Don't shout too loud: Reflections on the outrage against human and child trafficking

Human and child trafficking is regarded as an international crime and serious human rights violation. However, the clandestine and transnational nature of trafficking makes it extremely difficult to apprehend or prosecute offenders, or to verify information about the scope and nature of the problem. Yet, despite the lack of quantifiable data, extensive global attention has been focused on the phenomenon of trafficking. This article highlights some concerns regarding conceptual and definitional problems, as well as the seeming international preoccupation with trafficking, in an attempt to position the issue within the larger context of other global human rights abuses.DHE

Don’t shout too loud: Reflections on the outrage against human and child trafficking

Human and child trafficking is regarded as an international crime and serious human rights violation. However, the clandestine and transnational nature of trafficking makes it extremely difficult to apprehend or prosecute offenders, or to verify information about the scope and nature of the problem. Yet, despite the lack of quantifiable data, extensive global attention has been focused on the phenomenon of trafficking. This article highlights some concerns regarding conceptual and definitional problems, as well as the seeming international preoccupation with trafficking, in an attempt to position the issue within the larger context of other global human rights abuses

What happened to the Child Justice Bill? The process of law reform relating to child offenders

Children who are accused of crimes in South Africa are governed by the same legislation as adults. The urgent need to develop a separate child justice system culminated in the release of the draft Child Justice Bill in 2000 by the South African Law Reform Commission (SALRC). A product of thorough research and consultation, the revised Bill was introduced to parliament in August 2002. The changes made after public hearings and debates in parliament in 2003 saw the whittling away of the overall child rights nature of the Bill. To add insult to injury, the legislation has, since that year, not been debated again before the portfolio committee and the legislature has provided no explanation for this state of affairs.DHE

Civilian oversight and South African prisons: An examination of the Independent Visitor System

No Abstrac

The role of sub-regional courts in the African human rights system

The development of sub-regional communities in Africa is not a new phenomenon, but the incorporation of human rights into their agenda is relatively new. In effect, REC courts have introduced a new layer of supra national protection of human rights in Africa. The development is welcomed because it is likely to advance the cause for the promotion and protection of human rights. However, considering that the primary focus of the RECs is economic development, their ability to effectively embrace the role of human rights protection is questionable. The development of this mandate for the sub-regional courts is necessitated by the emerging prominence of human rights in the business of RECs. But, its interpretation and implementation has extensive ramifications for the advancement of human rights in Africa; the harmonisation of human rights standard in the region and for the unity and effectiveness of the African human rights system

Cluster foster care: a panacea for the care of children in the era of HIV/Aids or an MCQ?

The ravages wrought by HIV/AIDS on child-care arrangements in the African context are well documented (Richter & Sherr, 2009; Sloth-Nielsen & Mezmur, 2008; Tsegaye, 2007; sources cited there). Notably, these constitute the breakdown of traditional kinship structures which would ordinarily have accommodated orphans and other vulnerable children, a decrease in the capacity of existing extended family structures to care for the numbers of children requiring alternative care, and the emergence of child-headed households. The topic of child-headed households, too, has emerged as a key concept in international child rights law (Couzens & Zaal, 2009; Sloth-Nielsen, 2004; Sloth-Nielsen in Skelton & Davel, 2010; UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCROC), General Comment No. 3 on HIV/ AIDS and the rights of the child, 2003), and this phenomenon has been directly related to the onset of the pandemic.Department of HE and Training approved lis

Report on the evaluation of the Independent prison visitors (IPV) system

This report on the IPV system forms part of a larger study into civilian oversight of the correctional system. Saras Jagwanth has completed an evaluation of the Office of the Inspecting Judge, which should be read in conjunction with this report. Oversight of public functions, duties, and institutions can take many forms. In South Africa, the executive branch of government has great power and this must be held in check in order to make it accountable to the citizens of the country. Our Constitution provides a clear mandate to Parliament, specifically the National Assembly, to oversee the executive. There are also other bodies that play an oversight and monitoring function, namely, the so-called Chapter Nine institutions such as the South African Human Rights Commission and the Gender Commission. In addition, civil society can play an important role in monitoring the actions of the executive and the legislature and in holding both organs of state accountable.This publication was funded by the Open Society Foundation (OSF) and the Ford Foundation

CLUSTER FOSTER CARE: A PANACEA FOR THE CARE OF CHILDREN IN THE ERA OF HIV/AIDS OR AN MCQ?

