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Why do legal professionals mention their sons when discussing a new consent‐based rape law? Drawing on feminist legal studies and sociology of emotions, this article investigates a discourse of male fear of rape accusations among Swedish legal professionals and how defence lawyers strategically employ it. The analysis shows that a male fear defence is deployed to evoke a specific kind of sympathy termed 'himpathy' among judges. The male fear discourse serves as a himpathy resource to problematize the implications of the new rape law and to explain irrational behaviour from men accused of rape, instilling doubts about the complainant's credibility, suggesting false accusations, and creating an imagined 'ruined' future for the accused man if convicted, including his and his relatives' shame over the rapist stigma. The findings highlight the role of background emotions in legal practice concerning rape and how the law remains 'himpathetic' despite radical consent‐based rape legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this project, I develop the concept of a sexualized violence figleaf , a speech mechanism often used in sexualized violence discourse to dismiss or characterize assault as some other kind of thing: a misunderstanding, a change of heart by the victim, a mischaracterization of the perpetrator, or any other number of things which are not rape , or violence. Sexualized violence figleaves are an extension of Jennifer Saul's work on racial and gender figleaves, as the underlying mechanics of the utterance track those of Saul's figleaves. In other words, I am developing a figleaf variant, showing that this conceptual tool is useful for analysing utterances beyond racist, sexist, and conspiracist speech, upon which Saul focuses. Rather, bringing figleaves into the realm of sexualized violence discourse illuminates features of the discourse which are often obscured by the prevalence of strong social intuitions about rapists and their corresponding character. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay focuses on increasing public demands for instant justice in response to sexual violence in contemporary India. Through close analysis of a specific event—the brutal 2019 gang rape and murder of a female veterinarian in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, public demands for the instant killing of the suspect men, and subsequent police killings of four male suspects—I show how in the aftermath of serious crimes against women, rape and rape laws act as a contested site of public power. During instances of sexual violence that are deemed exceptional, public mobilization against rape advances the idea that instant justice in the form of lynching or extrajudicial police action is the only way to respond to and control such crime. In discussing the linkages between vigilantism and state violence, I coin the term "rape vigilantism" to theorize this shift. Rape vigilantism is a performative political practice that shores up the state's sovereign power by demanding that the state act outside the bounds of the law. Whereas critiques of carceral feminism draw our attention to how a singular focus on advancing penal solutions to gender-based violence expands state power, these critiques mainly focus on formal state institutions and practices. I contend that feminist analysis of rape politics in a postcolonial context should also attend to extrajudicial state practices—such as police executions in the name of providing instant justice—and the public legitimization of these practices to understand how regimes of impunity are produced to strengthen state and social dominance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rape, as a pervasive societal issue, transcends the boundaries of public safety, criminal justice, legal jurisprudence, and public health, casting a long shadow of fear, trauma, and profound consequences across communities. This article delves into the multifaceted nature of rape, recognizing it not solely as a criminal phenomenon but as a complex public health crisis demanding comprehensive intervention. In response to the imperative of addressing rape and serial rapists as a criminal and public health epidemic, this study introduces an innovative approach that harnesses the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and geo-profiling. Through synthesizing criminological and epidemiological insights, this research elucidates the transformative role of geo-profiling in understanding, preventing and solving rape crimes. Geo-profiling data analytics capabilities are harnessed to dissect the intricate details, patterns and dynamics of rape incidents, offering a data-driven foundation for preventive strategies. Moreover, integrating geo-profiling techniques empowers law enforcement and public health agencies to map high-risk behaviors, areas and optimize resource allocation geographically. This holistic approach advances our understanding of rape as a public health crisis and informs targeted, evidence-based interventions to reduce its prevalence. In a contemporary landscape marked by the imperative of innovation and interdisciplinarity, this article contributes a nuanced perspective to the discourse surrounding rape. By unifying law enforcement, criminal justice, legal, and public health paradigms and harnessing geo-profiling as a powerful tool, we embark on a path to address rape comprehensively, recognizing its profound