An ethical assessment of the impact of inequitable land ownership patterns on women’s economic and social rights: a case study of Mumbwa district

The study ethically assessed the impact of inequitable land ownership patterns on women’s economic and social rights in Mumbwa district. Despite more women than men being dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods, the majority of women in Zambia do not own land due to inequitable land ownership patterns. The problem is that while it is generally known that inequitable land ownership limits women’s access to livelihoods, it is not clear how much this affects their access to economic and social rights. Thus, the specific objectives of the study were: to investigate the current state of land ownership between men and women in Zambia; to establish factors that contribute to the existing land ownership patterns; and to ethically assess the impact of existing land ownership patterns on women’s economic and social rights in Mumbwa district. A case study research design was employed using a qualitative methodology with an ethical component. With a sample size of 78, primary data was collected through in-depth interviews with 37 community members, 4 head persons, 1 government representative and 1 representative from a local Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) called Women for Change. Four focus group discussions with 35 community members in addition to observations were also used to collect primary data. Secondary data was collected by reviewing books, journals, articles and internet-based materials. Community members and traditional leaders were selected using simple random sampling while representatives from government and NGO were purposively selected based on possession of knowledge about land ownership in the area. Content analysis was used to analyse data followed by an ethical evaluation of the study findings. The study found that there is inequality in land ownership between men and women. Land is mostly owned by the men who also exercise greater control over its use. The existing unequal land ownership patterns were attributed to five main factors which are power imbalances, culture, land allocation practices, suppression of women and allocation of labour. Unequal land ownership impacts negatively on women and on their ability to earn enough to meet their family basic needs. Consequently, it negatively affects their ability to have adequate food and facilitate their children’s access to education. An ethical evaluation of the findings was guided by rights theory and the ethics of care. As regards rights theory, there was discrimination of women on the basis of gender and marital status. It was observed that such a violation on women’s rights should not be tolerated as Zambia is a State Party to many international commitments that affirm equal rights to land. Using ethics of care, it was observed that land ownership for women is critical to promoting their well-being as care-givers. Compromising women’s land rights not only affects them but also affects children and the aged who are mostly under their care. Among others, recommendations were made that government should conduct ethical awareness raising on equal land ownership rights, should introduce legislation to promote joint land ownership and should effectively enforce statutory law to guarantee equal enjoyment of land ownership rights between men and women under customary land

Factors that influence zambian higher education lecturer’s attitude towards integrating ICTs in teaching and research

This paper investigates factors that influence Zambian higher education lecturer’s attitude towards integrating ICTs in research and teaching. To determine these factors, we used online administered survey with a total of 163 respondents from public and private higher education institutions in Zambia. Quantitative data analysis based on descriptive and inferential statistics was used in this study. Inferential analysis was employed to investigate the relationships among variables using Pearson correlation analysis and completely randomized design. The results revealed that lack of adequate Internet bandwidth is among the major barrier or obstacle for assimilating ICTs in research and teaching for Zambian higher education lecturers. Additionally, training lecturers on the use of ICTs e.g. email, PowerPoint presentations, electronic boards and its advantages is the most important incentive to motivate lecturers to incorporate ICTs in research and teaching. Therefore, this study contributes to literature on factors that influence higher education lecturers’ attitude towards integrating ICTs in research and teaching. This study also demonstrates a positive correlation between the important factors that influence lecturers in integrating ICTs in research and teachingPeer Reviewe

Human trafficking in Southern Africa: the need for an effective regional response

