An exploration of police brutality at the Johannesburg Central Police Station

The primary goal for this study was to explore the various causes of police brutality in Johannesburg Central Police Station and investigate the different factors that contribute to police brutality in the City of Johannesburg (CoJ). The exploration involved determining the nature and extent of the problem of police brutality, identification of factors that contribute to police brutality, investigate measures that can be taken to prevent police brutality, identification of best practice from the literature consulted and make recommendations based on the findings for the best practices that can be used to prevent police brutality. South African Police Service (SAPS) conducted interviews on the problem of police brutality from middle managers within the Johannesburg central police station. Literature was conducted to acquire more knowledge regarding the topic under investigation, which was police brutality in Johannesburg Central Police Station. The following objectives were fulfilled: It was discovered that the nature and extent of police brutality is a global problem, and this is because resources and implementation of legislations in policing is not consistent per country to communities, It was identified that factors that contribute to police brutality are man-made and required interventions through transformation from human character concurrently with the implementation of the resources and implementation of legislation, It was established that measures that can be taken to prevent police brutality must be based on lessons learned, remedial action, consultations with the community and South African Police Service (SAPS), It was revealed that there are best practices to prevent police brutality from literature consulted and redress must be conducted with consideration of geographical of policing within SAPS. These requires that peer organisations must perform their duties well to avoid the issues to escalate into policing issues within the community policing precinct, It was also revealed that SAPS needs to invest in innovative technological resources to prevent police brutality. This study contributes to the knowledge base regarding police brutality within Johannesburg Central Police Station.Criminology and Security ScienceM.A. (Criminal Justice

Understanding the perceived role of mobile media in relation to development in a South African rural area

This study explores the different perceptions of mobile media in relation to development within Dwesa, a marginalised rural community in South Africa. The proliferation of mobile phones and increasing access to the internet in Africa, and South Africa in particular, is extensively documented and attempts have been made to explore its impact on development. Drawing on adapted aspects of the Diffusion of innovation theory (DoI), the study seeks to understand the relative advantage, compatibility with needs and values, and observable benefits of using mobile media for a rural community. I provide a critical discussion of the concept of development and its relationship with digital technologies and innovation. I reflect on the Diffusion of innovation theory, highlighting its critiques, adaptations and modifications in studies, particularly in the Global South. The present study employs a qualitative methodology and relies on focus groups, semi-structured interviews and observation as methods of data collection. Participants were divided into three focus groups based on Rogers classification of innovativeness (early adopters, majority adopters and late/non-adopters) and I conducted two follow-up interviews with participants of each focus group. I analysed the data thematically. Research participants identified several areas where mobile media contributed to development and positive change, such as lowering the cost of access to information and communication, staying in touch with distant relatives, increasing access to services and providing entertainment, especially among young people. The participants noted that despite these positive changes, that mobile media on its own cannot be expected to address challenges of infrastructure and public service delivery. Research findings also revealed that mobile media might interfere with socio-cultural values of respect, human dignity and privacy. I conclude that, while mobile media is generally considered as beneficial, its critical role in improving the socio-economic conditions of people in Dwesa still remains in doubt. The study provides an opportunity to further investigate the compatibility of mobile media with socio-cultural values along the lines of age and gender, and address issues of digital skills and digital marginalisation

Vulnerability assessment of modern ICT infrastructure from an information warfare perspective.

Ph. D. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2011.The overall objective of the study is to provide a vulnerability assessment of the mobile communications infrastructure to information warfare attacks; this study has a South African focus. The mobile infrastructure was selected as the infrastructure and mobile devices incorporate the majority of modern ICT technologies, namely social networking, wireless connectivity and mobility, mass storage, as well as the telecommunications elements. The objectives of the study are to: Propose a new information warfare model, and from this deduce a vulnerability assessment framework from the specific information warfare perspective. These are the guiding frameworks and model for the study. Gather information regarding threats and vulnerabilities, with particular focus on potential use in information warfare and relevance to South Africa. Establish the criticality of the mobile infrastructure in South Africa. Use the gathered information in the vulnerability assessment, to assess the vulnerability of the mobile infrastructure and related devices and services. The model and framework are generated through desk-based research. The information is gathered from research protocols that are relevant to both research and risk and vulnerability assessment, these include: expert input through interviews and a research workshop, incident and trend analyses through news and vendor reports and academic publishing, computer simulation, questionnaire survey, and mathematical analyses. The information is then triangulated by using it in the vulnerability assessment. The primary and secondary data shows that attacks on confidentiality are the most prevalent for both computer-based networks and the mobile infrastructure. An increase in threats and incidents for both computer and mobile platforms is being seen. The information security trends in South Africa indicate that the existing security concerns are likely to worsen, in particular the high infection rates. The research indicates that the mobile infrastructure is critical in South Africa. The study validates the proposed framework, which indicates that South Africa is vulnerable to an information warfare attack in general. Key aspects of vulnerability in the mobile infrastructure are highlighted; the apparent high load of the mobile infrastructure in South Africa can be seen as a high risk vulnerability. Suggestions to mitigate vulnerabilities and threats are provided