impact on individuals and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a book titled "Incidencias de la LUC en el Derecho Penal" (Implications of the LUC in Criminal Law), coordinated by Daniel Cabral and Pedro Montano, which analyzes the modifications introduced by the Urgent Consideration Law (LUC) in different aspects of criminal law in Uruguay. Several experts in the field, such as prosecutor Ignacio Montesdeocar, writer Miguel Ángel Gallegos, and professor Mauro Rinaldis, offer detailed analysis on the modifications in the Code of Criminal Procedure, expedited proceedings, juvenile criminal law, and other related topics. The book also addresses changes in the probation system, the practice and logic of the adversarial scheme in criminal proceedings, the police procedural law, the national registry of rapists and sexual abusers, among others. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Archives of Criminology / Archiwum Kryminologii is the property of Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Legal Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Sexual assault victims often experience various degrees of re-victimization if they go through the process of reporting or seeking support for the crime. This autoethnographic essay explores, from the perspective of a gender scholar and gender rights activist, how the power of socialization impacted her rape-reporting process, despite having worked in and researched power-based personal violence her entire career. Drawing from scholarly studies of gender norms, politeness, emotion work, and rape support, this piece unpacks the twenty-four hours following a sexual assault to highlight the gendered perspective that caused one victim to let her rapist walk free. Looking at the power of socialization, readers are shown how, despite the education and experience of the victim and her support network, she also struggled to navigate the barriers that prevent all victims from feeling safe and heard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Runa: Archivo para las Ciencias del Hombre is the property of Runa: Archivo para las Ciencias del Hombre and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Τhe aim of this study was to provide a detailed understanding of unprompted audience responses to a literary story of female-on-male rape on Goodreads. Thematic analysis of 429 reviews revealed 5 key themes and 16 sub-themes, which evolved around appraising the social function of the book, evaluating its literary features, assessing the depiction of female-on-male rape especially in terms of its perceived realism, as well as around a variety of explicitly emotional and cognitive responses. The esthetic features of the story proved to be of particular importance for shaping reader engagement. Reflective elaborations on the female rapist were found to constitute a marginal response pattern. Findings identified the existence of an overarching cognitive schema that construes sexual victimization as feminized and is linked to a tripartite pattern of comprehending female on- male rape (female-focused, gender-inclusive, gender-neutral). The study highlights the persistence of gendered rape myths structured around an "ideal victim" – "ideal offender" paradigm, which, however, co-exist with alternative responses oriented toward de-gendering sexual victimization. These findings suggest the importance of addressing audience responses in future investigations of female sexual violence (hands-on and hands-off behaviors) and pursuing an interventional agenda of more inclusive conceptualizations of victimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article, titled "This Is How You Protect Yourself from a Rapist" by Elizabeth Koster, explores the author's personal experiences and reflections on consent and sexual assault. The author recounts a date where she felt uncomfortable and unsure about the situation but didn't know how to assert herself. She also discusses the lack of guidelines for preventing rape and challenges the notion that clothing choices invite assault. The article highlights the importance of consent and the power dynamics involved in sexual encounters. [Extracted from the article]

Regulations on chemical castration for perpetrators of sexual violence have been stipulated in the legislation in Indonesia, Law 17 of 2016. They followed up with Government Regulation (PP) NO 70 OF 2020, which regulates the chemical castration procedure in more detail. However, at the level of implementation, medical and bioethical perspectives, there are still pros and cons. The paradigm of the group that agrees to perform chemical castration on perpetrators is that the act of chemical castration causes a decrease in sex hormone (testosterone) levels, thus helping perpetrators manage their sex drive more controllable. The paradigm of the group that does not agree on the act of chemical castration, from the aspect of low levels of sex hormones, will cause discomfort or health problems in the perpetrator. On the other hand, the performing physician believes that the doctor's job is to help, not cause discomfort. Medical studies and bioethical studies of chemical castration in perpetrators of sexual violence can improve the understanding of holistic management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the discourse on the death penalty for rapists are rife throughout 2022 and appear in various top media in Indonesia. Coverage related to this discourse includes