The use of modern oral nicotine products (colloquially known as white snus or nicotine pouches) is increasing fast among youth and young women in Sweden. Due to aggressive marketing on social media, the colourful snus cans that contain nicotine pouches have become accessories that could be compared with lifestyle products (such as branded clothing, jewellery, or cosmetics). This collaborative design project aims to explore alternative approaches to education against modern nicotine products and to create a small-scale countermovement for the increasing white snus trend. During the project, we have used methods of human-centred design and visual communication in order to facilitate female snus users in reflecting on their own habits and rethinking the lifestyle around nicotine pouches. The project is done in collaboration with female university students who use white snus and two local tobacco control workers in the Region Kalmar län (Region Kalmar County).

This research aims to further explore the linkages between poor WaSH realities and women’s development to understand how the burdens and risks associated with inadequate water resources diminishes both their health and safety. Specifically, a significant goal of this project is to understand the way in which rates of violent attacks increase as access to water decreases. Attempting to capture this violence in all its various forms, this study hosts conversation surrounding the way that a lack of clean, dependable water sources can increase a woman’s chances of experiencing various forms of violence. / Accessing clean water and adequate sanitation poses significant risks to the health and wellbeing of women and girls in East Africa. Without having access to local and dependable sources of water, the prevalence of water-borne diseases, health and safety hazards, and social barriers increase. Grounded in Feminist and Structural Functionalism theories, this research was designed to better understand Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) realities and the various types of associated burdens and risks. Using focus groups and key informant interviews, 36 health care professionals from various East African countries, such as Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, and South Sudan, were solicited in an effort to capture the real, lived experiences of practitioners working most intimately with these issues. All data were gathered at Uganda Christian University in Mukono, Uganda, and reflect both the personal and professional accounts of health care professionals living and working throughout communities within these countries. The findings of this study indicate that for as long as poor water and sanitation access and hygiene practices continue to plague the development of women in urban and rural communities, women and pregnant women will continue to suffer from dangerous diseases and brutal attacks of violence. Honing in on the latter concept, this study uncovered a significant link between inadequate water access and rates of domestic violence, sexual assault, and animal attacks. Understanding the health professional perspective is crucial in gathering relevant data. Through this effort, the findings of this study have been informed by those most knowledgeable on the WaSH realities identified and therefore has the ability to influence both policy and programs in realistic and productive ways. With the goal of determining and then diminishing identified risks, the data gathered from this research are meant to be used as evidence to help empower and advance women throughout East Africa. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)

Актуальность диссертационной работы заключается в необходимости определения стратегий в предотвращении и предупреждении насилия со стороны интимного партнера в отношении женщин. По информации МВД РК, количество преступлений, совершенных в Казахстане в сфере семейно- бытовых отношений, в 2018 году выросло на 103,7%. По данным фонда «ООН-женщины», в Казахстане вследствие домашнего насилия ежегодно погибают около 400 женщин. По сведениям Генеральной прокуратуры РК, в Казахстане возросла статистика насилия над женщинами. В сравнении с 2015 годом преступность в отношении женщин и детей возросла на 90%». / The relevance of the dissertation work lies in the need to identify strategies in the prevention and prevention of intimate partner violence against women. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the number of crimes committed in Kazakhstan in the sphere of family and domestic relations increased by 103.7% in 2018. According to the UN Women Foundation, about 400 women die each year in Kazakhstan due to domestic violence. According to the General Prosecutor's Office of Kazakhstan, statistics on violence against women have increased in Kazakhstan. Compared to 2015, crime against women and children has increased by 90%.

The complex and multilayered interdependence of health and security gets exceedingly obvious in conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV); however, its scientific study is exceptionally invisible. Political unrest increases incidence of gender-based violence (GBV). Rapes, including gang rapes, and forced insertion into the female genitalia of foreign bodies such as bottles, sticks, and weapons can lead to injury of the vagina and the development of traumatic vaginal fistulas (TVF). This paper aims to give structure to the particular characteristics of traumatic vaginal fistula in conflict settings and its immanent linkage to human security. The authors reviewed all papers concerning prevalence and causes of CRSV-caused TVF (CRSV-TVF) that were available on PubMed and GoogleScholar in February 2021. Findings were integrated into feminist theory on CRSV to identify the connecting linkages of security, health, and gender equality. CRSV-caused TVF illustrate well the complex interdependences of health and security: (1) insecurity leads to a higher prevalence of sexual violence; (2) sexual violence can serve as a weapon of war; (3) insecurity prolongs sufficient medical care; (4) vaginal fistula impede female empowerment and societal development. The multiple threads of their connection reveal several implications for the prevention and treatment of TVF. The reciprocal connection of CRSV and security exemplifies a vicious circle of health security.

