Sexual violence is ubiquitous throughout the Anglophone West and shows no sign of abating. Feminist analysis has long demonstrated that this is a problem grounded in gender relations, patterns of masculine socialisation, and patriarchal social organisation. However, this thesis proposes that the roots of the Anglophone West’s rape culture also extend far beyond matters of gender and sexuality, deep into the core of the dominant culture itself. Setting feminist theory in dialogue with wider socio-cultural analysis, the research explores the complex relationships between the prevailing ideologies, ethics, systems, structures and practices of the dominant culture and the Anglophone West’s high incidence of sexual violence. In so doing, it reveals that, contrary to popular misconceptions, rape is neither a ‘natural’ nor a ‘savage’ act but a highly ‘civilised’ one which expresses the foundational philosophies of Anglophone Western culture in a sexualised, gendered form. Specifically, it shows that sexual objectification, which presents women as little more than ‘rapable bodies’, is part of a far wider pattern of normalised objectification developing from the Anglophone West’s underlying belief that some lives are worth less than others and so may be legitimately used and ‘consumed’ for personal gain. Expanding this to include analysis of men who commit sexual violence, it also establishes that perpetrators’ ‘rapist mentalities’, or the modes of thought and relation that enable and motivate rapists to commit rape, function as interpersonal, gendered expressions of the Anglophone West’s celebration of and reliance upon exploitation, conquest and coercive rule. Through these arguments, the thesis ultimately demonstrates that rape is not only an act of gender violence but also an inevitable manifestation of the dominant culture of the Anglophone West at large which can be fully addressed and challenged only by expanding analytical frameworks to include broad socio-cultural critiques and diverse social justice activism. In taking this position, the thesis expands understanding of rape beyond the limits of existing research and raises significant issues for both future scholarship and the ongoing struggle against sexual violence.

Thesis advisor: James F. Keenan / This dissertation addresses the problem of rape on campus in the United States. It takes seriously the data offered by the social sciences which demonstrate not only that approximately twenty percent of college women will experience a completed or attempted rape, but also that rape is, itself, on a “continuum of violence” that marks women’s lives. In addition to rape, women also face harassment, visual abuse, and stalking. All are components of rape culture. Rape culture is also comprised of the social norms and expectations regarding gender and sexuality that constitute women according to desirability, defined by their ability to be treated as sexual objects. This culture simultaneously undergirds and veils the violent manifestations of rape. As such, it requires moral analysis. The dissertation proceeds in four chapters. The first chapter outlines the contours of the reality of campus sexuality, gender, and sexual violence with the help of the social sciences. Drawing on the social sciences, it argues that the cultural context that supports campus rape must be addressed in order to adequately work against campus rape. The second chapter draws on feminist approaches to sexual violence in order to argue that the reality of campus rape requires an interrogation of socially expected heterosexuality. Here, heterosexuality is structured around dominance and submission in order to construct gendered identities of masculinity and femininity, respectively. In the third chapter, this dissertation argues for a conception of “cultural sin” in order to theologically diagnose the way that the expectations, norms, and behaviors around sexuality participate in campus rape culture. From a theological perspective, this cultural reality violates right relationship among human beings, the dual commandment to love both God and neighbor, and it is human beings who bear moral responsibility for this sinful situation. Finally, the fourth chapter argues for a tri-fold theological and moral response to rape culture: interruption, solidarity, and conscience. Interruption works to expose the violent reality of campus rape and rape culture, challenging what seem to be common sense, taken for granted, expectations around sex and gender. Solidarity demands that all persons identify themselves with those who are victimized. It requires that one’s everyday life regarding gender presentation and sexuality are guided by the conviction to challenge the culture that victimizes so many. Through conscience, persons are called to recognize their moral duty to challenge this culture and discern the ways to put this call into action. The conscience is what is able to guide persons in moral action for participation toward greater cultural transformation. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.

No description available.

India is often described to be a country with a fast growing economy and progressive indicators of human development. However, over the last decade there has been a growing concern of increased reporting of sexual violence in India which seems to contradict the first description. Therefore this creates a problem on how we can understand and explain this. The objective of this study is to try to gain a deeper understanding of some of the underlying factors of increased reporting of sexual violence in India, and to understand in what way the ‘modernization’ process possibly could be put in relation to this, something that is analyzed with help from Durkheim’s theory of anomie. This study draws on a qualitative desk study with a compilation of material from existing research on sexual violence against women, both at home and in public spaces. The findings were analyzed in relation to Durkheim’s theory of anomie and gender theories from two authors. The results show that some of the underlying factors for increased reports of sexual violence against women in India, like patriarchy, education and employment for women and gendered power inequalities are in a complex interplay. It was further seen as ‘traditional’ norms and values clashed with ‘modernity’ and caused these factors for violence. The outcome of the study showed that the increased reporting of sexual violence can be related to the ’modernization’ process both in a positive and negative way. Through Durkheim’s theory of anomie it was possible to see that ‘modernization’ could have caused a state of anomie, which has lead to deviant behavior and resulted in increased reporting of sexual violence against women.