the pros and cons among the public regarding the need for a convicted person in a rape case to receive the death penalty. This then becomes the reason for the researcher to examine the policy of the Indonesian Islamic-oriented media, Republika, about the issue of the death penalty for rapists that appears in 2022 because this media's reports on this case still appear until 2023. This research used Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) with Norman Fairclough's model for primary data analysis aiming to interpret the representation of news from Republika regarding the issue of the death penalty for rapists in Indonesia. The subjects and objects of this research are news texts, namely straight news related to the government's discourse on carrying out the death penalty against rapists during the period January 1-31, 2023, on the Republika.co.id news portal. The conclusion of this study is the meaning of reporting on the discourse on the death penalty against rapists in Republika media shows that as a media with an Islamic ideology, referring to Islamic Sharia law, Republika interprets that the death penalty is indeed possible for severe crimes against humanity or those that have broad implications for society such as rape, referring to Surah Al Maidah verse 33. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special issue seeks to re-situate perpetrators at the heart of discussions of sexually coercive behaviour. Acts of sexual aggression are intrinsically connected to historically contingent gender dynamics, as well as by social structures which foster the circumstances for sexual assault. In a wide range of geopolitical contexts, the perpetrators of sexual violence have been protected by ineffective and intrusive police, prosecution and court systems which ultimately place the burden of proof on victims, and by patriarchal social structures in which aggressors are more likely to occupy positions of power which can be exploited with impunity. Our contributors come from varied disciplinary backgrounds, including anthropology, sociology, media studies and history to explore perceptions and characteristics of sexual perpetrators in a range of geographical and cultural contexts. Throughout their work, the term 'perpetrator' emerges as both the individual agent of crime as well as the institutions, social structures, and discourses which facilitate and accommodate sexual violence. By recognising the historical contingency of sexual perpetrators, we eschew essentialising worldviews which present sexual harm as natural and immutable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "Thinking about the rapist. Finding the words of a crime" analyzes the psyche of the sexual rapist through clinical examples and theoretical review. The importance of talking about rape and sexual abuse to understand and treat the pathological symptom is highlighted. The text explores the psychological characteristics of the rapist, such as contempt for the victim and the projection of destruction onto her. The psychological consequences of rape are also mentioned, and the need for the victim to differentiate her mind from that of the rapist in order to survive psychologically is emphasized. The article concludes that it is necessary to continue researching and talking about trauma to advance in the psychoanalytic field. [Extracted from the article]

This article argues both that the Physician's Tale explicitly addresses the sexually threatening nature of employment for women, and that it offers a suggestive parallel to the situation as it may have unfolded between Geoffrey Chaucer and Cecily Chaumpaigne, who in 1380 released Chaucer from her raptus: de raptu meo. Chaucer's Physician's Tale presents a chance to consider the ways Chaucer envisions both the mind of a rapist and rape culture in general, including especially what feminist philosopher Kate Manne calls "himpathy" and victim-blaming. In this tale, a churl presents a case in which he alleges abduction in order to commit abduction—for the purpose of rape. Chaucer's many alterations to his sources present Virginia, the victim/protagonist, as what Judith M. Bennett has called a "singlewoman," a fourteenth-century category of woman especially vulnerable to coercive labor laws under the Statute of Laborers. In this article, then, I show how this tale and its lessons about Chaucer's own understanding of gendered labor, sexual assault, and discursive power challenge recent conclusions about the legal documents relating to Chaucer and Chaumpaigne. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article inquires after the ethics of posthumous outing and networked forms of remembrance connected to public figures accused of, or having admitted to, sexual violence and domestic abuse. Focusing on the obituary politics surrounding the 2020 deaths of Kirk Douglas, Kobe Bryant, and Sean Connery, it explores the forms that a feminist ethics of disclosure and memorialisation might take in the #MeToo era. Contra the popular tendency of othering sex offenders as exceptional 'monsters,' #MeToo's affective and discursive force lies in framing sexual violence as unextraordinary, banal, and ubiquitous. In what follows, we make a case for forms of remembrance acknowledging that a person can simultaneously be an accomplished professional, a loving parent, and a rapist, so that one aspect of one's being and actions need not require silence over others. Reflecting on what it means to remember public