Child poly-victimization and Intimate Partner Violence in Wuhan, China

Session G4 - Panel 47: Family Violence Poly-Victimization in ChinaThis study is to examine the prevalence and correlates of child poly-victimization, and to investigate if IPV is a factor associated with child poly-victimization in a cohort of Chinese families. Using a multi-stage stratified sampling, about 1,000 households with children aged 0-17 were randomly sampled in the Wuhan city. Of each family, one of the parents or guardians will be invited to participate in the study. The Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ) and the Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2) were employed as the major tools for measuring child victimization and IPV respectively. The data collection is still in progress and will be completed in June 2010. The prevalence rate of and the risk factors for child poly-victimization in Wuhan, China will be analyzed. Holding an assumption that inter-parental violence negatively impacts the family system, this study hypothesizes that children in families with IPV are more likely to experience poly-victimization compared with those whose parents are nonviolent. Thus, IPV as a factor associated with child polyvictimization will be tested using regression analyses. The findings will implicate that identification of child victims should be extended to cover multiple types of victimization, and thus screening of family violence should involve all family members.postprin

A study of children’s bullying victimization in Xi’an: prevalence, risk factors, and correlation with family violence

Session G4 - Panel 47: Family Violence Poly-Victimization in ChinaOBJECTIVE: Despite there is evidence supporting a substantial overlap between family violence and bullying victimization (Baldry, 2003; Shields & Cicchetti, 2001), few studies have been conducted to examine the co-occurrence or correlation between these two kinds of child victimization. This study aims to present an estimate of prevalence and risk factors of bullying victimization in a wide range of settings (school, street, and internet) and examine its association with family violence victimization in a cohort of Chinese children in Xi’an. METHOD: Using a three-stage stratified sampling design, a total of 2000 students were randomly selected from 24 schools in 3 districts (from both urban and rural areas) in Xi’an, China. Questionnaires were self-administrated by children subjects. The Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ) and Relational Aggression Scale were used as measures for direct and relational bullying victimization. Family violence includes four types: child abuse, witnessing spouse violence, elder abuse, and in-law conflict. RESULTS: The prevalence rate and the pattern of child bullying victimization will be computed and reported. The correlation between bullying victimization and family violence will be examined by regression analyses. CONCLUSION: The patterns of child bullying victimization occurred in different settings will be compared and discussed.postprin

Child poly-victimization in Hong Kong

Session A1 - Panel 61: Youth Victimization in 3 Countries Using the NatSCEV Assessment ModelThis study is to examine the prevalence and correlates of child poly-victimization in a cohort of Chinese families in Hong Kong. The study is collecting epidemiological data through representative school and household surveys. From the school survey, a cohort of about 6,000 secondary students aged 15-17 will be interviewed in schools. From the household survey, a cohort of about 2,500 parents or guardians of children aged 0 – 17 and about 1,000 young persons aged 15 – 17 drawn from large representative samples from households in Hong Kong will be interviewed at home. The Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ) is employed as the major tool for measuring child victimization. The data collection is still in progress and will be completed in June 2010.The prevalence rate of and the risk factors for child poly-victimization collected through the school and household surveys will be analyzed and compared. The findings will also be compared with data collected in US and UK. Universal and culture-specific factors will be identified. The findings will implicate that identification of child victims using JVQ in different cultures.postprin

Study of family violence poly-victimization in China: design and preliminary findings

Session G4 - Panel 47: Family Violence Poly-Victimization in ChinaThe population survey adopts a combined approach in using school and household-based approaches. The school-based approach is more appropriate to gather information from children aged 15 – 17 to estimate the prevalence of child victimization experienced by them. The household-based approach, with both children aged 15 – 17 and parents with children aged below 18 were interviewed, is adopted. The household approach is the only viable option for interviewing parents and to collect information on child victimization experienced by children under age 15. The primary objective of this approach is to collect data to better estimate of prevalence rates of CSA and child victimization experienced by children under age 15, and to test a comprehensive profile of individual and family risk factors correlating to CSA and child victimization. From the school survey, a cohort of about 13,000 secondary students aged 15-17 will be interviewed in schools. From the household survey, a cohort of about 5,000 parents or guardians of children aged 0 – 17 and about 2,000 young persons aged 15 – 17 drawn from large representative samples from households in Hong Kong and 5 Mainland provinces will be interviewed face-to-face by trained interviewers. Data collection will be completed in June, 2010. Prevalence rates of IPV, elder abuse, in-law violence and child poly-victimization will be presented.postprin