The ravages wrought by HIV/AIDS on child-care arrangements in the African context are welldocumented (Richter & Sherr, 2009; Sloth-Nielsen & Mezmur, 2008; Tsegaye, 2007; sourcescited there). Notably, these constitute the breakdown of traditional kinship structures whichwould ordinarily have accommodated orphans and other vulnerable children, a decrease in thecapacity of existing extended family structures to care for the numbers of children requiringalternative care, and the emergence of child-headed households. The topic of child-headedhouseholds, too, has emerged as a key concept in international child rights law (Couzens &Zaal, 2009; Sloth-Nielsen, 2004; Sloth-Nielsen in Skelton & Davel, 2010; UN Committee onthe Rights of the Child (UNCROC), General Comment No. 3 on HIV/AIDS and the rights ofthe child, 2003), and this phenomenon has been directly related to the onset of the pandemic

New approaches in calcium phosphate cements and ceramics for bone regeneration.

Bone is among the most frequently transplanted tissues in the body. In Europe, about one million patients encounter a surgical bone reconstruction annually. The worldwide market of bone replacement materials is currently estimated at 5 billion Euros, with a 10% growth due to the ageing of the population. Natural grafts present several drawbacks which pushed scientists to investigate synthetic biomaterials. Although most synthetic bone substitutes available possess some of the positive properties of autografts, none yet have all the benefits of one's own bone. Among the available biomaterials, Calcium Phosphates (CaPs) are of great interest. Nonetheless, these materials can still be improved in several respects. The main aim of this PhD Thesis is to contribute to the improvement of the properties of CaPs for bone regeneration with primary regard to Calcium Phosphate Cements (CPCs). The Thesis is divided in three main parts: i) Biphasic Calcium Phosphate Cements (BCPCs) with modified solubility and ion release; ii) Fibre Reinforced Calcium Phosphate cements (FRCPCs) with improved mechanical properties; iii) Macroporous CaP scaffolds for simvastatin acid release. In the first part novel biphasic CDHA/ß-TCP cements were obtained by mixing two Tricalcium Phosphate (TCP) polymorphs with different solubility (a-TCP and ß-TCP) at different a-TCP/ß-TCP ratios, and characterised in terms of setting properties, mechanical properties, and degradation. In the second part of this manuscript, new FRCPCs were fabricated with a focus on improving the adhesion fibres/matrix, in order to enhance the load transfer and, thus, the toughness of the material and their physico-chemical properties were investigated. Different approaches were studied. The first approach was to increase the chemical affinity of the fibres towards the matrix, adding an element in the matrix with high affinity to the fibres. In the first approach, TryMethyl Chitosan (TMC) was introduced in the liquid phase of a matrix reinforced with chitosan fibres. In the same line, lactic acid (LA) was added in the liquid phase of cements reinforced with Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) yarns. The biological characterisation of FRCPCs was explored using human osteoblastic-like cells MG63 . Another approach was to investigate the potential of low temperature plasma surface modification of PLLA yarns for reinforcement of CPCs. Oxygen low pressure plasma was employed at different treatment times and the surface properties of the untreated and plasma-treated PLLA were evaluated. The third part of this Thesis consisted in producing low temperature (CDHA) or high temperature (ß-TCP) macroporous scaffolds as carriers for Simvastatin acid (SVA), an osteogenic and angiogenic promoter. In order to modulate the drug release beyond the intrinsic capacity of the material, plasma polymerisation with PCL:PEG copolymers was used to dry-coat the CaP scaffolds. The material properties, the plasma polymer layer and the drug release from the scaffold were characterised.El hueso es uno de los tejidos más trasplantados del cuerpo. Sólo en Europa, se cuentan alrededor de un millón de cirugías de reconstrucción ósea anualmente. La estimación del mercado global de los sustitutos óseos es aproximadamente