figures in their totality, we flag the importance of attending to the social, cultural, political, economic, and historical contexts that have contributed to the prominence, and subsequent remembrance of individuals. We argue that such a contextual move makes it possible to see the individual public figure within the social networks and hierarchies that have allowed, or disallowed, patterns of behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in addressing the issue of rape among underage girls in Nigeria. It highlights the high prevalence of rape cases and the challenges in obtaining verifiable evidence to hold offenders accountable. The article suggests that AI tools such as surveillance devices, facial recognition, DNA matching, and video analysis can be utilized to establish evidence in these cases. It emphasizes the need for comprehensive efforts, including training security personnel and government investment in AI technology, to protect and support victims and deter potential perpetrators. The article also acknowledges the cultural and societal factors that contribute to the persistence of rape cases and calls for raising awareness and encouraging victims to come forward without fear of intimidation. [Extracted from the article]

Professor Diana Scully changed the landscape of sexual violence research with her ground-breaking 1980 study of convicted rapists. Dr. Scully and her colleague, Dr. Joseph Marolla, interviewed 114 imprisoned convicted rapists to understand what rapists gain from sexual aggression and violence. This memorial paper examines this foundational study and its longstanding theoretical and methodological contributions to the field of sexual violence research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses Thomas Middleton's poem "The Ghost of Lucrece" and its allusions to Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus" and "The Rape of Lucrece." Middleton's poem presents Lucrece's ghost lamenting her rape in a theatrical setting, with references to blood-as-breastmilk and cannibalistic revenge. The poem explores themes of disgust and shame in early modern rape narratives, depicting Lucrece's revenge on her rapist through forced consumption of her blood. Middleton's work is analyzed in comparison to Shakespeare's portrayal of revenge and defilement in similar contexts. [Extracted from the article]

So while there may be some pro tanto wrong in privileged citizens holding oppressed offenders to account, even within an RJC, their relationship with oppressed offenders is likely to be far less impaired than that of the state and these offenders. So, for example, even if a state has oppressed a particular offender, the offender's wrongdoing may be so grievous (for example, he is a serial rapist) that the state nevertheless should hold him accountable; yet (on the prevailing view) it commits a pro tanto wrong against him in the course of doing so. For the purposes of the discussion here we remain agnostic on the question of whether the problem of tainted standing arises only in cases of state complicity with wrongful crimes or with regard to all wrongful crimes committed by oppressed offenders. We show that RJ is an intrinsically appropriate way to hold certain offenders to account in the context of serious injustice: it simultaneously recognizes that the state's standing to hold socially deprived offenders to account is compromised, and that such offenders nevertheless must be held accountable to their victims. [Extracted from the article]

Past research on crime and punishment attitudes has considered the effects of racial identity, racial animus, gender identity, and partisanship – or some combination of these factors. I focus on the role of a particular gendered emotional pathway: women's fear of rape (FOR). Within the context of a racialized rape culture, I argue that FOR affects how women think about policing. Using Cooperative Election Study and FBI data from 2020, I explore the political determinants of FOR and how it shapes American women's policing attitudes. Women's fear of sexual violence is both partisan and racialized, with Republican and White women reporting the most fear. I demonstrate that White Democratic women who are more afraid of rape are more likely to feel safe around police officers, while Republican women feel safe around police regardless of their level of fear. Women who are more afraid of rape are less likely to support police reform efforts that aim to reduce police presence and militarization, or provide accountability for pas t wrongdoing. This link between FOR and support for masculinist institutions extends to attitudes on the military when its actions are framed as protectionary. The results reveal a disturbing paradox in which women who are most afraid of sexual violence are less willing to challenge state institutions that enact violence, including sexual violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scandal surrounding Hollywood mogul and convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein has put gender-based violence (GBV) in the global media spotlight, opening up a wider public conversation about issues of sexual consent, power, and gender in the United States and beyond. In this article, we turn attention to the specific process in which systematic wrongdoing is made public and accountable. How was Weinstein's abuse made into a matter of public record after being kept private for so long? And how did this snowball into something