Human trafficking is an old practice that has become a matter of global concern irrespective whether a country is a country of origin where people are trafficked from; a country of transit where people are trafficked through and a country of destination where people are trafficked to. In 2009, the UN Office on Crime and Drugs stated that 66% females, 22% of children and 12% of men are trafficked. In Africa, human trafficking is identified as a problem in roughly one in three of the countries. According to the Salvation Army, at least 2,000,000 people are trafficked each year and of the estimated number, Africa accounts for 450,000. Furthermore, statistics reveal that 30% of cases handled by the Southern Africa Counter-Trafficking Assistance Programme (SACTAP) involved SADC nationals. The purpose of this study was therefore to determine whether there is a need for an effective legislative response to human trafficking in SADC. This was established by tracing the evolvement of trafficking from its conceptualization as slavery to its evolvement to human trafficking. Further, by investigating the measures taken within the SADC region to address human trafficking both at the national and regional levels and a comparative study between different regions and between selected SADC countries was conducted. In the summary of key findings, it was found that the definition of human trafficking as laid out in the Palermo Protocol cannot sufficiently and adequately combat human trafficking in SADC countries in its current form due to a number of reasons. Furthermore, at the institutional level it was found that the Protocols adopted by SADC do not afford all victims of trafficking protection and the Plan of Action is non-binding and faces implementation problems. At SADC country levels it was found that although twelve of the fifteen countries adopted anti-trafficking legislation, these countries struggle with compliance and implementation mechanisms, which show, that mere passing of legislation does not automatically translate to compliance. This study therefore concluded by proposing a number of options that can be explored in order to effectively prevent, and combat human trafficking in SADC. Even though this study does not offer a blueprint solution, it contributes towards the development of a model that will better be suited to address human trafficking problems at the SADC level.Public, Constitutional and International LawLL. M

Modeling heat-related mortality based on greenhouse emissions in OECD countries

A Research project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Business Science in Actuarial Science at Strathmore UniversityGreenhouse emissions by human activities are known to irreversibly increase global temperatures through the greenhouse effect. This study sought to propose a mortality model with sensitivity to heat-change effects as one of the underlying parameters in the model. As such, the study sought to establish the relationship between greenhouse gas emissions and mortality indices in five OECD1 countries (USA, UK, Japan, Canada & Germany). Upon the establishment of the relationship using correlation analysis, an additional parameter that accounts for the sensitivity of heat-changes on mortality rates was incorporated in the Lee-Carter model. Based on the proposed model, new parameter estimates were calculated using iterative algorithms for optimization. Finally, goodness of fit for the original Lee-Carter model and the proposed model were compared using deviance comparison. The proposed model provides a better fit to mortality rates especially in USA, UK and Germany where the mortality indices have a strong positive correlation with the level of greenhouse emissions. The results of this study are of particular concern to actuaries and demographers and climate-risk experts who seek to use better mortality-modeling techniques in the wake of heat-effects caused by increased greenhouse emissions

An examination of the communication strategies and techniques used by the Society for Family Health in malaria control programme in Luangwa

This report is a result of a study whose main objective was to evaluate some of the communication strategies and techniques used by Society for Family Health (SFH) in the fight against malaria in Luangwa District. In pursuing this objective, the study found out how much people knew about malaria and to what extent people at the grass root level were involved in malaria prevention programmes. The study also established people’s attitudes towards the distribution, acquisition and use of insecticide treated net. On the positive note, the SFH malaria control programme Luangwa District has done very well in using both interpersonal and mass communication channels to increase people’s knowledge about malaria and make them believe that slashing around their homes and burying pools of water can help to reduce the malaria incidence. On the level of practice, the intervention had succeeded in getting people to sleep under ITNs. Even so, some people still do not know what the cause of malaria is. Worse still, the majority do not consider malaria to be a very serious disease. Moreover, the malaria control programme was mostly carried out on a non-participatory basis. Lastly, some of the messages used were too difficult to be understood by the target audience. Therefore, it is recommended that there should be continuous sensitization on malaria. Furthermore, malaria prevention efforts should concentrate on changing people’s attitudes towards malaria in terms of its severity. Lastly, the fight against malaria should be a continuous process in which people at the grassroots participate fully because the success of any programme depends, to a large extent, on the participation of the target audience

An ethical assessment of the impact of inequitable land ownership patterns on women’s economic and social rights: a case study of Mumbwa district

