Human rights in the overseas territories: in policy but not in practice?

Since the late 1990s emphasis has been placed by the UK government on enhancing human rights in its Overseas Territories. Some early changes were enforced, but more recently persuasion and capacity building have been prioritised. However, due to the complexity of the bilateral relationships and the cultural diversity that exists, fostering and embedding reform is difficult. These challenges are seen most clearly in two examples: the rights of the child to be protected from sexual exploitation, and the securing of equality in relation to sexual orientation with reference to LGBT rights. The article analyses the constitutional and legal changes that have been made in regard to these two issues, and whether the creation of stronger human rights principles has led to enhanced rights in practice.     

Post-traumatic effects in policing: perceptions,stigmas and help seeking behaviours

This study explored the relationships between perceptions, stigmas and support with help seeking amongst police officers. A total of 421 web surveys were completed by constables from a large municipal police force in Canada. The most significant finding was the relationship between officers feeling comfortable disclosing distressing personal information and seeking help from others. Help was most commonly sought from respondents’ friends (at work and outside) and family members. Respondents shared information with their direct supervisors only when there was a strong, reciprocal relationship between them. Implications for future research and practice for help seeking in police occupations are discussed.     

Changing Public Attitudes on Power and Taxation in the American Federal System

The research reported here updates for 2001 some public opiniondata previously provided by the U. S. Advisory Commission onIntergovernmental Relations. The 2001 survey results indicatea general continuation of earlier opinion trends. The federalgovernment is viewed as providing citizens the least for theirmoney; the federal income lax, followed by the local properlytax, is seen as the worst lax; a majority of the public indicatesthat local governments need more power; the public is most likelyto identify the federal government as having too much power;and the public is least likely to say that the federal governmentneeds more power. For the most part, these attitudes are heldwithout much variation by all categories of respondents; however,region, education, and, to a lesser extent, a few other demographicvariables do distinguish among respondents in a statisticallysignificant manner.     

Premilitary adult sexual assault victimization and perpetration in a Navy recruit sample

Female (n = 5,226) and male (n = 5,969) U.S. Navy recruits completed a survey assessing their premilitary histories of adult sexual assault (SA), defined as attempted or completed rape since the age of 14. The survey was completed under anonymous or identified conditions. Overall, 39% of women reported premilitary SA victimization and 13% of men admitted premilitary SA perpetration. As predicted, rates were significantly higher in the anonymous than in the identified condition. For the sample of women as a whole, marital status, ethnicity, and family income were associated with SA victimization; for men, only marital status was associated with SA perpetration. Compared to previous college samples, Navy recruits were more likely to have previous SA experience. Given the negative consequences associated with SA victimization and perpetration, the present study reinforces the desirability of developing additional treatment, education, and prevention programs to reduce the occurrence of SA among military recruits.     

The Impact of Safe Harbor Legislation on Court Proceedings Involving Sex Trafficked Youth: A Qualitative Investigation of Judicial Perspectives

The passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) facilitated the conceptual shift in reframing youth involved in sex trafficking as victims, rather than criminals. Many states have passed legislation in the form of Safe Harbor laws to protect sex trafficked juveniles from criminal charges and provide rehabilitative services (Polaris, 2015). Nevertheless, limited research has examined the impact of Safe Harbor laws and the role juvenile and family court judges play in how minor victims of sex trafficking are treated by the court system. Consequently, the purpose of this qualitative study was to examine juvenile and family court judges’ knowledge and perceptions of Safe Harbor legislation and identify legal challenges when presiding over cases involving sexually exploited youth. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with a national sample (N = 82) of family and juvenile court judges. Findings suggest that respondents perceive Safe Harbor laws to have positively affected both attitudes and practices, although several challenges and unintended negative effects were identified. Further, dispositional issues, difficulties with case identification, legal and policy issues, and challenges with interagency collaboration were identified as ongoing issues to address. Legal implications as well as practice and policy considerations based on the study findings are discussed.     

