Browsing by Subject "Social Justice"

Now showing 1 - 13 of 13
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    Barriers to access to mental health care services in the Cape Metropole, faced by refugee and asylum seeker women who have been exposed to trauma
    (2013) Warton, Giselle; Smythe, Dee
    Through use of a phenomenological design, this qualitative study investigated barriers to accessing mental health care by female refugees living in the Cape Metropole who have mental health problems as a result of exposure to trauma. A high number of female refugees in the Cape Metropole have been exposed to trauma. This study aims to contribute to the limited literature on this topic. The objectives of the study were to identify whether female refugees faced barriers to accessing mental health services in the Cape and if they did, the nature of these barriers. The findings identified that at the service-delivery level, language, under-resourced mental health services, documentation barriers and lack of awareness of refugees' rights were the biggest barriers. The main barriers in the refugee communities were cultural and religious, fear and lack of awareness and work and childcare responsibilities. The study highlights that not only is the South African government obliged under international, regional and national laws to fulfil female refugees' right to access mental health services, but it is in the state's best interests to do so.
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    "…Economic abuse to me is not seen, you know?" Service provider’s perceptions of women’s experiences of economic abuse within domestic violent relationships
    (2014) Clarke, Susannah Benson; Artz, Lillian
    Through the perceptions of MOSAIC service providers¹, this thesis aims to examine firstly, women’s experiences of economic abuse, through exploring the nature of this abuse; and secondly, how economic abuse may limit women’s agency to leave a violent domestic relationship. In order to provide an understanding of the nature of economic abuse, four focus group discussions were conducted with MOSAIC service providers who assist women of abuse. Additionally, data from MOSAIC in-take forms² was used to further contextualise the MOSAIC clients’ experiences of economic abuse. As supported by other studies, the findings suggest that economic abuse has become ‘normalised’ and for many women experiencing economic abuse, a ‘way of life’. Guided by Postmus et al (2011) typology for economic abuse and as described by the MOSAIC service providers, various interdependent forms of economic abuse, including economic controlling behaviour, economic exploitive behaviour and employment sabotage, are experienced by women. Employment sabotage is highlighted in the context of the detrimental effect it has on women’s economic self-sufficiency. However, few women experiencing economic abuse initially engage the legal system for assistance. Rather women approach other informal networks first and as a last means, formal institutional structures. When engaging institutional structures, the accessing of Emergency Monetary Relief remains challenging for women filing an interim protection order and seeking to leave a violent domestic relationship.
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    ICT organisations' minimal compliance with affirmative actions regulations: case of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) ICT sector code in South Africa
    (2023) Chimboza, Tendani Malunga; Chigona, Wallace
    Research problem: Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) is a legal framework established by the South African government to eradicate racial and gender exclusionary elements from the apartheid regime. This refers to the process called economic transformation. The B-BBEE Information Communication and Technology (ICT) Sector Code is the primary regulatory instrument for regulating ICT organisations' economic transformation activities. Organisational minimal compliance with the B-BBEE ICT Sector Code is the primary obstacle to including Black people in ICT business. Minimal compliance is a compliance behaviour that looks good on the letter of the law but does not transform the intended systems. While ICT organisations have good B-BBEE certificates, the points earned in the compliance process have not been translating into transformation. In 2020, 17 years after the introduction of the B-BBEE Act, the ICT Sector Council reported that ICT organisations had not made real progress in racial inclusivity in ownership and management structures. Minimal compliance with the B-BBEE ICT Sector Code reveals a policy enforcement dilemma where compliance with regulation makes no social change. Purpose of the research: The study interrogated how contextual factors affect minimal compliance with affirmative action regulations such as the B-BBEE ICT