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Community violence can have lasting impacts on populations that experience it, including but not limited to, financial damages, property damage, and psychological trauma. Therefore, exploring mechanisms of violence prevention is increasingly important, especially within the context of multicultural societies. This research does just that by approaching community violence prevention from an interdisciplinary perspective, including aspects of public health, political science, criminology, and sociology. This dissertation explores the interfaith organization InterFaith Leadership Council of Metro Detroit and those in the organization's network. It considers how interfaith leaders, through activism and dialogue, can contribute to community violence prevention. By applying the social ecological model and social disorganization theory, this research considers how to prevent community violence through building social capital, collective efficacy, and community capacity. This inquiry also utilized the social determinants of health to describe how violence and violence prevention is linked to community health. This dissertation uses qualitative data, including interviews, document analysis, and field notes to explore the mechanisms by which interfaith leadership can prevent community violence, specifically gang violence and violent extremism. / Doctor of Philosophy / Community violence can have lasting impacts on populations that experience it, including but not limited to, financial damages, property damage, and psychological trauma. Therefore, exploring methods of violence prevention is increasingly important. This dissertation uses qualitative data to explore community violence prevention in Metro Detroit as carried out by the InterFaith Leadership Council and its broader network. Included in this dissertation are insights from interviews, document analysis, and field notes. All this data informs the research and attempts to address how the question of how the interfaith community in Metro Detroit is working to prevent community violence. This research utilizes the social ecological model and social disorganization theory as its overarching framework for analysis. The analysis examines interfaith relationships, collective efficacy, and community capacity. This research also frames violence and violence prevention within the context of the social determinants of health in an attempt to identify the factors that affect violence and violence prevention.

The purpose of this study was to develop a deeper understanding of the experiences of Latina women in Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) relationships. Young Women's Christian Association-Women In Need Growing Stronger (YWCA-WINGS) is a program in Los Angeles County that works with victims and survivors of IPV.

This study was to evaluate current agency programs that were available to aid victims of domestic violence and their effectiveness in reducing the long-term emotional state of victims. This study included participants from various Domestic Violence Programs located throughout San Bernardino, Riverside, and Los Angeles counties.

This study examined the dynamics of school violence and the role of school leadership in reducing it in two Umlazi township schools. A case study was conducted in two secondary schools in Umlazi township. The aim of the study was to explore how school leaders (School Governing bodies, School Management Teams, educators, learners and parents) help schools to reduce violence. This qualitative study was set in the interpretivist paradigm. The research tools compromised of semi-structured interviews, documents analysis and observations. The two theories which underpinned this study were violent and non-violent theories. A review of international and national literature around school violence revealed that some of the challenges of learner-indiscipline encountered by South African schools were being experienced world-wide. The findings of this research were a revelation to me that violence in schools and in the community has escalated to such an extent that it has become an access problem for some learners in many schools in South Africa (SAIRR, 2008). I had a privilege of experiencing first-hand what secondary school educators, managers and parents encountered and dealt with on a daily basis. It is evident that learner indiscipline is on the increase; educator’s teaching time is being consumed in dealing with discipline issues; educators are becoming frustrated and demoralised; the tribunal hearings are not regarded as an effective structure by educators, learners and parental involvement is lacking as parents seems to have abdicated the responsibility for their children’s behaviour and education to the school management and educators. Further, the SGB play a limited role in the activities of the school due to their incapacity and lack of empowerment. Some of the recommendations based on the findings are that schools must involve all stakeholders in the formation of the Code of Conduct policy. The contents and procedures outlined in the policy must be communicated to all stakeholders and there must be consistency in its application. Stakeholders must formulate innovative strategies to engage parents to actively participate in the activities of the school. The Department of Education must fulfil its obligation to capacitate parents and other stakeholders. An empowered SMT and SGB will make a greater contribution to the elimination of school violence. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.