The endeavour for gender equality and against gender-based patterns (stereotypes) are topics often discussed in relation to education. Correspondingly, extensive research on textbooks used in schools around the world has been conducted, some of which include the aspect of people beyond the binary. Research shows reinforcement of gender stereotypes and low visibility of females, and an absence of non-binary people. However, some research seems to indicate a change towards a more equal representation, hence the need for continuous research on the topic. In Sweden, there has been a statement in the steering documents about equality in rights and opportunities between men and women since the nineties. Since then, equality has been given greater prominence in the curriculum provided by the Swedish National Agency for Education (Skolverket). However, in the latest edition, the statement has been reformulated, and a gender- inclusive approach has been adopted as it now applies to all students, regardless of their gender identity. Additionally, Skolverket (2022) notes that schools are obliged to contribute to students’ digital competence, which can be done with the use of digital learning materials (DLM). Therefore, the present study seeks to investigate how gender within and beyond the binary is represented in a newly produced DLM called Digilär and to see whether it corresponds to the curriculum by counteracting gender-based stereotypes. To achieve the aim, a content analysis of the DLM is carried through. Furthermore, to deepen the analysis, and produce more valid results, all verbs used to describe characters’ activities and all adjectives used to characterise and portray them were noted and categorised by semantic type following Dixon’s (2005) typology. The findings show a non-existent representation of people beyond the binary, with the exception of groups or individuals without expressed gender. Moreover, male characters are precisely double the number of female characters which demonstrates imbalanced gender representation. Additionally, the findings generally showcase gender-based stereotypes being reinforced.

Depuis les années 2000, les « violences faites aux femmes » (VFF) font l’objet d’un traitement politique sans précédent. Cette publicité, fruit des luttes et des revendications féministes, est aussi le produit d'une histoire institutionnelle qui fait l'objet de cette recherche. Cette thèse porte sur les évolutions de l'encadrement étatique de la protection des victimes de violences de genre depuis les services d'aide proposés au sein même des groupes des tiers secteurs. Elle analyse ainsi comment les « coûts » des politiques de protection de lutte contre les VFF reproduisent du genre. Ces politiques sont analysées à travers une réflexion matérialiste sur la « protection institutionnalisée » (Brown, 1995) et en pensant le travail associatif/communautaire autour des violences avant tout un travail de soin. Trois niveaux d’analyse y sont explorés : celui des politiques publiques, celui, intermédiaire des relations entre l’État et les groupes des tiers secteurs, et celui plus sensible des pratiques de travail d’intervention. Cette recherche repose sur les monographies de quatre associations et organismes communautaires d’accompagnement des travailleuses du sexe et d’aide aux femmes victimes de violence conjugale en France et au Québec. La démarche méthodologique combine des entretiens sous forme de « récits de pratique » avec les intervenant·es et les directions de ces organisations et une analyse documentaire des politiques qui encadrent leur travail. L’angle des financements montre que les organismes sont utilisés comme des instruments de mise en oeuvre des politiques publiques. La comparaison met en lumière différentes stratégies et réponses des organismes. Cette dépendance contraint aussi le travail d'intervention dont la charge administrative s'alourdit et tend à réduire la part de soin pourtant inhérente à la relation d'aide. Ensuite, la thèse montre que l'institutionnalisation des politiques de lutte contre les VFF s'accompagne d'une mise sous contrainte des droits à l'aide et à la protection. Si la mise à l’agenda politique des violences de genre est le fruit de plus larges revendications contre le poids du mariage et le contrôle de la sexualité des femmes, lorsqu’elles sont intégrées dans le langage de l'action publique, sa définition tend à se resserrer sur des notions de risque social ou de crime. / Since the 2000s, “violence against women” (VAW) has raised political interest on an unprecedented scale. This exposure is the result of feminist demands and struggles. But it is also the result of an institutional history which is at the heart of this research. The focus of this thesis is the expanding role of the state in regulating the protection of gender-based abuse victims. The research takes the standpoint of social services within nonprofit organizations. It analyzes the costs of VAW protection policies and how they reproduce gender oppression. These policies are analyzed through a materialist reflection on “institutionalized protection” (Brown, 1995) and by considering nonprofit work with victims first and foremost as care work. This thesis provides three levels of analysis: public policies, the relations between the State and nonprofit organizations, and finally, on a more tangible level, I analyze social work practices. This research is based upon the monographs of four non-profit organizations: supporting sex workers and assisting women victims of domestic abuse in France and Quebec. From a methodological perspective, this research combines narrative interviews of the organizations’ workers and head of staff, with a literature review of policies governing their work. The study of funding shows that nonprofit organizations are used as tools to implement public policies. The comparison highlights different strategies and differentiated responses from organizations. Organizations’ reliance on public funding restrains social work. The administrative burden limits the part of care pivotal to social work. The thesis demonstrates further that institutionalization of policies on VAW leads to a restriction of the rights to assistance and protection. Political awareness of gender-based violence falls within broader reassessments of issues such as marital pressure and the policing of women’s sexuality. But when it comes to state action, it tends to be conflated to social risk and crime.

The work for female empowerment is prominent on the Unguja island of Zanzibar. Governmental support and local and international organizations are investing in women to achieve gender equality. The government of Tanzania has added changes to the law to protect women and prevent gender-based violence, as well as strategic measures to assist the stakeholders of the Zanzibarian society. Simultaneously, the reports of gender-based violence (GBV) are increasing on the islands according to the Zanzibar Female Lawyer Association. The study explores the measures taken by the government to eliminate violence against women with a focus on the role of the man in these structural social and legal changes. The study also shows the challenges that the added laws have faced in practice, and the balance between culture and legal system in a society, when a change is to take place.