Sector Code. The study is a response to the call for Information Systems researchers to investigate the role of ICTs in achieving social justice and the socio-technical aspects that affect ICT enterprises. Investigating these kinds of regulations in Information Systems research also reveals how ICT business interacts with aspects of the socio-political context in post-colonial contexts such as South Africa. Methodology: This is a qualitative inquiry guided by a critical research paradigm. Data was collected through interviews, observations, and document analysis in various touchpoints of the B-BBEE ICT Sector Code. We employed thematic analysis and content analysis to analyse the research data. We developed a conceptual framework that suggests that minimal compliance stems from the need to protect the achievement of organisational goals. Key findings: Factors that affect minimal compliance with the B-BBEE ICT Sector Code are the organisational perception of the policy implementation context, organisational logic of action, and organisational legitimisation. ICT organisations leverage regulatory loopholes (e.g., pointsystem compliance) in the B-BBEE ICT Sector Code to comply with it in a manner that does not add value for the beneficiaries but allows them to achieve their organisational goals. ICT organisations responded to B-BBEE regulatory requirements through two utilitarian logics (goal prioritisation and maintaining status quo). Businesses are pragmatic institutions! This phrase surfaces every time a question B-BBEE compliance comes up. When they introduced the point-system compliance, B-BBEE policymakers did not consider the granular details concerning the complexity inherent in the South African historical context that would affect Black people's involvement in the digital economy. Quantifying the involvement of Black people in the ICT sector has resulted in the commoditisation of gender and race – making the beneficiaries the means to an end through B-BBEE points. The point-system compliance mechanism is the supreme loophole of the B- BBEE policy implementation context. The point-system enforcement mechanism propels ICT organisations to protect the achievement of their economic goals while neglecting the transformation agenda. Ideological discourses such as “B-BBEE compliance is anti-FDI, BBBEE compliance is costly, and B-BBEE compliance is complex” continue to thrive as legitimisation mechanisms to justify minimal compliance behaviour and its outcome. Research contribution: The study is rich with new knowledge about ICT organisational response to affirmative action policies in post-colonial contexts. The focus on the B-BBEE ICT Sector Code revealed policy discrepancies that future policymakers may consider ensuring that transformation takes place. International actors may benefit from the study's practical contribution to B-BBEE compliance processes, and the stakeholders involved. The study contributes to theory by proposing a conceptual framework for minimal compliance behaviour. The conceptual framework proposes three factors to be considered while analysing compliance behaviour: policy implementation context, organisational logics of action, and organisational legitimisation. Through this conceptual framework, the study shows that minimal compliance behaviour is mostly viewed as a binary behaviour – compliance or noncompliance. The compliance behaviour that looks good in the letter of the law but does not solve the problems that warrant policy introduction is taken for granted. The methodological contribution of the study rests in the use of multiple data sources that provided a heterogeneous perspective on B-BBEE compliance. Moreover, a critical interrogation of compliance behaviour is instrumental in illuminating mechanisms used by dominant powers to maintain hegemony by going around the regulations.
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    Information without power? Exploring the challenges and opportunities in the usage of the Promotion of Access to Information Act no 50 of 2000 (PAIA) as a potent tool for advancing socio-economic justice in South Africa Langton Miriyoga.
    (2011) Miriyoga, Langton; Calland, Richard
    That there is power in information is not disputable. Information empowers marginalised and impoverished citizens to engage with the state thus ensuring their inclusion in the governance and policy processes culminating in the realisation of their socio economic rights. Conversely, in spite of the opportunities for the usage of ATI law as a tool for advancing social justice, the state often retains the power to defy requests for access to information hence power to deny access thereto. This phenomenon is attributable to deeply entrenched socio political and systemic barriers resulting in the disempowerment of the poor from using ATI law as a tool for the realisation of social justice.