This thesis explores how the battered woman attachment to her abusive partner impacts on her interactions with the legal system and non-legal resources. This qualitative research project is based on in-depth interviews conducted with seven abused women who procured interdicts in terms of the Prevention of Family Violence Act 133 of 1993 to restrain their husbands from assaulting them. The research reviews the nature of abuse suffered by the participants, their psychological attachments to their husbands, and their patterns of help-seeking in relation to the law and non-legal resources. Two main theoretical frameworks, psychoanalysis and feminism inform this study. The study found that the participants retained unrealistic hopes that their husbands would reform and become loving, caring partners, and that they treated their husbands with care and sympathy despite their husbands’ often brutal behaviour towards them. The findings suggest that the women’s behaviour towards their husbands was the product of two reality distorting psychological defences, splitting and the moral defence which they used to preserve their attachments to their abusive partners. These defences intersected with rigid patriarchal prescriptions of femininity which dictate that women should be stoically caring towards their husbands, and should hold relationships together no matter what the cost to themselves. The participants interactions with the legal system and with non-legal sources of help were structured by their reliance on splitting and the moral defence, and by the dictates of patriarchal ideology. Whilst it is undoubtedly true that at one level the participants sought help to get protection from abuse, the study shows that their help-seeking was motivated by their conflicting desires to punish and reform their husbands. The participants sought help in ways which enabled them to strike a compromise between expressing their anger at their husbands, whilst simultaneously preserving their psychological attachments to them. The study concludes that the women’s interactions with the law and with other helping resource reflect their attempts to preserve their paradoxical attachments to their husbands, and to stabilise their own fragile sense of self and gender identity.

Submitted by Alison Vanceto (alison-vanceto@hotmail.com) on 2016-10-20T11:36:45Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DissJAS.pdf: 1238466 bytes, checksum: 2d63c69754fa3eeca9139b0b78036f13 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-11-08T18:35:23Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissJAS.pdf: 1238466 bytes, checksum: 2d63c69754fa3eeca9139b0b78036f13 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-11-08T18:35:29Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissJAS.pdf: 1238466 bytes, checksum: 2d63c69754fa3eeca9139b0b78036f13 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-11-08T18:35:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissJAS.pdf: 1238466 bytes, checksum: 2d63c69754fa3eeca9139b0b78036f13 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-10-14 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / Aggressive models can be learned during childhood, critical period to children to learn basic skills and whose effects are long lasting. In this sense, prevention programs that emphasize the role of environment in acquisition of non-aggressive repertoires and which highlight the role of the important adults in children's lives, such as their parents and other caregivers, are essential to prevent violence in its many forms. This chapter describes the ACT raising safe kids Program, designed in 2000 by the American Psychological Association (APA) in the United States, and implemented in several countries. It is a universal prevention program that articulates early intervention and training of parenting skills to prevent violence against children. Through a topical review of the literature, it is intended, in this chapter, address the historical aspects of the ACT program, its dissemination and its results in research evaluation and implementation, highlighting the gaps in research and suggesting new research. / Modelos agressivos podem ser aprendidos durante a infância, período crítico de aprendizagem de habilidades básicas pela criança e cujos impactos são duradouros. Nesse sentido, programas de prevenção que enfatizem o papel do ambiente na aquisição do comportamento não agressivo e coloquem em destaque o papel dos adultos importantes na vida das crianças, tais como seus pais e demais cuidadores, são importantes para prevenir a violência em suas diversas formas. O presente capítulo descreve o Programa ACT para Educar Crianças em Ambientes Seguros, elaborado na Associação Americana de Psicologia (APA) nos Estados Unidos, no ano 2000, e implementado em diversos países. É um programa de prevenção de caráter universal que articula a intervenção precoce e o treino de habilidades parentais para a prevenção da violência contra a criança. Por meio de uma revisão tópica da literatura, pretende-se, nesse capítulo, abordar os aspectos históricos do Programa ACT, sua disseminação e seus resultados em pesquisas de avaliação e implementação, evidenciando as lacunas existentes nos estudos e sugerindo novas pesquisas.