Background: Risk assessment of sexual violence involves evidence based evaluation of the risks posed by sexual offenders. It informs risk management; the provision of treatment that reduces the risk of future sexual violence. Previous research has focused on assessment of the predictive accuracy of different risk assessment tools, as well as the identification of risk factors that are associated with recidivism. In contrast, the clinical practice of risk assessment is a research area that has been neglected. The aim of this thesis was to explore the practice of risk assessment in a specialist sex offender liaison service (SOLS). Particular attention was paid to the structured professional judgement method of risk assessment. Method: A systematic review of the literature identified psychological factors associated with sexual recidivism in adult male offenders. Study 1 employed a cohort quantitative design and aimed to ascertain whether risk judgements made by the SOLS were predicted by factors that were identified by the systematic review (and previously existing meta-analyses) as being evidence based. Ordinal logistic regression and linear regression analyses (N = 96) were used to investigate the hypothesised predictive associations between variables. Study 2 utilised a qualitative framework analysis (N = 31) and aimed to explore the views of users of SOLS risk assessments with respect to their practical utility. Results: The systematic review suggested that psychopathy and sexual deviance were supported as risk factors for sexual recidivism. Inconsistent results were found with respect to denial. Study 1 found that psychopathy, denial, and sexual preoccupation were significantly associated with risk judgement scores made by the SOLS, while sexual deviance, and problems with intimate relationships, were not. The best explanatory model accounted for only 40 per cent of the variance in risk judgement score. Study 2 revealed five major themes: informing risk management; confirming what was known and giving weight; understanding personality; treatment; and the usefulness and limitations of risk assessment.

This thesis explores the multiple sexual discourses at the Claremont Colleges and the ways in which they create understanding of normative sexual behavior. It situates Claremont in the rising national consciousness and research on college student’s sexual behavior. It examines the dual discourses of sex and sexual violence, arguing that discussions of sexual violence have started to inform the every-day student discourses of sex. The data is drawn from Claremont media publications, and interviews with campus activist groups and individual students themselves. This thesis asserts that the dual narratives of sexual “pleasure and danger” in the national and Claremonts media sources are complicated by the discourses of Claremont students. The voices of individual students challenge the essentialized mainstream assumptions about the “hookup culture” and reveal that talking about sex plays a far more diverse and significant factor in the social fabric of student lives.

