Schools tackling domestic violence
EDUCATION AIMED AT preventing domestic violence should be mandatory in schools, according to a study into why some boys become domestic abuse perpetrators. A survey of over 1,200 school children aged 13-14 found that over half had some direct experience of domestic abuse, whether as victims, witnesses or perpetrators. Preventative relationship-based education programmes could change attitudes, say researchers. “Building skills and capacity in the provision of relationship education will take time, resources
and a commitment to continuity at the level of government policy,” says researcher Professor David Gadd. “Such investment is justified given the number of teenagers who have experiences of domestic abuse by the age of 14.”n
i Contact Professor David Gadd,
University of Manchester Email
david.gadd@
manchester.ac.uk Web
www.boystomenproject.com Telephone 0161 275 5621 ESRC Grant Number RES-062-23-2678-A
Poverty erodes the dignity of lone mothers
DIGNITY IS A foundational value in South Africa’s Constitution. A recent study of lone mothers’ experiences of social security in South Africa highlights lone mothers’ views that poverty erodes dignity, and negatively affects their sense of self-esteem, worthiness, autonomy and self-respect. In interviews with 200 low-income lone mothers, many also stated that some of the strategies they adopted in an attempt to survive poverty undermined their sense of dignity, particularly begging, demeaning work, and transactional sex. “Lone mothers in South Africa face multiple challenges yet are often neglected by policy,” says researcher Dr Gemma Wright. The Child Support Grant (CSG) is paid for children in low- income families, yet many lone-mother
recipients of the CSG reported dignity- erosive aspects of the grant including laborious application process, the small amount of the grant, and perceived negative social attitudes towards them. “In South Africa there is no social assistance for low-income working- age adults in their own right, unless they are disabled,” says Dr Wright. “Findings suggest that in parallel with job creation schemes and affordable high-quality childcare, social security should be extended to include low- income adults of working age, irrespective of caregiver status.” n
i Contact Dr Gemma Wright, Southern African
Social Policy Research Institute Email
gemma.wright@saspri.org Telephone 01273 252803 ESRC Grant Number ES/I033130/1
IN BRIEF
WELSH POLICY LEVERS The Welsh Government does not currently have the same powers and responsibilities as the Scottish Government or many comparable regions/small countries in Europe. Researchers will analyse the powers and policy levers used by governments in comparable countries/regions and assess the implications of this evidence for policymakers in Wales, and consider what, if any, additional powers would assist Welsh Ministers to achieve their policy objectives.
ESRC grant number ES/N00745X/1
POVERTY PATHWAYS Led by the Chronic Poverty Advisory Network, a new collaborative project aims to improve understanding of how people’s escape from extreme poverty and deprivation can be sustained over time. The study is based on three East African countries (Ethiopia, Rwanda and Tanzania) characterised not only by high poverty levels but also the experience of significant political and institutional change over the last decade.
ESRC grant number ES/M009351/1
TACKLING INSTABILITY Based on a study of social media in Kenya, Sierra Leone and Tanzania, researchers aim to explore how social media could be used by the authorities responsible for community safety to reduce the risks and impact of violence and instability. The study will also examine how social media could serve as an early warning of tensions that threaten security. ESRC grant number ES/M008983/1
SUMMER 2011 SOCIETY NOW 9 SUMMER 2015
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