundamental values of democratic states, it is an absolute right and a part of customary international law and such a rule of conduct from which we can under no circumstances deviate. Although it might seem that this topic is not too current, the opposite is true. The violation of the prohibition of torture is almost worldwide. The inspiration and impetus to select this topic for me was the situation about the U.S. war against terror and torture of prisoners at U.S. military bases. The work is divided into two blocks. The first part is a theoretical question, which aims to define the very concept of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment and their relationship and to map the universal and particular international mechanisms in which the prohibition of torture is established. In this respect, the important document is the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which is the only universal document that provides a precise definition of torture. The aim of the first part was also to describe how the control mechanisms checked in compliance with the prohibition of torture in the world. The second...

<p>The overall aim of this study was to examine if there were any difference between two different upper secondary schools with regard to the schools' work with the basic values.</p><p> Our supposition was that if there were differences between the schools basic values work then it could be observed that the school that works more with the basic values has also more students expressed as a percentage who leave the school with final grades within four years.</p><p> We have chosen to work with the qualitative method and made group interviews as well as individual interviews with six persons.</p><p> We came to the conclusion that one of the schools worked with the basic values continuously while the other school had the intention to do it but according to our interpretation the school didn't do it. It also appeared that one of the schools had more students who finished school with final grades.</p><p> The result that we have got showed that there is a difference between these two schools in the basic values work and that the school that worked with this continuously has also bigger amount of students with final grades.</p><p> During work on this study we discovered other issues that we hope someone else can answer in the future.</p>