bigger? We argue that we cannot satisfactorily address these questions without a feminist global political economy (GPE) lens. Specifically, we develop a feminist GPE framework for analysing how GBV is made public or not in the form of scandal. This brings attention to how GBV, including sexual violence in the workplace, is structural, uneven, and constitutive of the global economy; and how scandals are produced through (political economic) power struggles to make public and define wrongdoing. We then apply this framework to analyse the Weinstein scandal and some of its implications. The article's contribution is twofold: a framework for analysing scandals—including GBV in the workplace—and a feminist GPE account of the Weinstein scandal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lara Foot Newton's play, Tshepang: The Third Testament, is based on the 2001 rape of a nine-month-old child in South Africa (the child, who survived, was renamed Baby Tshepang, or "Hope"). Systemic exploitation and poor living conditions—including alcoholism, poverty, war, unemployment, lack of education, and toxic constructions of masculinity—have engendered child sexual abuse in post-apartheid South Africa. By analyzing how the play diverges from the searing media accounts of the 2001 rape case, the article will demonstrate how cycles of violence and structured oppression have contributed to the prevalence of child rape and the ways in which the play invites productive engagement with the issue. Part of this discussion will include an examination of the figure of the rapist as presented in the play: abused and traumatized throughout his childhood, he ultimately becomes the victimizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Contemporary Islamic Studiens Magazine is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Sometimes persons are legally responsible for reckless behavior that causes criminal harm. This is the case under the newly drafted provisions of the U.S. Model Penal Code (MPC), which holds persons responsible for “simple” rape (nonconsensual sex without proof of force or threats of force), where the offender recklessly disregards the risk that the victim does not consent. In this paper we offer an explanation and corrective critique of the handling of reckless rape cases, with a focus on the U.S. criminal justice system, although our analysis is applicable more broadly. We argue that a wider group of reckless rapists are criminally responsible than is captured by the MPC and claim criminal punishment of reckless rapists must be justified by looking to both moral desert and instrumental aims achieved by criminal punishment. Part of the law’s job is to communicate and enforce society’s expectations regarding unacceptable behavior. In punishing reckless rape, we are not just giving people what they deserve, but also reinforcing and shaping norms regarding sexual behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Latin American & Caribbean Studies (Taylor & Francis Ltd) is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper presents a Critical and Socio-Cognitive analysis of protest discourse as created in slogans for feminist rallies taking place in Spain (2017–2020). The study focuses on the discursive evolution of the term manada ('wolfpack'), from its origins as a metonymy to refer to a gang rape taking place in the San Fermín bullfighting celebration of July 2016, to its reappropriation by feminists to bring attention to gender violence and, most importantly, to create a positive in-group identity of cohesion and empowerment, while delegitimizing and dispossessing the out-group, rapists, of their power. The analysis shows how reappropriation, together with recontextualization and multimodal creativity, helps to understand the impact of a single term, manada, in the transformation of the traditional discourse of fear and threat into one of solidarity and hope when addressing gender violence, as well as its effects on the constructions of new cognitive and social frames within the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance Un violador en tu camino [A rapist in your way] created by the Chilean feminist collective Las Tesis received global media attention during the 2019/2020 Chilean protests against inequality and human rights violations. Drawing on insights from Feminist Critical Discourse Studies, Corporeal Sociolinguistics and Multimodal Critical Discourse Studies, we analyse three video recordings of Las Tesis' performances in three capital cities in Latin America: Santiago, Buenos Aires, and Mexico City. We study how sounds, lyrics, body movements, and accessories work together to defy institutional, material, and symbolic violence against women. We also analyse how intertextual strategies in the Santiago/Chilean performance and their recontextualization in Buenos Aires and Mexico City were employed to resist structural patriarchal norms. The analysis reveals that through an adaptation of the song lyrics and the performances, the following social actors are explicitly identified as the instigators of violence against women: the police and the President (Chile), judges opposed to the legalization of abortion (Argentina) and the Catholic Church (Mexico). This study advances understanding of feminist emancipatory and resistance discourses in Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was designed to explore the interference effects of sexual interest on viewing reaction time and