‘Without Education You Can Never Become President’: Teenage Pregnancy and Pseudo-empowerment in Post-Ebola Sierra Leone

ABSTRACT

This article analyses the emergence of ‘teenage pregnancy’ as a new policy focus in post-Ebola Sierra Leone and explores how Sierra Leoneans interpret the problem of ‘teenage pregnancy’. I argue that the new policy focus is not indicative of changing or new problems. Rather, ‘teenage pregnancy’ has created opportunities for donors and the Government of Sierra Leone to continue cooperation in gender politics. At the same time, Sierra Leoneans are clearly concerned about ‘teenage pregnancy’, and many agree with sensitization campaigns that responsibilize young women and girls while downplaying structural factors that render them vulnerable to arrangements involving transactional sex.     

Dermestes maculatus (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) development under fluoxetine effect using two drug administration models

Fluoxetine is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, commonly used for the treatment of a variety of psychopathological conditions. As such, fluoxetine may be expected to appear in clinical and forensic cases. Dermestes maculatus De Geer (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) has been recognized as a relevant component of the insect fauna associated with decomposing human and animal remains. Experiments were conducted to study the effect of fluoxetine on developing D. maculatus using two‐drug administration models: a non‐living animal model (pork muscle) and a living one (Sus scrofa L. pigs). We assessed the duration of immature stages and total life cycle, as well as morphological parameters (body length, cephalic width, and weight). The effect of fluoxetine was studied at an overdose concentration: In the non‐living animal model the drug was mixed with macerated pork muscle (2000 mg/kg) and in the living animal model, pigs were given the drug orally (833 mg/kg). A control was used for each model. Daily observations were performed from the beginning to the end of the experiments. GC‐MS was used for drug detection and quantification. There were no statistically significant differences in the duration of immature stages, life cycle, larval mortality, morphological parameters, or sex ratio, between treatment and control, regardless of the drug administration model. Given that fluoxetine had no detectable effect on the development of D. maculatus, detection of this drug in forensic situations would not compromise the accuracy of PMI estimations.     

我国海上犯罪体系亟需健全与完善

我国海上犯罪体系指由国际刑法规范和我国刑法规范所调整的各种具体涉海犯罪构成的统一体。我国现行海上犯罪体系存在诸多缺陷和不足,难以适应我国实施海洋发展战略、履行国际条约义务和维护我国海洋权益之需要,亟需健全与完善。     

The gender agenda: NGOs and capitalist relations in highland Cambodia

Cambodia’s mountainous northeastern province of Ratanakiri, which only twenty years ago was home to mainly indigenous minority groups largely focused on subsistence production, has undergone rapid ecological, social, and economic transformation. Deforestation and land alienation in the context of large-scale plantation agriculture, land speculation, and smallholder cash cropping have led to concerns that indigenous communities are being alienated from their land and not benefitting from economic changes. This has resulted in a significant number of NGO and government programs that attempt to protect and “empower” indigenous people, particularly women. This article examines a one-year research project which explored the relationship between indigenous women and land change in two indigenous villages. It discusses how indigenous women as well as Khmer and landless Cham immigrants have dealt with the commoditization of land and labor. It focuses on the differentiated way capitalist relations have pushed men, women, landless laborers, and increasingly wealthy landowners on increasingly divergent life trajectories. Compelled by donors to focus on gender and indigenous women as an object of governance, the NGO that directed this project struggled to keep up with the realities of capitalist relations on the ground.     

Issues of local ownership in Kosovo’s security sector

Local ownership represents an overarching concept in international development. However, its core principles have been occasionally neglected in the practice of state-building such as in the case of Kosovo. This paper explores relations between the international community and local actors in the process of Kosovo security sector development after 2008, when the country declared its independence. This article finds that externally-driven models were imposed in some phases of security sector development. The actions of the international community disregarded the local context and created distrust by the local actors. The study relies on extensive face-to-face interviews with relevant national and international stakeholders, a public opinion survey with a sample of 1102 respondents, focus group and personal observation.     

Priorities for International Co-operation with Libya: A Development Perspective

This article provides a development co-operation perspective on the challenges facing Libya during its post-Qadhafi transition. Four key areas for international co-operation are outlined: peace, reconciliation and justice; governance and public administration; economic diversification; and migration. While concrete initiatives in all of these areas depend on Libya’s domestic security situation, they need to be part of a long-term, holistic strategy for one of the most fragile and conflict-affected countries in North Africa. Assuming that Libya’s domestic power-brokers decide that a modern, prosperous country is what they want, patient and committed international support can help turn Libya into a success story.     

论当代西方国家的宪法变迁

西方国家从20世纪80年代开始所推行的行政改革导致这些国家的宪法在未经修改的情况下发生了巨大变迁。在民主制度方面,代议民主制转变为代议制民主、行政民主、社会民主并存的多重民主制。在人权制度方面,人权的核心内容由生存权演变为发展权,人权的义务主体从国家扩展到自治的社团。在权力制衡制度方面,国家层面的权力制衡转变为国家层面的权力制衡和国家与社会之间的权力制衡相结合的双重权力制衡机制。     

国际条约与构建国际和谐社会

国际和谐社会是人类普遍追求的理想社会,国际条约对构建国际和谐社会具有基础和保障作用。首先,国际条约协调国家之间的利益关系,避免冲突,为实现和平国际环境奠定基础;其次,国际条约平衡国家的权利和义务,既规范又约束国家行为,达到共赢,形成共同繁荣局面;再次,国际条约在促进人类与自然和谐、可持续发展方面提供依据与保证;最后提出,采取合理措施进一步加强国际条约的约束范围和效力。     

河北太行山红色文化资源治理整合与旅游开发研究

红色文化资源是中国共产党领导中国人民进行革命、建设、改革所形成的物质财富和精神财富的综合体。河北太行山作为中国共产党的重要革命圣地,拥有丰富的红色文化资源。但在其开发利用过程中存在区域化突出、管理不规范、吸引力不足等方面的问题。因此,河北太行山地区应从制度体系构建、区域间整合、经济效益与社会效益结合等方面着手,进一步挖掘和利用好该地区的红色文化资源。     

少数民族地区经济开发应走循环经济之路

我国少数民族地区的生态环境非常脆弱,且已遭到严重破坏,尽管少数民族地区走循环经济之路存在着许多困难,但是国内外的压力、少数民族地区的现实状况和缩小地区差距等要求,使得少数民族地区开发只有走循环经济之路,才能实现少数民族地区的可持续发展。