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    Legal Education through a Social Justice Lens: A Framework for Teaching Law in the South African Context
    (2011) Van Heerden, Jennifer; Von Broembsen, Marlese
    This research seeks to establish a framework for teaching law that enables graduates to practice law in a manner that furthers social justice. The first half of this paper investigates why it is legitimate to prioritize social justice in the Legal Education discipline. Three sets of literature support this argument. First, South African higher education policy, which emphasizes the need to produce graduates who are able to contribute to societal transformation. Second, the University of Cape Town's Social Responsiveness Policy and the University's Strategies for Change, which mirror national higher education priorities. The third set comprises discussions emerging from Critical Legal Studies as to the purpose of Legal Education. The second half of this paper turns to the framework itself. Experiential learning theory and Paulo Freire's "critical consciousness" shape the design of the three-pillared framework. The three pillars emerging are: social consciousness, sensitivity to context, and critical, social-orientated thinking. This framework embodies the kind of commitment to social justice needed for transformation in South Africa.
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    Navigating equitable technological empowerment: insights from Ghana and Rwanda on digital literacy and the fourth industrial revolution
    (2025) Adotey, Sampson; Hall, Martin
    The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is reshaping global economies and societies. Triggered by several factors including the COVID-19 pandemic, assuming its dynamics in developing countries will mirror those in wealthy economies is perilous. With its unique challenges and opportunities, Africa requires a tailored strategy for the 4IR. At the core of this strategy is achieving widespread digital literacy, a critical factor for technological empowerment and inclusive development. However, the urgent need for improved digital literacy in many parts of Africa poses a significant barrier to progress. This dissertation explores the key factors and strategies for fostering equitable technological empowerment across sub-Saharan Africa through digital literacy. For this purpose, Ghana and Rwanda have been chosen as case studies. To answer this question, we compared the experiences a sample of students in tertiary institutions in both countries before their enrolment. We uncovered several critical constraints on achieving adequate digital literacy, thereby highlighting the necessary policy changes and practice reforms required for Africa to thrive in the 4IR context. Through this comprehensive analysis, the dissertation seeks to contribute to developing an Africa-wide 4IR strategy that leverages digital literacy as a cornerstone for sustainable growth and development. The outcomes of this study have been conceptualized into a praxis model for 'Equitable Digital Literacy Community Centres.' This model, which offers a practical and actionable approach to implementing the required changes, aims to provide accessible, inclusive, and sustainable digital literacy training and resources to communities across sub-Saharan Africa.
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    People's Parliament? An assessment of public participation in South Africa's legislatures
    (2015) Waterhouse, Samantha Jane; Smythe, Dee
    This paper assesses the political impact of the constitutional framework and policy for public participation in South Africa. I consider the question of how legislatures are fulfilling their obligations to facilitate public participation, if they meet international human rights law (IHRL) norms and the extent to which the public involvement facilitated by legislatures measures up to standards identified by theories of political participation. Central to this is a discussion of whether government-led citizen participation processes influence, or have the potential to influence, state decision-making. I examine the political tensions that arise between public participation and party politics within the context of South Africa's political system and discuss the role of civil society-led participation, and the interactions and conflicts between this and the government facilitated processes.
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    Post-conflict transition and development in Sierra Leone: a case for the transformative-justice model
    (2011) Connolly, Lesley Frances; Rousseau, Nicky
    The focus of this mini-dissertation is the Sierra Leone post-conflict transitional and development process. The civil war in Sierra Leone lasted some eight years before finally ending with the signing of the Lòme Peace Accord on 7 July 1999. This Accord outlined the post-conflict transitional instruments to be employed in Sierra Leone, namely an investigative truth commission and a legal tribunal referred to as the Special Court. After the completion of the mandates of these two instruments, many developmental gaps still existed in post-conflict Sierra Leonean society. This particularly applied to women who continued to suffer from widespread inequalities and discrimination. This thesis suggests that a model of transformative justice, which advocates an integrated approach to postconflict transitions and the development process in general, would better have served the needs of women in Sierra Leone.