Depressive Symptomology as a Moderator of Friend Selection and Influence on Substance Use Involvement: Estimates from Grades 6 to 12 in Six Longitudinal School-Based Social Networks

Although the contributions of friend selection and friend influence to adolescent homophily on substance use behaviors has been of enduring research interest, moderators of these processes have received relatively little research attention. Identification of factors that dampen or amplify selection and influence on substance use behaviors is important for informing prevention efforts. Whereas prior research has examined adolescent drinking, smoking, and marijuana use, the current study examined whether friend selection and friend influence operated on substance use involvement, an indicator of problematic use, and whether depressive symptomology moderated these processes. In addition, it examined whether these relationships varied from grade 6 to 12. The study used a cohort-sequential design in which three cohorts of youth (first surveyed in grades, 6, 7, and 8) in six school-based longitudinal social networks were surveyed up to seven times, yielding N?=?6817 adolescents (49% female). Stochastic actor-oriented models were applied to test hypothesized relationships in the six networks, then results were synthesized in a meta-analysis. Depressive symptoms did not moderate selection or influence on substance use involvement at any grade level, but indirectly contributed to diffusion of substance use involvement through school networks via patterns of network ties. Research is needed on contextual factors, particularly in schools, that might account for when, if at all, depressive symptoms condition friend selection and influence on substance use.     

Adolescent Physical Abuse: Age at Time of Abuse and Adolescent Perception of Family Functioning

The relationship between physical abuse and family functioning was investigated in a comparative study of victims of adolescent physical abuse. The sample consisted of 99 physically abused adolescents and 99 nonabused adolescents who were administered the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) and Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES III). These measures assess family functioning in terms of adolescents' perception of their family's cohesiveness, flexibility, and the degree to which their parents provide care and protection. The relationship between family functioning and physical abuse, severity of abuse, and date of abuse onset was investigated. Abused adolescents perceived their families as significantly less adaptable, less cohesive, and less balanced than the comparison adolescents. Fathers and mothers of abused adolescents were viewed as less caring; abuse group fathers were also viewed as more overprotective. Family functioning was not different when childhood-onset abuse was compared to adolescent-onset abuse. Severity of abuse also did not differ in the childhood and adolescent onset groups. It was concluded that physically abused adolescents view their families as rigid, and their parents as emotionally unavailable. Treatment needs and intervention strategies for these families are outlined.     

Reviews & Resources

Theater

Split Britches, by Lois Weaver in collaboration with Deborah Margolin and Peggy Shaw, directed by Lois Weaver for the Split Britches Company, Open Gate Theatre, New York City.

Beauty and the Beast—The Otic and Only World‐Famous Vaudeville Revue, written by Deborah Margolin in collaboration with Lois Weaver and Peggy Shaw, directed by Lois Weaver, Spring 1983, WOW Cafe, New York City.

'night, Mother, by Marsha Norman directed by Tom Moore, Golden Theatre, New York City.

The Department, by Barbara Gar‐son, directed by Chris Kraus, May 1983, Theater for the New City, New York City.

Sappho and Aphrodite, by Karen Malpede, directed by Lois Weaver, presented by the Sappho and Aphrodite Company as a work‐in‐progress, Provincetown Playhouse, March 1983, New York City.

Cloud 9, by Caryl Churchill, directed by Tommy Tune, Lucille Lortel Theatre, New York City.

Dance

With Longings to Realize, Johanna Boyce and Performance Group, January, 1983, Dance Theatre Workshop, New York City.

Theory and Play of the Duende, by Pilar Rioja, Repertorio Espanol's Gramercy Arts Theater, April 1983, New York City.

Ms. Barbie and Her Friends or Whose Life to Live, by the Barbara Mahler Dance Theater, March 1983, Cash Performance Space, New York City.

Music

Thoughts on Women's Popular Music

Meg Christian, Bottom Line, April 1983, New York City.

Holly Near and Ronnie Gilbert in Concert, Lincoln Center, Avery Fisher Hall April 13, 1983, New York City.

Books

Divine Dancer: A Biography of Ruth St. Denis by Suzanne Shelton. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1981. 338 pp. Bibliography. Index.

American Women Dramatists of the Twentieth Century, A Bibliography. Brenda Coven. Metuchen, New Jersey & London: Scarecrow Press, 1982. 237 pp.

Women in Film: Both Sides of the Camera by E. Ann Kaplan. New York and London: Methuen, Inc., September, 1983.

Biographical Dictionary of Dance.Barbara Naomi Cohen‐Stratyner. New York: Schirmer Books, 1982. 970 pp.

American Women in Jazz: 1900 to the Present—Their Words, Lives, and Music.Sally Placksin. U.S.A.: Wideview Books, 1982. 322 pp. Bibliography, index, and discography.

Women in Theatre: Compassion and Hope.Karen Malpede. New York: Drama Book Publishers, 1983. 265 pp. Selected bibiography and index.

Listings     

Talking Together,Thinking Alone: Relations among Co-Rumination,Peer Relationships,and Rumination

Journal of Youth and Adolescence - Girls are more likely to engage in rumination, associated with the development of mental health problems, as well as report higher levels of friendship quality,...