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:46:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2294.pdf: 2951635 bytes, checksum: 610c81c21213dee86650b3f2b4cef9ab (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-02-09 / Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais / The school context was pointed out as favorable in regards to violence prevention efforts. However, Brazilian studies revealed the existence of violence in the schools, in spite of the absence of valid instruments, and most studies without strict scientific methods. In addiction, these studies did not evaluate different violence risk schools, and few investigated its contributing factors. The present study encompasses two parts. Study 1 had as objectives: (a) to develop and conduct the apparent validity of an instrument to assess school violence, and (b) to develop and perform a pilot test of an instrument aimed at assessing school employees` perception about how a school violence prevention program should be. Study 2 characterized the violence experienced in three schools with diverse risk indicators, according to multiple informants, as well as the perception of the staff about school violence prevention, using the instruments developed in Study 1. Participants involved 706 students, from grades 5-8th, 88 employees of three public schools of Curitiba (Southern Brazil) and six researchers in the area of violence. The instruments were efficient and had good acceptance by the participants. Violence rates in the schools were high regardless of the risk that they were exposed to. Antecedents to aggressive behaviors were examined (i.e. to students victims the most frequent motive for aggressions was violent play). It was also shown that the most common modality of violent behaviors, according to victimized students, was name calling. Consequences to aggressive behaviors by students were also indentified, and the most frequent alternative in this regard was nothing happened . In general, students pointed out that the higher risk school did not differentiate from the intermediate risk school or from the minor risk school, although the minor risk school was more associated with violence than the intermediate risk school. According to staff, the higher risk school was more violent, followed by the intermediate school. The higher risk school was more associated with substance abuse by students, the existence of gangs, drug dealing, and possession of weapons. Staff considered relevant to prevent violence in the schools, but only the higher risk school employees declared it to be more important than other objectives. Psychologists and police officers, followed by parents, were the most frequent sources indentified in terms of involvement with school violence prevention programs. In conclusion, the present study was able to characterize how school violence presents itself, and to investigate contributing variables to the problem. Nevertheless, it is important to replicate the study, and to perform other steps in terms of validation of the instrument, as well as covering the aspects needed for intervention studies, in accordance with the literature. / O contexto escolar foi apontado como favorável para a realização de prevenção de violência. Contudo, estudos brasileiros apontaram a existência de violência em escolas, ainda que com instrumentos não validados e, em sua maioria, sem seguirem todos os preceitos científicos. Além disso, não deliberadamente avaliaram escolas com diferentes graus de risco para a violência e poucas investigaram fatores contribuintes. Essa dissertação se divide em dois estudos. O estudo 1 teve como objetivos: (a) criar e realizar a validação aparente de um instrumento que avaliasse violência escolar e (b) criar e aplicar em teste piloto um instrumento que investigasse a percepção de funcionários sobre um programa de prevenção de violência escolar. O estudo 2 caracterizou a violência vivenciada em três escolas com indicadores de risco diferenciados, de acordo com múltiplos informantes, e investigou percepções de funcionários sobre prevenção de violência escolar, tendo utilizado dos instrumentos desenvolvidos no estudo 1. Participaram da pesquisa 706 alunos, de 5ª. a 8ª. séries, 88 funcionários de três escolas públicas da cidade de Curitiba e seis pesquisadores da área de violência. Os instrumentos foram eficientes e tiveram boa aceitação do público-alvo, foram altos os índices de violência na escola independentemente do risco a que a escola estivesse exposta. Delinearam-se condições antecedentes a comportamentos agressivos (por exemplo, os alunos vítimas referiram que o motivo mais freqüentemente para as agressões foram brincadeiras violentas). Revelou-se, também, a topografia dos comportamentos violentos, por exemplo, para os alunos vítimas a forma de vitimização mais comum foi xingamentos e/ou apelidos. Aludiu-se, também, condições conseqüentes aos comportamentos agressivos dos alunos, como a alternativa nada aconteceu ser a mais assinalada. Em geral, os alunos apontaram que a escola mais exposta a riscos (Escola MAR) não se diferenciou da escola exposta a risco intermediário (Escola INR) e da menor risco (Escola MER), porém a Escola MER foi mais violenta que a INR. Para os funcionários, a escola MAR foi a mais violenta, seguida pela INR e esta pela MER, sendo que a escola MAR estava mais relacionada ao abuso de substâncias por alunos, gangues, tráfico de drogas e porte de armas. Os funcionários consideraram relevante prevenir violência, porém somente na escola MAR este objetivo foi mais importante que outros. Nas três escolas, profissionais que são de fora da escola, seguido pelos pais, foram os mais citados como quem deveria realizar prevenção. Em conclusão, o estudo traçou um panorama da violência escolar e investigou variáveis contribuintes, porém seria importante replicá-lo, realizando outras etapas da validação dos instrumentos e abordando os aspectos percebidos em estudos de intervenção.