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.

Studies suggest that knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about domestic violence influence the behaviors of Mexican men. However, few interventions have targeted men in efforts to provide domestic violence awareness and health education to a relevant at-risk community that is also challenged by low literacy. Mexican immigrant men, particularly those less acculturated to the dominant U.S. culture, are significantly less likely to access services and more likely to remain isolated and removed from their communities and, more importantly, from their families. The purpose of this study was to explore and examine how cultural beliefs and behaviors influence the potential of domestic violence from the perspective of the Mexican origin, male immigrant. The research drew on existing community academic partnerships to collaboratively develop a pilot intervention that uses popular education techniques and a Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) framework. The specific aims were: 1) to use the principles and practices of CBPR to ensure that the issues addressed and results obtained are relevant to Latinos in Multnomah County, 2) to identify the beliefs, attitudes, and culture about domestic violence and male health for a population of men who are immigrants and of Mexican origin, 3) to develop and prioritize intervention strategies that are community defined, 4) to implement and evaluate a four week pilot project that utilizes community defined, literacy independent curriculum and popular education techniques to address male and family wellness and the prevention of domestic violence. Nine men participated in this study who reported inadequate or marginal functional literacy at approximately a 4.5 grade level. The findings also revealed a strong consensus among the participants' that there is confusion surrounding what constitutes domestic violence and/or what behaviors and social barriers place them at risk for health conditions. In summary, we found that the domestic violence in the Latino communities cannot be approached as a single issue; it needs to be embraced from a wellness perspective and the impact of domestic violence and health knowledge is navigated by experiences of one's past and present. Combining the tools of CBPR with the tools of popular education may allow researchers to address the Latino male's concerns with literacy while also examining other, less immediately visible, concerns. When you take the focus off such a delicate subject such as domestic violence and reframe the issue in terms of holistic health, you will then find a more cooperative and less defensive population to work with.

Bakgrund: Sjuksköterskan riskerar i sin yrkesroll att utsättas för våld på sin arbetsplats. Enligt lag skall arbetsgivaren tillse att personal har tillräcklig utbildning för att motverka ohälsa och olycka på arbetsplatsen. Våldspreventiva utbildningar är en metod som kan användas för att minska problemet med våld på arbetsplatsen. Dock finns det begränsat med forskning som visar vilken effekt våldspreventiva utbildning har. Syfte: Syftet med litteraturstudien var att undersöka vilka faktorer i våldspreventiva utbildningar av sjuksköterskor som påverkar effekten av genomförd utbildning. Metod: Studien har genomförts som en litteraturstudie med en kvantitativ ansats. Data har samlats ur tio kvalitetsgranskade vetenskapliga artiklar. Tre teman av betydelse för våldspreventiva utbildningar identifierades i analysen; undervisningsmetod, utbildningsinnehåll och undervisningstid vilka användes för att kategorisera resultatet. Resultat: Effekten av våldspreventiv utbildning diskuterades i relation till respektive tema där det framkom signifikanta samband mellan att utbilda i deskalering samt effekt av utbildning. Även utbildning i riskbedömning genom användandet av en riskbedömningsskala gav effekt. Workshops visade sig vara en effektiv form av undervisning. Inget samband kunde hittas mellan tidsfaktorn och effekten av utbildningen. Konklusion: Resultatet i litteraturstudien visade att utbildning i våldsdeskalerade metoder samt riskbedömning av patienter var effektivt och att våldsförebyggande utbildningar företrädesvis bör ges i form av workshops. / Background: Nurses are at risk of being subjected to workplace violence. By Swedish law, the employer is obligated to prevent the risk of work-related injuries and accidents. Courses in violence prevention is a way of reducing these risks but little research is done on the effectiveness in prevention. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate which factors in violence prevention courses for nurses that affect the effectiveness of the courses. Method: A literature review with a quantitative approach was used to investigate the subject. The sample was ten published empirical studies that were assessed for quality by the authors. Results: The result was categorized in course content, course method and course time. Effect was discussed in conjunction with each category and the results showed that courses with de-escalation gave significant results. Also courses that included risk assessment showed significance. Courses that used workshops as a primary method of training participants were effective. How long the courses were did not seem to affect the effectiveness. Conclusion: Results show that courses including de-escalation and risk assessment are effective in training nurses to avoid workplace violence and workshops are an effective method to teach violence prevention.