de cinco billones de Euros por año, con un 10% de crecimiento anual debido al envejecimiento de la población. Debido a los problemas asociados a los injertos biológicos, la investigación y el desarrollo de materiales sintéticos y biocompatibles (Biomateriales) ha experimentado un gran auge. Aunque la mayoría de sustitutos sintéticos disponibles poseen algunas de las características de los autoinjertos, hasta el momento ninguno reúne todos los beneficios del hueso del propio individuo. Dentro de los biomateriales para regeneración ósea, los fosfatos de calcio han sido de gran interés debido a su composición química similar a la del hueso. Sin embargo, aún se requieren mejoras en distintos aspectos de estos materiales. El objetivo principal de esta Tesis Doctoral es contribuir a la mejora de las propiedades de los fosfatos de calcio para la regeneración ósea, con un interés especial en los cementos de fosfato de calcio. La Tesis investiga diferentes estrategias para el desarrollo de materiales para la sustitución ósea, novedosos y con propiedades mejoradas respecto a los actuales. La Tesis comprende tres partes principales: i) Cementos bifásicos de fosfato de calcio (BCPCs), constituidos por materiales con diferente solubilidad; ii) Fosfatos de calcio reforzados con fibras (FRCPCs), para la mejora de las propiedades mecánicas; iii) Andamios macroporosos para la liberación de una sal de simvastatina. En la primera parte de la Tesis, se describe el desarrollo de BCPCs compuestos por hidroxiapatita deficiente en calcio (CDHA) y fosfato tricálcico ß (ß-TCP). Estos materiales derivan de la reacción de las mezclas de dos polimorfos de fosfato tricalcico (TCP) con diferente solubilidad (a-TCP y ß-TCP) y, en esta tesis, se caracterizan su fraguado, sus propiedades mecánicas y degradación. En la segunda parte, se han desarrollado nuevos FRCPCs con especial atención hacia la mejora de la adhesión entre fibras y matriz, con el objetivo de mejorar la transferencia de carga entre ellos y por tanto, las propiedades mecánicas del compuesto. Se han investigado distintas estrategias. La primera de ellas basada en la investigación de materiales con una fase común (o con alta afinidad química) entre las fibras y la fase liquida del cemento; de esta manera se pretende crear un enlace más fuerte entre las fibras y la matriz. En un primer material se incorporó un 1 w/v% de Trimetilo de quitosán (TMC) en la fase líquida del cemento que a su vez se reforzó con fibras de quitosán. En un segundo grupo de materiales, se añadió un 10 v/v% de ácido láctico (LA) a la matriz del cemento junto con hilos discontinuos de ácido poliláctico (PLLA). Estos cementos también se caracterizaron biológicamente por medio de células osteoblásticas MG63. La segunda estrategia investigada en los FRCPCs se basa en la modificación superficial de las fibras de PLLA con plasma de baja temperatura con el fin de mejorar sus propiedades de mojado. Las fibras se trataron con plasma de oxigeno de baja presión a distintos tiempos y se incorporaron a la matriz de cemento, y se caracterizaron tanto las modificaciones superficiales de las fibras como las propiedades del cemento. La tercera parte ha consistido en el desarrollo de andamios macroporosos obtenidos a baja (CDHA) o alta (ß-TCP) temperatura para ser utilizados como formas de liberación de una sal de simvastatina (SVA), con propiedades osteogénicas y angiogénicas. Para conseguir modular la liberación del fármaco se recubrieron los andamios cargados con SVA con un copolímero de PCL:PEG mediante polimerización por plasma. Se caracterizaron las propiedades tanto del material como del recubrimiento y se evaluó la liberación del fármaco

A long and winding road: The Child Justice Bill, civil society and advocacy

This article charts the journey of civil society's engagement with the Child Justice Bill. The story begins with activism in the early 1980s, and tracks the reform efforts through various phases. The Bill was rewritten in Parliament in 2003, and it then fell off the parliamentary agenda. When it re-surfaced at Parliament in 2008 civil society lobbied hard for changes that would bring the Bill closer to the original intentions. An account is given of the gains and losses, and, all in all, t