cognitive functioning, in a group of sexual offenders. In order to test this hypothesis, 31 rapists, 27 child molesters, 53 control males and 24 control females, were given with a PC a viewing reaction time task while being distracted with photos of semi-nude males and females of various ages and other stimuli. In the second part of the experiment, the subjects were instructed to attempt to recall whether or not the photograph had been presented during the first part or whether it was novel. The results showed that extra-familial child molesters had their longest viewing times with the photos of girls, intra-familial child molesters and control women with the photos of adolescent females, and rapists and control males with the photos of women. The pattern of errors during the incidental learning task yielded several interesting findings. Intra- and extra-familial child molesters showed the best recognition with the photos of boys and adolescents males. Especially, extra-familial child molesters showed the best recognition with photos of boys, despite having looked at them for the shortest period of time, probably because of defensiveness. In general, the profile of child molesters seems to be between that of the control males’ and the control females’ profile, while the rapists’ profile seems to have many common features with the control males’ profile. In summary, viewing reaction time, in combination with incidental learning tasks, can serve as an unobtrusive measure of males’ sexual interests. The results of this study encourage the development and use of such techniques in epidemiological studies, as well as on professionals working with children. Important note For the research needs and requirements, this is the open access and full version of the experiment, as derived after permission from: Giotakos O. (2005) Europ. J. of Sexol; Sexologies; (XIV), 54 : 13-20

Testosterone concentration is a contributing factor to rape tendency. Our research aimed to determine the plasma testosterone concentrations in male rapists. Subjects (100) recruited from Enugu state prison grouped viz: Violent-rapist (VR), nonviolent-rapist (NVR), violent child-molester (VCM), nonviolent child-molester (NCM), and none rapist (NR). The blood sample was collected in the morning (8-9) for four months by veno-puncture and used in the determination. The testosterone levels determination was by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. The results indicated the mean age of 33 (VR), 34 (NVR), 46 (VCM), 47 (NCM), and 32 (NR). The age at first intercourse was highest in NCM (18) and lowest in VR (13). Heterosexuals were highest in VR (14) and lowest in NCM (6). Homosexuals were highest in NCM (4) and non in VM, NVR, and NR (0). In bisexuals, NVR and NCM were the highest (4), the NR (1) was the lowest. The concentrations of testosterone (in ng/100ml) were 8.65 (VR), 9.23 (NVR), 9.63 (VCM), 7.73 (NCM) and 7.95 (NR). The testosterone concentration of the VR, NVR, and VCM is higher than NR. The NCM was lower than the NR. This result suggests that VR, NVR, and VCM are associated with higher testosterone concentrations in males. The modest associations indicate that there might be other influencing factors. The relationship between testosterone levels in rapists and child molestation is, at best, tentative. In some people, hormonal factors might influence the likelihood of rape and child molestation.

Rape victims are frequently blamed for their own victimization, which adds to their psychological distress. However, Chinese scholars have generally not paid attention to the public's attitudes toward, and attributions for, rape. In this study, we explored the effects of gender, rape myth acceptance, and situational factors (victim-perpetrator relationship, victim resistance, victim reporting) on rape attributions among Chinese observers. A sample of 1,011 participants from the Chinese community completed a series of questionnaires after reading one of 12 vignettes. Our results indicated that the relationship between gender and victim blame was moderated by reporting and suppressed by rape myth acceptance, while the relationship between gender and perpetrator blame was mediated by rape myth acceptance. In addition, both higher rape myth acceptance and non-stranger rape can increase victim blame and decrease perpetrator blame. We also found interactions between rape myth acceptance and resistance and between reporting and the victim-perpetrator relationship. These results suggest that it is critical to investigate the complex interplay between individual and situational factors that influence rape attributions. Rape attributions showed both cross-cultural consistency and patterns unique to the Chinese context, and our evidence provides ideas for reducing the negative social reaction of the public to rape victims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual offending is a global problem but is particularly prevalent on the African continent and in South Africa. Childhood experiences related to abuse, alcohol use, and criminal activities in the household and community has been associated with an increased risk for violence perpetration in adulthood. Less is known about sexual violence perpetration, especially in the South African context. In this study, the experiences of incarcerated male perpetrators of rape in South Africa are investigated along with the collective social context and individual childhood experiences that potentially contribute