Comparing residents' fear of crime with recorded crime data-case study of Ostrava, Czech Republic

The fear of crime is an established research topic, not only in sociology, environmental psychology and criminology, but also in GIScience. Using spatial analysis to analyse patterns, explore hotspots and determine the significance of respective surveys is one reason for the increase in popularity of such research topics for geographers, cartographers and spatial data scientists. This paper presents the results of an intensive online map-based questionnaire with 1551 respondents from the city of Ostrava, Czech Republic. The respondents marked 3792 points associated with the fear of crime over a ten week period. The perception data were compared with recorded crime data acquired from police department records for the years 2015-2018. This paper explores the spatial autocorrelation from perceived hotspots and from recorded crime hotspots. Our findings fit into the literature confirming results about the locations that most frequently attract fear, but there is still room for more investigations regarding the links between recorded crime and the fear of crime.Web of Science89art. no. 40

Gendered perceptions and socio-economic and spatial determinants of fear of crime: an empirical analysis in Szczecin, Poland

The study of the fear of crime phenomenon provides a socially and politically important research question. Many studies show that gender differentiates the fear of crime, which is why we examine this phenomenon in a spatial perspective. The female versus male perspective of feelings of safety in residential areas were significantly different. The research was carried out using the CAWI technique in the city of Szczecin, in Poland (n=346). The research also examined which factors influenced the fear of crime the most: darkness, socio-economic characteristics, type of violations, number of registered crimes, or the assessment of police work. The research shows that women aged 19–25 are the group that reports the highest fear of crime. They are generally better educated, work or study, but often come from peripheral rural areas, and their current place of residence is little known. Activities aimed at building a sense of security in local communities should therefore be addressed to a wide demographic spectrum of recipients, but with emphasis on young females. A very interesting result from the research is the relationship between fear of crime and the opinion of residents about the effectiveness of police work, where the study reports that the better the assessment of police work, the lower the fear of crime

Integrating Romani communities in the Czech Republic: an analysis of policy implementation at the local level

This thesis provides an analysis of the national integration strategy developed in the Czech Republic to address the social exclusion of Romani communities. Based on a careful study of policy documents and interviews with the key actors involved in implementing the integration policy in České Budĕjovice and Ostrava, this thesis identifies the main barriers which exclude Roma from the education system and the labour market and describes how national policy in the spheres of education and employment is being implemented at the local level. By discussing the integration strategy with the people responsible for its implementation, it was possible to look at the policy from a new perspective. These people are experts in dealing with the realities of social exclusion in Romani communities and are in the best position to assess the effectiveness of the different programmes which together make up the integration policy. This study reveals that Romani communities continue to suffer from discrimination and that local authorities play a vital role in ensuring that the policies designed by central government become a reality. Communication between policy makers and those responsible for implementation is crucial to ensure that the programmes that form the core of the integration strategy are implemented fully. Some programmes have been more effective in certain places because local political and economic circumstances have a great deal of influence over the likely success of the policy. Anti-Romani prejudices in wider society and the apathy of Roma who are not interested in the programmes designed to help, remain significant obstacles, but creating an inclusive society and addressing the mistrust which has developed over generations takes time and persistence. Therefore, for the integration policy to succeed, all the key agencies, policy makers and practitioners working with Romani communities must cooperate and share the same agenda

Precarious Journeys

The 2019 research project by Pacific Links Foundation, ECPAT UK, and Anti-Slavery International mapped the journeys taken by migrants, trafficking victims, and potential victims of trafficking from Vietnam to the UK, highlighting the complexity of trafficking routes, tactics and risks involved. Key findings from the research report entitled "Precarious Journeys: Mapping vulnerabilities of victims of trafficking from Vietnam to Europe," include:1. Strong socio-economic 'push and pull' factors influence the decision of Vietnamese adults and children to leave Vietnam.2. The journey to Europe can be long and complex, with exploitation and abuse of victims present at each stage.3. Vietnamese adults and children moving to and through Europe experience fluid and contextual factors that increase their vulnerability to trafficking.4. Governments across Europe are failing to identify and protect Vietnamese victims and potential victims of trafficking, often viewing and treating them as criminals.5. Authorities in transit countries view the issue of Vietnamese trafficking as one to be dealt with by the destination country, in this case the UK.6. Understanding and working with Vietnamese diaspora communities can provide insight into the connection between Vietnamese Diasporas and human trafficking or people smuggling.7. There is lack of communication and cooperation between government officials, frontline workers and NGOs within and between EU countries regarding the migration of Vietnamese nationals to and through their countries.8. Debt burden and debt bondage increase the risk of exploitation in transit countries.9. Mapping vulnerabilities of victims of trafficking from Vietnam to Europe Mapping vulnerabilities of victims of trafficking from Vietnam to Europe.10. Vietnamese children are generally taught cultural norms around respecting their elders and are therefore less likely to ask questions of adults they believe to be charged with their 'care'.11. Rigid policies to control immigration and growing anti-immigration rhetoric throughout Europe exacerbate the vulnerability of Vietnamese adults and children to trafficking and exploitation

