In recent years, Correctional Centre violence has been much debated. Although the literature on violence is well developed, little is known about the nature and extent of violence in South African Correctional Centres, despite widespread concern and speculation. Furthermore, it is unclear whether this particular context of violence is due to the often hostile environment of Correctional Centres, or due to violent nature of inmates held in custody. This research study aims to investigate Correctional Centre violence in a South African Correctional Centre, looking specifically at offender-on-offender assaults that occurred in Pollsmoor Medium B Correctional Centre, by looking at assault incident reports and investigations. Discourse and thematic analysis was applied to single out the nature and contexts of the assaults reported. It was found that the assaults usually took place in certain spaces and times, but also that perpetrators and victims of violence often shared various commonalities. Additionally, certain units seemed more prone to violence than others, related to the finding that there were definite indications of spaces controlled by inmates and spaces controlled by correctional Officers. The study concludes that violence in South African Correctional Centres cannot be seen isolated from the offender, the outside world and their backgrounds.

In a cyborg society where people exist both organically and via technology, sexual expression and interaction via technology has become 'normal'. The controversy surrounding sexting stems from contemporary literature and media portraying it as coercive, harmful and unacceptable, with particular reference to young females. Qualitative data on this phenomenon is extremely limited and biased, potentially resulting in unjust limitations and restrictions. This study investigates Millennial sexting behaviour by considering general and gendered perceptions of sexting to better understand the phenomenon; its risks, benefits, and the practice itself. An exploratory mixed methods study amongst university students (N = 579) revealed expected and unexpected findings. Respondents acknowledged sexting's risks, while the benefits of and motivations for sexting were emphasised with little evidence of negative pressure. It is argued that the benefits of sexting greatly outweigh the potential risks, but moreover, that sexting is a primarily feminist practice that holds much promise. The need for sextual education and awareness of sext-consent is examined, as theoretical and policy implications are discussed.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

It is widely accepted that illicit markets are driven by specific contextual factors that determine their nature and scope. Two points in particular have not been explored in the literature on wildlife crime. First, while illicit markets around commodities such as drugs and weapons are fuelled by consumers arguably in need of, or addicted to, the product, the desires of buyers that shape wildlife markets are often shaped by cultural norms which may seem irrational to outsiders. Second, given that wildlife markets are seldom as stringently regulated as those in respect of drugs, weapons or other commodities, the nature of the criminal enterprises that source, move and sell the products are possibly very different. The study examines these two factors – the culture of markets and the degree of criminal enterprise or organisation within them – through a case study of a largely unexamined environmental crime market in South Africa, that of rare cycad plants. Cycads are widely exploited, moved and sold in the country by a network of increasingly criminalised operations. State action against these markets is not a priority and has had only few successes in limiting the trade of an increasingly scarce plant. A detailed examination of the market and its consumers suggests that it is strongly shaped by a particular South African culture which draws on (often mythical) connections to the land, including its fauna and flora. Ironically, those active in the market argue that their objective for doing so is conservation, even if illicit collections are the prime threat to the species. Although the academic and conservation community have attempted to develop and implement conservation tools and strategies, limited law enforcement and regulatory mechanisms have produced a flexible illicit market where a set of intermediaries play the key role. While the market shows signs of internal competition, it operates relatively openly, and does not display the levels of violence of other criminal markets in similar stages of development.

The purpose of this research is to examine the outer space governance regime and to identify key governance deficits which are arguably the main reason for the far-reaching proliferation of space debris in the outer space commons. To this end, the research initially inspects two of the existing global commons – the maritime and polar regions – their governing regimes, and the regulatory, legal, and political challenges encountered in each. The discussion on the connection between global governance deficits and the environmental tragedies within these domains aims to establish the conceptual foundation of this study. Based on this foundation, the research discusses legislative and regulatory dimensions of outer space governance and international responses to the challenges facing the outer space commons. It concludes with the examination of the space debris problem and potential policy responses to address this global environmental tragedy. In this regard, in the light of Ostrom’s design principles, an international treaty on space environment protection, a financial programme in managing the cost of debris removal programmes and maintenance of spatial resources, and an international space agency to coordinate these fields and provide substantial cooperation between space actors, are offered as fundamental steps to prevent the tragedy in outer space – the common heritage of mankind. Therefore, this research intends to contribute to the understanding of the space debris problem and its consequences for global welfare.

This minor dissertation examines the status quo of services provision by community based victim support services for male victims of sexual violence in South Africa. Given the scale of gender-based violence in South Africa it comes as no surprise that research and debates around sexual violence have predominately focused on women as victims and men as perpetrators. In this minor dissertation the neglect of men as potential and actual victims of sexual violence are problematized. In the discussion I explore the issues at stake, assess the status of male victims and investigate the kinds of services available to sexually violated men in the country. The research methods utilised include the following: a review of the international and national academic literature regarding male sexual victimisation; a review of relevant legislation and policies in South Africa; a review of media coverage on male rape and male sexual victimisation; content analysis of community based service providers' web sites and interviews with service providers. Despite the tendency to use gender neutral language in some official discourses (legislation, policy documents or service providers' official presentations and communications) to stipulate that everyone can be a victim of sexual violence irrespective of gender, male victims remain hidden from view. The interviews, however, showed a sound acknowledgement within the service providers that male sexual violence is a problem in the country that has to be taken seriously and acted upon. Services are available to men, but the design, delivery of services and training of professionals working with male victims differ from organisation to organisation. The visibility of those services, however, remains a question. By way of conclusion a list of recommendations for more effective service delivery to male victims of sexual violence is provided, which highlight the need for more 1) advocacy and awareness raising, 2) more evidence-based research, 3) funding), 4) training of professionals working with survivors of sexual violence and 5) cooperation between stakeholders.

Sexual violence perpetrated during armed conflict is a notoriously prolific, yet oft neglected phenomenon. It used to merely be considered an inevitable by-product of war, yet recently sexual violence has come to be described as a 'weapon of war'. This refers to the deliberate and tactical intentions of the perpetrators, and alludes to the fact that sexual violence has been and continues to be an inherent aspect of conflicts. Fortunately, with increased global attention on this issue, there have been numerous developments in international humanitarian law as well as the field of criminal justice, which serve to recognise and condemn the prevalence of wartime sexual violence. That is, rape and other forms of sexual violence have been categorised as international crimes falling within the jurisdiction of international criminal tribunals and courts dealing with conflict situations. Furthermore, there have been several convictions of persons indicted for such crimes. These advances must be applauded, yet there remains a troubling omission: the provision of reparations to the victims of wartime sexual violence. Though the international tribunals and courts are statutorily empowered to award such reparations, there seems to be lapse in this regard. This is critically problematic considering the many harmful consequences of conflict-related sexual violence, namely: physical and medical issues, emotional and psychological issues, social exclusion and stigmatisation, as well as resultant monetary issues. Without a concomitant award of reparations attached to the conviction of a perpetrator of wartime sexual violence, victims are not able to experience true justice. The focus of this paper therefore rests on the challenges of the official court system - specifically that of the ICC - in providing reparations to victims of conflict-related sexual violence. With these in mind, it is recommended that a separate forum be created to deal exclusively with the provision of reparations.