Browsing by Author "Van der Merwe, Hugo"
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- ItemOpen AccessAssessing rehabilitation of torture survivors through a gendered lens: a review of empirical and expert perspectives(2014) Goodman, Rachel; Van der Merwe, Hugo; Seegers, AnnetteTorture is a distinctly horrific human rights violation, which leaves survivors with an acute need for rehabilitation as a form of reparation. However, the state of knowledge around torture rehabilitation suffers from a knowledge gap around how gender influences the impact of torture and rehabilitation outcomes, particularly in developing countries. A gendered understanding of the torture experience can contribute towards the design and implementation of more relevant and effective rehabilitation policies and programs that are better equipped to respond to victims’ needs. Thus, the fundamental question that this dissertation asks is: within rehabilitation programs, should male and female torture survivors be treated differently? In investigating this question, this dissertation will provide an overview of the available literature on torture and torture rehabilitation in order to frame how key gender issues and debates have been understood to date. It will then present and analyze qualitative data around gender and torture impact and rehabilitation gathered from a study conducted by the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR). This data was gathered through the use of the Delphi technique: a series of questionnaires were administered via email to a panel of 18 experts in the torture rehabilitation field from around the world, to assist in building consensus on both the impact of torture and the most adequate intervention optionsin developing countries. Each questionnaire included a separate gender section, where panellists were provided with primarily open-ended questions that yielded qualitative results. This data will be discussed in relation to the literature in order to present any new insights raised by consulting this source of expertise which is under represented in the literature base, as well as to highlight areas where more research is needed. There was consensus among the panel of experts that there are gender hypotheses that can inform rehabilitation practice, but many panelists were hesitant to agree that there are systematic differences that would demand different interventions between genders and rather stressed that individual assessment is important in each case, as gender-related aspects will be influenced by contextual, interpersonal, and individual factors. The data highlights a number of factors to consider when working with male and female torture survivors. In relation to male survivors, torture, and men’s inability to fulfill gender roles subsequently, may impact on their sense of self or manhood, which can lead to a range of negative coping behaviors. Males may also present with less obvious ways of expressing emotions and distress, or may be less likely to seek help in the aftermath of torture. This was raised particularly in relation to sexual torture victimization. The lack of literature available on male sexual torture is particularly concerning and this is a clear area where more research is needed. In relation to female victims of torture, a central factor to consider is the experience of sexual violence as part of torture and its consequences, especially the severe stigma that victims face. Female victims are often forced to develop new skills and take on new roles in the aftermath of torture, which provides both challenges and opportunities for their rehabilitation. Additionally, their ability to recover from torture is influenced by the challenges of caring for their children, and women are often likely to place the needs of their families before their own, which was not always seen as negative. It is hoped that this report will assist practitioners in the field of torture prevention and rehabilitation by illuminating the ways in which gender and torture interact, as a gendered understanding of the torture experience could enhance the treatment offered.
- ItemOpen AccessFrom implementation to impact : exploring the theories of change civil society organisation use to pursue community reconciliation(2016) Sensabaugh, Kathleen Brittain; Van der Merwe, HugoThe central goal of this thesis is to explore the underlying theories and concepts that help to explain the step-by-step processes and form the foundations of reconciliation-based programmes in Cape Town, South Africa. In theory, civil society organisations (CSOs) have logical rationales of how their project designs lead to some form of reconciliation, but in practice, the links between project activities and project goals are very ambiguous and are seldom articulated in detail. Through empirical research, this thesis provides the explanation and articulation needed to link the goals and outcomes by applying strategies used in "theory of change" (TOC) discourse to two community reconciliation projects in Cape Town: the Community Healing Project housed under the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, and the Healing of Memory workshops housed under the Institute for Healing of Memories. A TOC framework was first applied to community projects in the 1990s in the United States. The framework was designed to help explain the underlying theories that linked the activities to outcomes of community programmes that were established to tackle social issues on the community level. Seen as a success in explaining these projects, a TOC framework has been applied to several other community organisations, but has not been fully explored outside the Western context. The main goal of this research, then, is to apply a TOC framework to the two case studies and ascertain if it is a helpful tool in explaining community reconciliation interventions. The rationale for this research stems from the superficial engagement of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in South African communities, which resulted in a lack of healing and reconciliation at the community level. After the completion of the TRC, CSOs filled this gap in reconciliation by designing programmes to facilitate healing and reconciliation within communities. Years into the construction of such reconciliation projects, more information is needed about how the CSOs explain their programmes. The methodology for this research first involves an inductive approach that allows for observations about the activities and intended outcomes that make up the two case studies, then applies a TOC framework that allows for the explanation of the concepts that link the activities and outcomes. The research concludes that the application of a TOC framework to community reconciliation projects is not only a useful tool in helping to explain how the projects operate, but should be a necessary practice in explaining community reconciliation interventions because of its ability to describe the complicated phenomenon of reconciliation and avoid superficial explanations. By applying a TOC framework, the concepts and theories that lie behind the intervention strategies help to articulate why change happens the way it does.
- ItemOpen AccessThe power of civic education in democratic socialization: an investigation of Cape Town high schools(2014) Weinstein, Megan; Van der Merwe, HugoOver the past 20 years, South Africa has utilized education as a means of promoting democracy and civic engagement in young learners. Previous research has shown that this socialization project has been ineffective at influencing South African youth towards civic responsibility, yet there is a lack of constructive evaluation on the means and methods by which schooling can better build active democratic citizens. This minor dissertation seeks to fill this gap by investigating whether teacher training and specific pedagogies can more effectively promote characteristics of civic responsibility in South African youth. The main purpose of the research is to determine whether the pedagogies used by Shikaya's Facing the Past - Transforming our Future teacher training program are effective at creating civically responsible learners and how these compare to the average classroom. Furthermore it seeks to clarify our understanding of the connections between civic knowledge, skills, and values;; their effect on civic efficacy, and the effect of all of these components on civic responsibility. To answer these questions, this research utilizes a quasi-experimental study to compare and contrast the impact of different pedagogies used in classrooms in the Western Cape. It employs a quantitative closed-question survey and comparisons with contrast groups to examine the impact of specialized pedagogies on the civic responsibility of 134 Grade 11 learners in three dissimilar Cape Town area high schools. The survey utilizes measures and scales obtained from previous research by Dennis Barr and Robert Mattes, Richard Niemi, and David Denemark, including the well-known California Civic Index created by Joseph Kahne. Empirical analysis was run utilizing multi-linear regressions and factor analysis to determine both independent and combined effects of variables.The results show that Facing the Past ? Transforming our Future teaching training and pedagogies are not significantly correlated to civic action nor many of the characteristics of civic responsibility. Significantly, this training does positively contribute to an open classroom environment which was correlated with stronger civic values and deliberative skills in learners. Of further importance is the finding that civic learning opportunities in the classroom hold a positive relationship with increased learner efficacy and civic action. These relationships are particularly strong in the low-resource school in the sample. Finally, the results indicate important independent roles of learner deliberative skills and self-efficacy on levels of active civic participation.