The Plight of the Roma in Italy: Human Rights Injustices of a Feared Minority

Human rights is unique in that it has a universal affect on everyone world-wide no matter his or her nationality, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs or economic standing. In order to narrow this down, the intention of this thesis is to explore a specific topic in regards to the overlying issue of human rights. This thesis provides evidence of the mistreatment and blatant racism that is inflicted upon the Roma living in Italy and this paper makes the claim that this is the fault of the Italian government. The methodology used for the community engagement portion of the thesis is a combination of surveys and an interview. The findings reveal the opinions and sentiments towards the Roma, immigration, and the Italian government on a personal level. The conclusion sums up the general synopsis of the thesis and uses it in order to draw solutions to the initial problem of human rights injustices against the Roma minority living in Italy

Life in Health 2019: Research and Practice

This proceedings contains a selection of papers from the internacional interdisciplinary conference Life in Health 2019, which took place from 5 to 6 September 2019 in the Czech Republic at the Faculty of Education, Masaryk University. The papers focus on general as well as specific approaches to public health protection and promotion. The findings presented are based on research data and are applicable in health education and general education of children and the whole population

Czech Broadside Ballads as Text, Art, Song in Popular Culture, c.1600–1900

This landmark collection makes a major contribution to the burgeoning field of broadside ballad study by investigating the hitherto unexplored treasure-trove of over 100,000 Central/Eastern European broadside ballads of the Czech Republic, from the 16th to the 19th century. Viewing Czech broadside ballads from an interdisciplinary perspective, we see them as unique and regional cultural phenomena: from their production and collecting processes to their musicology, linguistics, preservation, and more. At the same time, as contributors note, when viewed within a larger perspective—extending one’s gaze to take in ballad production in bordering lands (such as Germany, Poland, and Slovakia) and as far Northwest as Britain to as far Southwest as Brazil—we discover an international phenomenon at work. Czech printed ballads, we see, participated in a thriving popular culture of broadside ballads that spoke through text, art, and song to varied interests of the masses, especially the poor, worldwide

The Janus-Faces of Cross-Border Crime in Europe

Europe is changing rapidly, which may also have a bearing on its criminal landscape. This does not mean that all sorts of new crime are emerging: a large part of the crimes remains profit-oriented and is committed by known modus operandi. That is the old face of crime. Amidst the traditional landscape new faces of crime can be identified. The internet is such a new face which emerges among others in the sex industry. This is as old as the human race, with all the related abuses and exploitation. But the internet gives it also a new face because of its broad reach and related opportunities, negative as well as positive. This volume provides other examples of this two-faced Janus head of crime. Old criminal trades, such as the illegal cigarette market, synthetic drugs and criminal exploitation of human labour, but also new criminal specialisations, new professional and industrial skills developed by ‘old’ ethnic minorities on various crime markets in central Europe. Meanwhile, the on-going illegal migrations continue to exert their influence on the perception of crime: while the actual prevalence of most types of crime decreases, fear of crime continues to increase. The flow of migrants is unrelated to this outcome but it impacts nevertheless on the perception of crime. This volume of the 18th Cross-border Crime Colloquium, held in Bratislava in the spring of 2017, contains the peer-reviewed contributions of 22 European experts and up-and-coming researchers. Their chapters cover a broad field of crime in which the double faced Janus head can be discerned: illegal migrants, criminal markets, corruption, money laundering and organised crime, highlighting many new aspects