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / Esta dissertaÃÃo tem como objetivo compreender as formas de organizaÃÃo e de legitimaÃÃo de projetos em periferias narradas pela violÃncia, acompanhando proponentes e jovens participantes de projetos culturais nos bairros do Grande Bom Jardim, em Fortaleza. Hà mais de 20 anos, projetos culturais tÃm sido realizados como uma modalidade de intervenÃÃo pedagÃgica junto a crianÃas e jovens moradores de periferias urbanas no Brasil. Acionadas sob a perspectiva da vulnerabilidade social e da prevenÃÃo à violÃncia, prÃticas culturais sÃo tomadas como um meio de transmissÃo de valores morais e de cidadania. A vitrine dessas iniciativas sÃo os relatos considerados exitosos de jovens participantes, divulgados pela mÃdia e compreendidos, nesta anÃlise, como ânarrativas de transformaÃÃoâ. Em 2012, foram tomados como campo de pesquisa cinco projetos culturais propostos por moradores dos bairros do Grande Bom Jardim e premiados por um edital do MinistÃrio da Cultura e do Programa Nacional de SeguranÃa PÃblica com Cidadania. No cotidiano dos projetos, destacou-se a relaÃÃo entre as prÃticas culturais e os valores morais dos proponentes e professores. Acompanhando esses mesmos agentes em eventos e atos de denÃncia de violÃncia, foram apreendidas as conexÃes entre profissionais e instituiÃÃes do chamado âcampo socialâ. Ao longo de dois anos, aliando pesquisa etnogrÃfica e na Internet, foram analisados os modos como as relaÃÃes entre agentes, prÃticas e instituiÃÃes constituem um âmundoâ de projetos culturais para jovens em periferias. Proponentes ajudam a legitimar esse âmundoâ a partir da construÃÃo de visibilidade e de suas reputaÃÃes, redes sociais e a difusÃo de valores morais sobre juventude. Essa anÃlise à tambÃm problematizada a partir da participaÃÃo deste autor na implantaÃÃo de um projeto no bairro. Ademais, foram conhecidas iniciativas de jovens para jovens atravÃs de observaÃÃo participante, entrevista e criaÃÃo coletiva de um zine, que possibilitaram compreender uma percepÃÃo positivada da noÃÃo de protagonismo juvenil. Uma nova geraÃÃo de proponentes desponta por meio de cursos de elaboraÃÃo de projetos e de redes sociais entre jovens na cidade, o que sugere a continuidade dessas prÃticas. Desse modo, na medida em que o mundo dos projetos culturais para jovens em periferias se consolida, seus mecanismos de sustentaÃÃo se complexificam, instaurando paradoxos e contribuindo com questÃes pertinentes para se pensar formas de monitoramento e avaliaÃÃo de projetos e polÃticas pÃblicas de juventudes. / This research aims to understand the ways in which projects for youth in urban peripheries narrated by violence are organized and legitimized, in interactions with coordinators and participants of cultural projects in the neighborhoods of Greater Bom Jardim area in Fortaleza, Northeast Brazil. For over 20 years, cultural projects have been conducted as modes of pedagogical intervention among children and youth living in the outskirts of Brazilian cities. Proposed under the perspective of social vulnerability and violence prevention, cultural practices feature as means of transmission of moral and citizenship values. Accounts by youth considered successful are the most common showcase of such initiatives, spread by the media and, thus, understood in this analysis as ânarratives of transformationâ. In 2012, fieldwork focused on five cultural projects proposed by Greater Bom Jardim residents and awarded by a financing bid held by the Ministry of Culture and the National Program of Public Safety with Citizenship. In the everyday dynamics of projects, the relation between cultural practices and moral values among project coordinators and teachers became noticeable. Following these same agents in events and demonstrations against violence, connections among professional and institutions of the so-called âsocial fieldâ stood out. In the course of two years, combining ethnography and research on the Internet, analysis focused on the ways in which agents, practices and institutions constitute a âworldâ of cultural projects for youth in peripheries. Coordinators help to legitimize this âworldâ as they construct visibility and reputations, social networks and the spread of moral values for youth. Questions emerged as the author took part in the implementation of a project in the same neighborhood. Furthermore, initiatives proposed by youth for youth were studied through participant observation, interview and the collective production of a zine, which enabled to encounter a positive perception of the notion of youth protagonism. A new generation of project coordinators is in the making as youth enroll in workshops for project elaboration and foster social networks with youth throughout town, which suggest the extension of these practices. Thus, as the âworldâ of cultural projects for youth in peripheries is consolidated and its support mechanisms become more complex, paradoxes arise and contribute with relevant questions for the ways projects and public policies for youth are monitored and evaluated.

Magister Commercii - MCom / The aim is to deepen the South African democracy at all levels of government. However, as local government is “the closest to the people” it is regarded by government as the most appropriate sphere to implement participatory democracy mechanisms. Pertaining to this, ward committees were introduced as the main participatory vehicle of local governance and in addition, the government has also implemented alternative instruments such as izimbizos and the integrated development planning (IDP) process to engage citizens in local governance.