'When We Wanted to Talk About Rape': Silencing Sexual Violence at the Special Court for Sierra Leone

This article explores the legal and psychological ramificationsarising from the exclusion of evidence of sexual violence duringthe Civil Defence Forces (CDF) case at the Special Court forSierra Leone. Using empirical findings from post-trial interviewsconducted with the ten victim-witnesses who were originallyto testify, we juxtapose what the Special Court allowed thewomen to say, and what the women themselves wanted to say. Froma legal perspective, we then critique the Trial Chamber's reasonsfor excluding the evidence and question the legal bases uponwhich the women were silenced, arguing that wider and widercircles of the women's experience were removed from the Court'srecords despite there being ample authority at an internationallevel to support inclusion. We further look at the genderedbiases in international criminal law and how expedience andefficiency usurped the significance of prosecuting crimes ofsexual violence in this instance. From a psychological perspective,we discuss the consequences that the act of silencing had forthe witnesses, and argue that a more emotionally sensitive understandingof the Court's notion of ‘protection’ is required.     

Members of Parliament representing Barcelona during the rise of the Spanish parliamentary system (1834–54)

SUMMARY

The province of Barcelona became one of the major industrial regions at the outset of the first industrial revolution in Spain. The province of Barcelona had a distinctive place in the Spanish monarchy and it was an area where agriculture was the most important economic activity. This situation coincided with the beginning of liberal parliamentarism in Spain and it determined the profile of the Catalan MPs. For this reason, this article explores the profiles of the 85 deputies elected by the province of Barcelona during the period of liberal parliamentarianism (1834–54). The date and place of birth, profession, parliamentary experience and political militancy are examined, as is the development of cursus honorum, the ladder of political career advancement, based on the ‘course of honours/offices’ that operated in ancient Rome for men of senatorial rank and comprised a mixture of administrative and political posts. A quantitative analysis indicates a characteristic profile that is also aligned to a general European pattern. For instance, liberal professionals and public officials were significant in the professional status of the MPs. Besides, this study also considers the issues and questions which attracted the attention of the Catalan MPs and which were also willingly used by the MPs to mobilize public opinion. Furthermore, the MPs chosen by the province of Barcelona during the rise of the parliamentary system acted in an autonomous manner. Important examples of this autonomous political behaviour include the defence of a unitary position concerning industrial issues, military intervention in the province of Barcelona, and with tax policies.     

Private Property Concerning Digitized Cultural Goods: Artificial Scarcity and Appropriation through Reproduction

ABSTRACT

Intellectual property is a legal concept used to regulate cultural goods and artistic forms of expression. It constitutes a peculiar regulation, as it applies the categories of private property to intangible goods. With the spread of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), which has allowed for the reproduction and global diffusion of these cultural goods, conflicts concerning intellectual property have increased. This article attempts to analyze some difficulties in using a concept such as private property to approach the marketing of cultural goods, especially when technology eliminates the quality of scarcity of these goods, which can be infinitely reproduced at almost zero cost.     

Domain-Specific Self-Concept in Relation to Traditional and Cyber Peer Aggression

Individuals who aggress against others have been described both as having overall low self-concept and as having high, inflated self-concept. The conceptualization of self-concept as domain specific provides an alternate means to resolving this controversy. In this study, 223 middle school students completed self-report measures assessing self-concept across six domains as well as engagement in peer aggression, including cyber aggression. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that individuals who reported engaging in higher levels of traditional and cyber peer aggression reported significantly lower self-concept in the domains of behavioral adjustment, intellectual and school status, and happiness and satisfaction. Higher levels of traditional and cyber peer aggression were not significantly related to self-concept in the domains of popularity, physical appearance and attributes, and freedom from anxiety. Implications for research and practice are discussed.