to rape perpetration. Eighteen male perpetrators of rape who were inmates at Westville Correctional Services in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, were interviewed. The semistructured in-depth qualitative interviews were transcribed, coded and annotated using an interpretive paradigm and thematic analysis approach. Five main themes emerged from the research and included (1) childhood trauma and adverse events, e.g., an absent father, being raised without parents, exposure to criminal or violent behavior, physical abuse, sexual abuse and poverty, (2) understanding rape, e.g., rape as sex by force and without consent, rape as a violent act, rape as sex with a minor, myths about rape (3) substance abuse, e.g., history of alcohol and drug use, and intoxication during rape perpetration, (4) gender roles and avoiding responsibility, e.g., victim blaming, rape as male prerogative, transactional sex, being framed or set-up, ignoring an ancestral call and (5) recidivism. The findings revealed that all rape perpetrators were exposed to at least one childhood trauma type. Family and community violence and criminality was common. Most participants avoided taking responsibility for their actions and blamed the victim and recidivism/prior convictions were often reported. The findings demonstrate the complex personality dynamic involved in the cycle of abuse and the evolution of criminal behavior, starting as a victim and ending as a perpetrator. The findings also highlight the need for interventions aimed at reducing childhood trauma exposure and improving the social and relational context of those at risk for childhood neglect and abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous literature on rape has discussedthementalhealthof rape survivors and the criminalpunishment of rapists, but little to no research has been conducted on the effect of a rapist’s being criminally punished on the rape survivor. Thepurpose of the research was to investigate whether rapists’ being criminally punished betters or worsens the mental health of the survivors. Participantswere given a linkto an online surveythatasked themquestions regardingthegeneralnature of therape committed against them, the criminalaspectof therapecommittedagainst them, and the severity atwhich theysufferedfromselectmental health symptoms on the DSM-5 Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure—Adult. The results showed that a rapist’s being criminally punished had a positive and significant correlation with feeling that someone could hear one’s thoughts, or thatone couldhearwhatanother personwas thinking (r(57)=.305, p<.05) and a positivecorrelationwith drinking more than four alcoholic drinks in a single day(r(57)=.322, p<.01). These results could havemixed interpretations. The biggest indicator of more mental health problems, however, was the age at which participants were raped and also their current age. Participantswhowere younger nowandat thetime of their rape weremore likely to suffer fromselect mentalhealth problems. These results suggest thatmuch should be done to helpyoungerwomen thathave been raped. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humor is a way to cope with trauma. Reclaiming one's experiences and getting back in control through humor has been reported in disaster jokes (Kuipers 2002), celebrity scandals (Blank 2013), wartime humor (Stokker 1995), and death-related humor in general (Narvaez 2003). However, there is another aspect to this issue, whereby humor may trivialize the traumatic experience. Anyone can make a joke, and gallows humor is not only the prerogative of the victims. Humor usually implies punching upwards at oppressors, terrorists, rapists, ultra-right wingers, and thus fulfills the therapeutic aim, might turn against the victims themselves and become a tool in the hands of those who already have the upper hand. Accordingly, reactions to trauma-inspired humor may range from high praise to unlaughter (Billig 2005)--a deliberate withholding of humor appreciation--, although it is unclear how the society negotiates these opposing positions. This article will take a close look at examples of trauma-inspired humor in the Estonian public discourse to clarify that point. It will discuss reactions to humorous takes on trauma (specifically concerning WWII and its aftermath, the Soviet occupation of Estonia) and analyze them against the backdrop of recent humor theory. The material will lend grounds to discuss humorous reactions to trauma diachronically, touching upon the topics of power and entitlement, and above all, negotiations over the right to joke about sensitive topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whilst the triggers of the peasant-pastoralist conflicts in the Sahel region have been explained through factors such as climate change, environmental scarcity, population pressures, urbanisation, political ecology, and the failure of traditional negotiation mechanisms, less scholarly attention has been given to the narratives that draw on history to categorise the Fulani as a potentially dangerous ethnoreligious group and how such narratives make peaceful coexistence nearly impossible. This article draws on the theoretical framework of "suspect community" originally coined by Paddy Hillyard to demonstrate how the social construction of the Fulani ethnic group by the media and political actors in Nigeria as foreigners, uncivilised savages, terrorists, rapists, and armed bandits with a