The study ethically assessed the impact of inequitable land ownership patterns on women’s economic and social rights in Mumbwa district. Despite more women than men being dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods, the majority of women in Zambia do not own land due to inequitable land ownership patterns. The problem is that while it is generally known that inequitable land ownership limits women’s access to livelihoods, it is not clear how much this affects their access to economic and social rights. Thus, the specific objectives of the study were: to investigate the current state of land ownership between men and women in Zambia; to establish factors that contribute to the existing land ownership patterns; and to ethically assess the impact of existing land ownership patterns on women’s economic and social rights in Mumbwa district. A case study research design was employed using a qualitative methodology with an ethical component. With a sample size of 78, primary data was collected through in-depth interviews with 37 community members, 4 head persons, 1 government representative and 1 representative from a local Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) called Women for Change. Four focus group discussions with 35 community members in addition to observations were also used to collect primary data. Secondary data was collected by reviewing books, journals, articles and internet-based materials. Community members and traditional leaders were selected using simple random sampling while representatives from government and NGO were purposively selected based on possession of knowledge about land ownership in the area. Content analysis was used to analyse data followed by an ethical evaluation of the study findings. The study found that there is inequality in land ownership between men and women. Land is mostly owned by the men who also exercise greater control over its use. The existing unequal land ownership patterns were attributed to five main factors which are power imbalances, culture, land allocation practices, suppression of women and allocation of labour. Unequal land ownership impacts negatively on women and on their ability to earn enough to meet their family basic needs. Consequently, it negatively affects their ability to have adequate food and facilitate their children’s access to education. An ethical evaluation of the findings was guided by rights theory and the ethics of care. As regards rights theory, there was discrimination of women on the basis of gender and marital status. It was observed that such a violation on women’s rights should not be tolerated as Zambia is a State Party to many international commitments that affirm equal rights to land. Using ethics of care, it was observed that land ownership for women is critical to promoting their well-being as care-givers. Compromising women’s land rights not only affects them but also affects children and the aged who are mostly under their care. Among others, recommendations were made that government should conduct ethical awareness raising on equal land ownership rights, should introduce legislation to promote joint land ownership and should effectively enforce statutory law to guarantee equal enjoyment of land ownership rights between men and women under customary land

Knowledge and utilisation of infection prevention guidelines by operating theatre and intensive care nurses at university teaching hospital,Lusaka.

The main objective of this study was to determine the extent operating theatre and intensive care unit nurses have embraced the knowledge and utilization of Infection Prevention Guidelines. The study revealed that hospital acquired infections are the major causes of morbidity and mortality in patients admitted in our health institutions. These prolong patients' stay in hospital thus causing the hospital to incur extra costs. Reference was also made to studies carried out nationally, regionally and globally on the aspect of infection prevention guidelines. Literature review had also shown that similar studies on the same aspect had been done in Zambia before on various cadres of health care givers such as doctors, midwives, student nurses, general nurses and daily classified employees but no study had been conducted in operating theatre and intensive care nurses thereby creating a gap in knowledge of the level of the infection prevention practices in these critical areas. To this end an exhausted literature review was conducted on the application of knowledge and utilization of the guidelines by nurses in the Operating Theatres and Intensive Care Units at the University Teaching Hospital. A non-experimental descriptive study design was used to determine the level of knowledge and utilization of Infection Prevention Guidelines by operating theatre and intensive care unit nurses at the University Teaching Hospital. Primary data was collected using self administered questionnaires. The main source of data was from text books, journals and the internet. Analysis of data was done manually on a data master sheet and a calculator was used to derive at calculations. Data was presented in the form of frequency tables, pie and bar charts. Cross tabulation tables were used to determine the relationship between variables. The findings of the study revealed that though the majority of the respondents had heard about Infection Prevention Guidelines (IPGs), very few were actually applying the knowledge resulting in high infections rates

Exploration of the involvement of selected secondary schools in child protection against violence, exploitation and sexual abuse in Lusaka, Zambia.