In 2022 Russia illegally invaded Ukraine starting a full-scale war against the country. The war has had severe humanitarian concerns for the civilian population, one of the consequences being increased levels of GBV and CRSV. This research paper analyzes the implications of GBV and the use of CRSV in the war against Ukraine, exploring vulnerable groups and pre-existing patriarchal structures affecting those exposed to the violence. The paper also explores challenges and ways to respond to these issues, providing recommendations to humanitarian and international actors supporting Ukraine in responding to these issues. This qualitative study is based on interviews with professionals working for humanitarian and international organizations in or with Ukraine in the fields of GBV, CRSV and gender providing knowledge on the situation on the ground and insights into local culture and norms, as well as secondary data. The conducted research shows that women and girls are a vulnerable group towards different forms of GBV, such as domestic violence and trafficking in times of war and peace, and CRSV, such as rape. Pre-existing patriarchal structures and traditional norms increases the threat towards women and girls being exposed to violence committed by men. It also indicates that the levels of GBV and CRSV, with violence in different forms such as domestic violence, trafficking, and rape, has increased since the escalation of the war, and that the rate of GBV will continue to increase after the war ends. Recommendations to humanitarian and international actors include working localized and focusing on the re-building of systems responding to GBV that existed prior to the war, promoting a survivor-centered approach in meeting survivors through training of staff, and raising awareness around GBV, CRSV, patriarchal structures and mental health to prevent violence against women and girls in the long-term.

Background: Occupational hazards have a high potential to adversely impact the sexual and reproductive health of workers regardless of gender or sex. In Canada, workers' reproductive health and safety are protected by federal and provincial/territorial occupational health and safety (OHS) legislation and related policies. It is unknown whether these policies include directives to protect workers from exposure to reproductive health hazards, harassment, sexual harassment, and violence in the workplace. This thesis explores whether Canadian federal and provincial/territorial OHS and related legislation address reproductive health protections for all workers and employees (women+ and men), including pregnant workers' safety, harassment, sexual harassment, and violence in the workplace. Materials and Methods: We adopted the READ approach (readying your materials, extracting data, analyzing data, and distilling findings), a systematic procedure to conduct a policy content analysis to evaluate Canadian federal and provincial/territorial OHS legislation, employment standards and human rights codes all enacted between 2013 and 2023. Data analysis included thematic content analysis to identify codes organized into themes and a frequency analysis of key concepts. We used an SGBA+ (Sex and Gender-Based Plus Analysis) to apply a gender equality lens to our exploration of Canadian legislation in the context of reproductive health protections, harassment, sexual harassment, and violence protection. Results: Our findings revealed a widespread recognition of workplace accommodations for pregnant workers, including pregnancy and parental leaves, in Canadian OHS legislation; however, there was little recognition of workplace-related adverse reproductive health outcomes for workers in federal and provincial/territorial OHS and related legislation. Although gender identity/expression and sexual orientation discrimination to protect harassment are well recognized in the federal and provincial/territorial human rights codes, our review of the Canadian federal and provincial/territorial OHS legislation and employment standards suggests a substantial gap in addressing workplace sexual harassment and violence. Conclusion: Our review of Canadian federal and provincial/territorial occupational health and safety legislation suggests a substantial gap in addressing workplace sexual/reproductive health. An all-hazards/universal precautions approach, not a focused reproductive health protection-specific approach, was adopted within OHS legislation to manage workplace risks. Harassment was mainly recognized with less robust discussion of sexual harassment and violence protections. This thesis revealed a need to modernize Canadian OHS legislation to explicitly address workplace-related reproductive health safety concerns and protections for sexual/gender-based harassment and workplace violence.

Producing information today is unprecedented in both speed and accessibility. This is a benefit of living in these IT times. There is more knowledge available than ever before, which is as fantastic as it is problematic. It leaves both the producer and the user of this information responsible for assessing and interpreting it. This thesis has investigated what information has been produced on conflict related SGBV by the World Bank and the ICRC to see what representations have been established. Several documents from each organization have been collected, coded and thematically analyzed by using intersectionality and structural violence as theoretical lenses. These theoretical frameworks complemented each other in their use in this study as intersectionality was employed to look at what certain portrayals might mean for individuals, and structural violence was used to look at what the result meant on a larger scale. Ultimately, this thesis arrived at the conclusion that the portrayal of conflict related SGBV by the World Bank and ICRC is problematic. No organization is misrepresenting more than the other, but they do struggle on different themes. Overall, the main risk an organization runs when writing about this topic is to portray women as the only demographic group affected and the image that all women survivors are the same in that they are female. This leaves the consumer of this information with the assumption that conflict related SGBV only affects women, because they are women. This is wrong and it is problematic, as this thesis will explain in detail, along with other representations and analytical conclusions.