hidden agenda to Islamise non-Christian Nigerians has led to the failure of well-intentioned policy initiatives to minimise conflicts between peasants and pastoralists. The article contends that such narratives do not dissolve longstanding peasant-pastoralist confrontations but instead alienate and marginalise the Fulani through punitive security measures thereby preventing the possibility of peaceful politics. The article thus argues that peaceful coexistence requires the rejection of demonising discourses which, in turn, will mean the mutual acceptance of policies aimed at stemming the skirmishes between peasants and pastoralists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of expertise applied to the criminal context assumes that offenders are driven by the abilities to both maximize the payoffs and minimize the risks associated with the crime-commission. This study tested the articulation between these two types of decisions taken by stranger rapists to successfully commit their crime. Specifically, this study aims to identify whether offenders whose modus operandi is indicative of criminal expertise are more likely to use forensic awareness strategies. Multivariate analyses conducted on 1,551 cases showed that stranger rapists who adopted behaviors indicative of expertise were more likely to use forensic awareness strategies to decrease the risk of police detection. Mixed associations were found between the number of forensic awareness strategies and their nature (i.e., protecting identity vs. destroying evidence) and rapists' expertise, thus leading to a four-type theoretical classification of expertise: novice, bold, opportunistic, and expert stranger rapists. Implications for research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares concepts of female identity, sexuality and agency in South African novelist J. M. Coetzee's "Disgrace" (1999) and Palestinian novelist Jabra Ibrahim Jabra's "The Journals of Sarab Affan" (1992). It specifically employs Edward Said's ideas on humanism, resistance and agency. In analyzing the colonial dynamics that secure a sovereign subject status for the West, Said's critical works such as "Orientalism" (1979), and "Culture and Imperialism" (1993) have been studied from a cultural perspective, focusing on the way he reads Western cultural representations of itself and the Other, and adding significantly to the field of postcolonial studies. Yet, Said's works are accused for relegating gender and sexual issues to a secondary position. In this article, I refute such an accusation. I argue that for Said, sexual and gender differences, similar to cultural differences, are fundamental constituents of the Otherness that is placed in contradistinction to the colonial, racial or gendered sovereign subject. To overcome such deep-seated concepts of Otherness and difference, Said introduces the concept of humanism as to understand human history as a continuous process of self-understanding and self-realization devoid of any gender, racial or ethnic bias. The paper argues that Coetzee's "Disgrace" and Jabria's "The Journals of Sarab Affan" exemplify Said's humanism. The two novels represent the complexities of the violent colonial experiences and heritage particularly for women, in modern South Africa and Palestine. For example, when white Lucy Lurie in "Disgrace" is gang-raped by black teenagers in post-apartheid South Africa, she neither tells the police about the identity of her rapists, nor leaves South Africa. Rather, Lucy realizes that rape is the price she has to pay to maintain the connection with her land and authentic South African identity under new power structures that still based on revenge, anger and discrimination. Likewise, highly educated and independent Palestinian Sarab Affan rethinks her identity as an Arab and a Palestinian woman as she undergoes disappointment and alienation in her patriarchal society. Sarab, like Lucy in "Disgrace", relates her personal sufferings to the wider political failure in Palestine as Hamas and the Palestinian Liberation organization (PLO) fight over power in colonized Palestine while unarmed Palestinian youth die in the intifada. However, Lucy finds agency in staying in South Africa while Sarab leaves the Arab world to live in France. The two women explore and resist sexist and racist structures, rethinking concepts of female agency, sexuality and identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of rape in Malaysia showed an increase from 138 cases in 1980 to the 4816 figure in 2011 and 13,272 in 2017. This leads to the need for a study to identify the criminal profile in dealing with rape, inducement factors that drive muslim rapists commit rape and knowing the rules of the rehabilation program is clearly used by prisons to rehabilitate criminals rape. Approach to field studies covering aspects of data collection procedures, instruments, research and pilot studies that spefically used in looking at factors drive these criminals commit rape and rape recovery programs in Sungai Udang Prison, Malacca. For this purpose a total of 132 muslim prisoners Sungai Udang Prison are made samples. In addition the method of sample observations and interviews with significant individuals also used in this study. The main findings of the studies obtained was the main factor for the occurence of rape sexual stimulation that is too widespread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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