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    Preparing for the ethical encounter investigating the role and type of citizen education to encourage participation in local government
    (2009) Jaroszynski, Taru; Von Broembsen, Marlese
    This dissertation looks at the possibilities for an ethical encounter' at a local government level. Much has been written on the problems and challenges of local government in its structure, its politicisation and the dynamics within these invited spaces. This is compounded by service delivery protests which are directed at the inadequacy of local government. These protests suggest that the invited spaces do not provide the options for ethical encounters.
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    Principlism, medical individualism, and health promotion in resource-poor countries: can autonomy-based bioethics promote social justice and population health?
    (BioMed Central Ltd, 2010) Azetsop, Jacquineau; Rennie, Stuart
    Through its adoption of the biomedical model of disease which promotes medical individualism and its reliance on the individual-based anthropology, mainstream bioethics has predominantly focused on respect for autonomy in the clinical setting and respect for person in the research site, emphasizing self-determination and freedom of choice. However, the emphasis on the individual has often led to moral vacuum, exaggeration of human agency, and a thin (liberal?) conception of justice. Applied to resource-poor countries and communities within developed countries, autonomy-based bioethics fails to address the root causes of diseases and public health crises with which individuals or communities are confronted. A sociological explanation of disease causation is needed to broaden principles of biomedical ethics and provides a renewed understanding of disease, freedom, medical practice, patient-physician relationship, risk and benefit of research and treatment, research priorities, and health policy.
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    Prostitution as the exploitation of women and a violation of women’s human rights
    (2014) Oppenheimer, Emily; Smythe, Dee
    This thesis draws attention to South Africa’s shift in perspective of prostitution as a criminal offense to a human rights concern. This thesis addresses the proposed adult prostitution legal reforms in South Africa. These models are analyzed and evaluated in order to discover which model best upholds international standards of human rights. International best practices and prostituion legislation in other parts of the world are used to depict current successes and failures. However, concern has been raised if certain legal reforms could succeed in a sociocultural context such as South Africa. This thesis seeks to investigate prostitution within the sociocultural context of male power and female oppression in South Africa. Prostitution is revealed as the exploitation of women and a violation of human rights. It is concluded that South Africa’s context of pervasive violence against women is not unique, but a reflection of a global view of women. The Nordic model is the human rights model that is recommended for South Africa. This model is not only able to improve the sociocultural status of women, but also penalize the demand for female sexual labor, which is considered the primary force behind the sex industry.
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    Reproductive autonomy and choice a reality for women in South Africa?
    (2013) Lomelin, Jessica; Manjoo, Rashida
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    Voices of transformation: unveiling critical pedagogy for social justice in South African classrooms through the lived experiences of educators
    (2025) Snyders, Angelika; Omar, Yunus; Badroodien, Azeem
    This dissertation explores how critical pedagogy in the educational landscape of South Africa presents itself in the teaching lives of five pedagogues in finding elements that amplify education as a public good and strengthen teaching for social justice. The discussion foregrounds concepts of critical pedagogy as the teacher-participants reflect on their teaching history which informs their pedagogic repertoires. In doing so, the dissertation introduces the voices and reflections of five teachers residing in the Western Cape of South Africa. The small selection of teachers from contrasting socio- economic communities offers the opportunity to tease out the similarities and contradictions in their teaching repertoires, as critical pedagogy posits that educational spaces are sites of contention intricately shaped by historical influences. It asserts the absence of political neutrality within schools and underscores the fundamentally political nature inherent in the act of teaching (Kincheloe, 2008). The goal of the dissertation is to present a window into the lives of five South African teachers who attempt to use their work as a social and cultural critique in arguing for a better and just world. By engaging their lived experiences and teaching repertoires, the dissertation draws attention to the opportunities, conditions, and contradictions within the educational landscape of South Africa that teachers often confront. The dissertation utilises critical pedagogy as a framework to consider the nuances, conflicts, and challenges that teachers in contrasting socio-economic schooling communities face. In doing so the study teases out the agentic power of teachers who critically engage education in South Africa and challenge the reproduction of injustice to be truly transformative intellectuals.