This project investigates how youth in San Salvador, El Salvador define and participate in the co-creation of safety in their neighborhoods. For many years, El Salvador topped the rankings of most dangerous countries because of street gang violence and homicides. As the homicide rates have fallen in recent years, due to mass incarceration of street gang members, trust in state authority to effectively participate in the co-creation of safety has empowered young Salvadorans to also participate in that co-creation through reclaiming space. By painting over gang graffiti, the youth are participating in discourse in a public sphere, making claims to safety in their communities. Feelings and understanding of safety are also influenced by the representation and reputation of a place, thus this project included the creation of a participatory documentary for the youth to be a part of the representation of their country and communities. The documentary shows the painting over of gang graffiti and includes participant responses to questions about safety and representation. The video along with the interview responses show that the youth’s feelings of safety are tied to their physical environment, including the presence of gang graffiti, and that they are eager for their country to overcome the historical representation of being a dangerous place.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka föräldrarådgivares upplevelser av möjligheter och begränsningar i sitt arbete med att upptäcka och förebygga våld i familjerna. Detta för att uppmärksamma deras funktion för våldsprevention och bidra med kunskap till det kriminologiska fältet, samt synliggöra utvecklingsmöjligheter, för att förbättra arbetet i framtiden. Studien utgår från semistrukturerade intervjuer med sju föräldrarådgivare i Malmö och materialet analyseras genom tematisk analys. Resultatet visar att deltagarna upplever att deras tidiga kontakt med familjerna, tillgänglighet, samverkan och rutinmässiga fråga om våldsutsatthet ger möjlighet att upptäcka och förebygga våld. De belyser även sin kunskap om våldets karaktär och aktiva förhållningssätt till våldsproblematiken. Vidare framkommer begränsningar med fördomar, stigmatisering och att våldets breda innebörd kan göra att våldsutsatta inte upptäcks, samt att det finns svårigheter att nå vissa samhällsgrupper. Studien presenterar flera förslag på förbättringar som innefattar att lära sig mer om våld, förtydliga arbetsrutiner kring våld och stärka marknadsföringen om stödfunktioner vid våldsutsatthet. Avslutningsvis bidrar studien med att uppmärksamma föräldrarådgivares viktiga funktion för det våldspreventiva arbetet inom familjer. Framtida studier bör inkludera ytterligare perspektiv och forskningsdesigner, för att komplettera studiens resultat och utveckla föräldrarådgivares våldspreventiva arbete. / The aim of the study is to examine parental counselors' experiences of opportunities and limitations in their work to detect and prevent violence in families. This is to accentuate their function in violence prevention and ability to contribute knowledge to the criminological field, as well as showing development opportunities, in order to improve the work in the future. The study is based on semi-structured interviews with seven parental counselors in Malmö and the material is analyzed through thematic analysis. The result shows that the participants experience that their early contact with the families, availability, cooperation and routine questioning of exposure to violence gives the opportunity to detect and prevent violence. They also highlight their familiarity with the nature of violence and their active approach to the problem of violence. Further, there are limitations with prejudice, stigmatization and that the broad definition of violence can mean that victims of violence are not detected, and that there are difficulties in reaching certain social groups. Several suggestions for improvements are presented, which include learning more about violence, clarifying work routines around violence and better marketing of support functions in cases of violence. In conclusion, the study contributes by drawing attention to the important functions of parental counselors for violence prevention within families. Future studies should include additional perspectives and research designs, to complement the study's results and develop the violence prevention of parental counselors.

The purpose of this bachelor's thesis in rhetoric is to examine how organizations working with violence prevention use narratives to contribute to behavioral change. This thesis aims to answer two questions: can narratives contribute to abusers or potential abusers seeking help for their violent behavior, and in what way do narratives challenge the normative perceptions about who the abuser is and what is included in the definition of domestic violence? The study material consists of two video clips on YouTube, published in 2016 and 2017. To answer the question, A method for narrative analysis is primarily used, authored by Robert C. Rowland. The analysis is also based on Lennart Hellspong's theory of narratives in argumentation, and Kenneth Burke's concept of identification. The results show that the organizations use similar narratological components and functions to reach out to their audience. This is done by linking to the audience's basic values and needs. Furthermore, supporting, and main characters are used, whose function is to characterize the conflict points of the stories and their antagonists and protagonists. Throughout the narratives' behavioral patterns, the doxa of what the definition of violence includes and who the abuser of violence in society is being challenged.