ThesisNo child should have to worry about his or her safety and welfare. Unfortunately, research shows that millions of children around the world are at risk for violence, abuse, and exploitation. There are several threats to the safety of children, most of which are interconnected (UNICEF, 2021). Therefore, this study focused on the practices of secondary schools in ensuring the protection of their children in Lusaka district of Lusaka province of Zambia. The aim of this study was to explore the involvement of secondary schools in protecting children from violence, exploitation and sexual abuse. The study was guided by the following objectives: i). Describe the prevalence of cases of violence, exploitation and sexual abuse among children in secondary schools in Lusaka district. ii). Explore the measures taken to protect children from violence, exploitation and sexual abuse in selected secondary schools. iii). Explore gaps in the actions taken to deal with child protection concerns in selected secondary schools in Lusaka district. This study employed a qualitative methodology guided by a case study design in the light of learned helplessness theory. Additionally, the study adopted systematic and purposive sampling techniques to enrol four secondary schools and to enlist thirty-six (36) participants respectively. The participants were distributed as follows: thirty-two pupils; one Headteacher; two Deputy Headteachers and one Head of Department. The data of this research were collected using focus group discussions with pupils and interview schedules on school administrators. The qualitative data were analysed thematically by comparing and categorising participants‟ responses. The findings of the study revealed that violence, exploitation and sexual abuse are very much prevalent in secondary schools. However, it is difficult to ascertain the prevalence because of underreporting of these cases by the pupils. Cases of sexual abuse were found to be more prevalent among the girls and cases of physical abuse were more pronounced among the boys. The study also revealed that teachers are usually the perpetrators of these cases. The study made six recommendations, three of which are outlined below: i). the government through the Ministry of General Education should strengthen the child protection policies in schools, ii). the government through the Ministry of Higher Education should introduce a course in guidance and counselling, iii). School administrators should get more involved in the activities of the guidance and counselling department.The University of Zambi

Social involution? : The impact of economic restructuring on the working class in Zambia

Countries in southern Africa have been implementing economic liberalisation policies for over two decades, with the aim of reversing years of economic decline. This process of economic liberalisation has been largely been influenced by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank policy prescription. While the developed world has been piling pressure on countries in the Sub-Saharan region to integrate their national economies into the global economic, different countries have responded differently in opening up their economies. For some, the new economic policy regime has entailed a shift from a state-run economy and focusing more on a free market economy. While some countries have taken a cautious approaching to economic liberalisation, Zambia went for rapid liberalisation, which has led to negative social consequences on employment and the livelihoods of the working class. Through the adoption and implementation of labour market flexibility policies, Zambia and other countries in the region have seen an upswing in new forms of employment such as casual labour, subcontracting and temporary employment, which have no protection and have exposed workers to exploitation. Employment levels have also dropped as the capitalist investors shed off massive numbers of workers in order to reduce labour costs. Local manufacturing industries, in most cases, have been forced to close down and lay-off workers due to unfair competition with cheap imported goods. Liberalisation in developing countries in general and southern Africa in particular, has entailed weakening the role of the state in national economic management. Governments are increasingly succumbing to the dictates of multinationals and are failing to enforce regulatory measures needed to protect the welfare of workers and their working conditions

Information needs and information seeking behaviour of judges and lawyers: a study of the judiciary superior courts in Lusaka, Zambia.

Understanding the information needs and seeking behaviour of users is imperative in developing effective information systems and services to meet their information needs. Lawyers and Judges heavily depend on appropriate and reliable evidence in the administration of sound justice. However, little is known about the information needs and seeking behaviour of Layers and judges in Africa and Zambia in particular. The purpose of this study was to investigate the information needs and seeking behaviour of judges and lawyers at the four superior courts of judiciary in Lusaka, Zambia. Specifically, the study investigated the information needs of layers and judges; their sources of information; the challenges they faced to access needed information. A survey approach was adopted for this study and employed quantitative methods. Simple random sampling techniques was used to select judges and lawyers. Forty-five legal practitioners that included 27 judges and 18 lawyers participated in the study. Data was analyzed using the SPSS 23.0 software The study revealed that judges and lawyers had varied information needs and included case preparation (67%), administration of justice (60%), past decisions (87%), statutes (71%), current awareness (69%), general knowledge (47%), job presentation or professional conduct (76%) and information concerning research activities (73%). Respondents indicated that court libraries (98%), personal libraries (79%), online databases (76%), offline databases (76%), decided cases (98%), other legal libraries (7%) and colleagues in the profession (73%) were main sources of information they consulted to make decisions. However, judges and lawyers reported to encounter a number of problems in their quest for information which included difficult to find latest information (82%), information not readily available (69%), lack of information diversity (67%), information not easily accessible (62%), poor internet connectivity (60%), limited time (80%) and information overload (71%). The study recommended for well-stocked court libraries, with up-to-date varied forms of information and improved Internet connectivity. It was concluded that it is important for judges and lawyers’ information needs to be effectively met for them to make sound legal decisions