This thesis explores the love/sex relationships of 117 young people (aged 14 to 24) of diverse sexualities from rural and urban Victoria. Drawing significantly on the sociological theory of Pierre Bourdieu and engaging with postmodern feminist and gender theorists, young people’s negotiation of sexual consent is examined. In-depth interview and focus group data depict a world of unwritten and persistent, but not unchangeable, ‘rules’ regarding sex, love and consent. For the young people participating in this research, the negotiation of safe and consensual sex means navigating these multiple and sometimes contradictory meanings. Young people are simultaneously positioned within social structures and in relation to gendered discourse, resulting in varying opportunity for active reflection and communication of what they and a partner might want from a sexual encounter. This thesis argues for reform of policy and educative responses to youth sex and sexual violence, in order to reinforce young people’s ability to actively negotiate safe and consensual sex.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:29:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-03-05Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:58:16Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_ebgr_me_assis.pdf: 428971 bytes, checksum: 7aeced867f288cc1a4f5d11842ebbd28 (MD5) / Esta pesquisa perpassa os campos de conhecimento do serviço social, política e gestão pública, direito e psicologia. O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar a efetividade da rede de proteção a crianças e adolescentes vítimas de violência sexual intrafamiliar, especificamente, o impacto das intervenções de um Serviço de Enfrentamento à Violência, Abuso e Exploração Sexual. Este serviço, respalda-se no ECA e faz parte da política pública destinada à criança e adolescente vítimas de violência sexual e recebe recursos financeiros do governo federal e municipal. Tem como objetivo atender crianças e adolescentes vítimas de violência sexual e suas famílias, sob o paradigma da proteção integral, garantindo-lhes o cuidado psicossocial, a promoção, defesa e garantia dos direitos. Foram construídos cinco indicadores de resolutividade das situações de violência que nortearam a coleta de dados e análise dos resultados. Nos Conselhos Tutelares da cidade pesquisada foram identificados 147 (cento e quarenta) casos denunciados de violência sexual intrafamiliar contra crianças e adolescentes no período de 01/08/2008 a 30/06/2009 e passou-se então, a monitorá-los e pesquisar as intervenções da rede protetiva de atendimento até janeiro/2010. Baseada nos procedimentos da avaliação por triangulação de métodos e do marco lógico selecionou-se 10 (dez) casos para aplicação de testes e escalas aos sujeitos para análise do impacto das intervenções e entrevistou-se os profissionais envolvidos nas intervenções. Os resultados da pesquisa apontam para a necessidade de adequações na implementação desta política pública e reformulação nas metodologias de intervenção e exercício das práticas intersetoriais / This research encompasses the fields of knowledge of social service, politics and public administration, law and psychology. The aim of this study is to analyze the effectiveness of the safety net for children and adolescents victims of sexual violence within the family, specifically the impact of interventions of a Service for Combating Violence, Abuse and Sexual Exploitation. This service draws upon the ECA and is part of public policy for the child and adolescent victims of sexual violence and receives funding from the federal and municipal government. It aims to assist children and adolescents victims of sexual violence and their families, under the paradigm of full protection, guaranteeing them the psychosocial care, promotion, protection and guarantee of rights. Were constructed five indicators of situations of violence that guided the data collection and analysis of results. In the Child Protection Council in the city surveyed were identified 147 (one hundred and forty) reported cases of sexual violence within the family against children and adolescents in the period from 01/08/2008 to 30/06/2009. It started then the monitoring of these cases and the search for the operations of the network of protective care until January/2010. Based on the evaluation procedures by triangulation methods and log frame, were selected ten (10) cases for application testing and scales to the subjects for analysis of the impact of interventions and were interviewed professionals involved in interventions. The survey results point to the need for adjustments in the implementation of public policy and recast of the procedures for intervention and exercise of practices within sectors

South Africa is a country plagued by sexual abuse, and particularly sexual violence. In every local newspaper, everyday, there are numerous articles detailing the egregious humiliation suffered by victims of sexual violence at the hands of their attackers. Whilst the social causes of such ills remain an illusive hypothesis buried deep within the reams of academic literature, the unresponsive and patriarchal laws criminalising such conduct have not. On 16 December 2007, the President signed into law the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 32 of 2007. The Act sought to provide an enabling environment that reconciled the criminal justice system with the experiences of the victims by introducing a plethora of devices to prevent secondary victimisation and to acknowledge and appropriately criminalise various forms of sexual violence. Unfortunately the transition to this modernised sexual offences system has not proved to be a smooth one, with the Act having to overcome many an obstacle in achieving its aims and objects. The study undertaken focused on two particular aspects of import in the Act, namely whether the Act had abolished the formal nature of the offence of rape and the scope and application of the new statutory offence of compelled rape. The latter was particularly relevant in order to ascertain whether the legislature had provided a panacea for scenarios where the perpetrator procured an unwilling and innocent agent to commit the rape. In order to provide a palpable understanding of what the legislature envisaged through the enactment of these two independent offences the study mapped the development of the interests sought to be protected through the introduction of criminal sanctions for sexual offences. This mapping culminated in an understanding, from which the study of the statutory offences departs, that sexual offences must be balanced and weighed against the precepts of rights. Moreover that any interpretation of such statutory offences must promote and uphold the rights violated in order for the Act to meet its aims. The focus of the study was thereafter shifted to a deconstructive analysis of the statutory offence of rape and compelled rape. Through such focused analysis, the study sought to ascertain whether the formal nature of rape - which existed at common law - had been abolished by the legislature. It proposed that should such interpretation prove to be correct, that the offence of compelled rape had been inserted by the legislature either superfluously alternatively ex major cautela. The study thereafter turned to the offence of compelled rape, with particular attention being paid to whether the offence effectively criminalises the conduct identified throughout the study as the ‘innocent perpetrator’ to rape, and whether the offence effectively upholds the rights of the victims. Through such exercise the study concludes in constitutionally compliant interpretations which provide solutions for much of the intellectual discomfort that has plagued the creation of the two independent statutory offences. / Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Public Law / unrestricted

No abstract available. / Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / gm2014 / Centre for Human Rights / unrestricted