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The Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 2002, which operates under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, requires school districts to implement substance abuse and violence prevention programs to prevent or reduce substance use/abuse and violence and to decrease risk factors and increase protective factors that contribute to healthy child development without providing adequate funding to implement the mandate. The inadequacy of funding does not support the most effective strand of programs: community and family-based or environmental programs. An on-line survey of 43 elementary school principals was conducted to establish their knowledge and perceptions of the implementation of science-based substance abuse and violence prevention programs. The responses produced mixed results. The participants reported generally positive experiences with the implementation process of research-base prevention programs, but they admitted a lack of skill regarding implementation of community and family-focused research-based prevention programs due to their inexperience with the environmental programs. The participating principals also stated that they experienced frustration with the lack of time and the lack of funds to properly implement the research-based prevention programs. The administrators indicated they were knowledgeable about these research-based substance abuse and violence prevention programs; however, some of their responses revealed their lack of knowledge in distinguishing the difference between actual research-based programs that are on the State Board of Education's approved list and other prevention programs that are marketed. The elementary school principals in this study generally reported positive perceptions of the implementation of research-based substance abuse and violence prevention programs, including the following advantages that were supported by the literature: science-based substance abuse and violence prevention programs prevent or reduce substance use/abuse and violence and student discipline problems, and these programs increase protective factors and decrease risk factors in the lives of students and/or their families. Stated disadvantages about the amount of time required to implement the research-based prevention programs, the lack of training, and the inadequacy of funding yielded some negative perceptions. Recommendations for educational administrators include providing extensive training for site principals and teachers in prevention science and in identifying at-risk students and their needs for prevention services. In addition, administrators were encouraged to collaborate more with their communities in an effort to provide the more meaningful and effective environmental strand: community and family-oriented research-based substance abuse and violence prevention programs.

Våld i olika former beskrivs av många vara ett omfattande och ihållande samhällsproblem, ett som skapar en uppsättning av negativa påföljder; psykiska, fysiska och ekonomiska. Hur våldet ska motarbetas blir därför på grund av dess komplexitet svårt att ge tydliga direktiv på. Olika vetenskapliga ställningstaganden kring vilka interventioner som är effektiva kan vara något motsägelsefulla för den som försöker sätta fingret på vad våldsförebyggande arbete inom skolan betyder. Denna studie syftar därför till att undersöka lärares och skolkuratorers sätt att prata om våldsprevention; vad det innebär och hur det ser ut för dem i deras vardag. Studien utfördes utifrån en kvalitativ metodansats där datan samlades in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med lärare och kuratorer från skolor inom olika utbildningsnivåer. Resultatet analyserades genom en diskursanalys för att få fram essensen i deltagarnas svar, men även för att undersöka vilken betydelse dessa svar har i det praktiska våldspreventiva arbetet. Resultatet visar att en god elev-lärare relation, tillsammans med samverkan mellan skolkuratorer och lärare, kan vara viktiga aspekter i det våldspreventiva arbetet; liksom att undersöka konstruktionen av våld utifrån ett genusperspektiv. / Violence in various forms is often described by many as a widespread and persistent social problem, one that creates a range of negative consequences; psychological, physical and economic. Because of its complexity, it is difficult to give clear directives on how to combat violence. Different scientific positions on which interventions are effective can be somewhat contradictory for those trying to pinpoint what violence prevention work in schools means. The purpose of this study is therefore to investigate teachers' and school counselors' way of talking about violence prevention, what it means and how it looks for them in their everyday lives. The study was carried out using a qualitative approach, where the data was collected through semi-structured interviews with teachers and counselors from schools at different education levels. The results were analyzed through a discourse analysis to bring out the essence of the participants' responses, but also to examine the significance of these responses in practical violence prevention. The results show that a good student-teacher relationship, along with collaboration between school counselors and teachers, can be important aspects in violence prevention; as well as examining the construction of violence from a gender perspective.

This explorative study investigated bullying in a sample of schools in Lesotho from the learner’s perspective. A review of the existing literature formed the basis for the offered description of the phenomenon. The work examined concise definitions of bullying, school violence, victim and bully. The research described various forms of bullying, reason for and possible intervention strategies. The quantitative research method was applied, which included an analysis of the data obtained from a questionnaire containing 33 close-ended questions divided into six sections: general information; observation of bullying; experience of bullying; impact of bullying; participation in bullying activities and reasons for bullying and measures against it. The questionnaires were distributed among 1 373 learners from Lesotho public schools which were used for the study. The research was brought to a conclusive end with a proposal for school bullying intervention strategies in Lesotho public schools. / Criminology / M.A. (Criminology)