In this reflective chapter, we examine the structural biases and empirical challenges underlying human trafficking ‘indicators’ (especially problem, risk and performance indicators) that are... Show moreIn this reflective chapter, we examine the structural biases and empirical challenges underlying human trafficking ‘indicators’ (especially problem, risk and performance indicators) that are routinely used to describe and measure human trafficking, assess risk, identify abuses, evaluate responses, and encourage accountability. While frequently used, such indicators can give an undue illusion of objectivity and reliability when they are neither neutral nor unskewed. In fact, numerous factors affect which elements are privileged as ‘indicators’ and which are obscured. We therefore examine here the selectivity, politics, racialized and gendered concerns that relate to the production and use of human trafficking indicators. Since human trafficking is a complex, highly-contested, and multi-faceted practice, it is not easily reduced to the crude generalizations upon which many indicators rest. We explore how the uncritical use of indicators can both contribute to stereotypical and unachievable ideals of victimhood and engender undue criminalization or withholding of victim support. In doing so, we disentangle some paradoxes around who is deemed ‘vulnerable’, ‘at risk’, ‘worthy of support’ and requiring ‘protection’. We highlight the – routinely overlooked – weak empirical basis and other limitations of many commonplace ‘indicators’ and challenges in building empirically-stronger and more robust indicators. The chapter concludes with overall implications of these critical reflections for policy, interventions, and research. Show less
By the early eighteenth century Edo (present-day Tokyo) was one of the largest cities in the world. Sex and erotic allure could be found in many guises in this commercialized urban setting, both in... Show moreBy the early eighteenth century Edo (present-day Tokyo) was one of the largest cities in the world. Sex and erotic allure could be found in many guises in this commercialized urban setting, both in the city’s streets and in print. This chapter sets out to argue that sex assumed a multiplicity of meanings in this context that ranged from pleasure and procreation to potential pathology. To this purpose, it begins by tracing various discourses surrounding the three phenomena that have arguably received the most sustained attention in research to date, namely the sex trade, male same-sex desire, and the erotically explicit materials known as ‘spring pictures’ (Japanese shunga 春画/ shunpon 春本). The final sections aim to move beyond the standard narrative of the Edo period’s flourishing erotic culture by focusing on the female reproductive body, as well as medical and health discourses, thus aspiring to unsettle the paradigmatic character of this (male) pleasure-centred mode of sex and repudiate the monolithic view of early modern Japanese sexuality as unregulated. Show less
Delle Donne, F.; Pavoni, M.; Amendola, C.; Cosco, A. 2024
It is difficult to imagine contemporary heritage protection without the numerous international heritage conventions that have proliferated over the course of the twentieth century. Although these... Show moreIt is difficult to imagine contemporary heritage protection without the numerous international heritage conventions that have proliferated over the course of the twentieth century. Although these instruments are governed by the rules of international law, they are reliant upon the actions of individual states in order to ensure their implementation at the domestic level. It is precisely this process of translation to the domestic legal sphere which remains invisible within many discussions surrounding international heritage law. Yet these modes of translation can facilitate – or, conversely, silence – opportunities for actors other than the state to shape cultural heritage law. As such, they can play a critical role in many of the current debates surrounding heritage governance. It is thus important that those working and living in, with or around heritage are aware of the legal techniques through which international heritage standards find their expression in domestic law. In order to elucidate these techniques, this chapter will touch upon a range of core legal concepts related to the implementation of international law in domestic legal settings, such as the distinctions between common and civil law and monist and dualist legal systems. While the focus of the chapter is on the international treaties adopted within the scope of UNESCO, it will also discuss how so-called ‘soft law’ heritage standards can play a role in domestic legal settings despite their formally non-binding nature. This chapter argues that the apparent universality of rules relating to the protection of cultural heritage at an international level belies the diversity of methods through which they are implemented at the national level, the actors involved in this process, and the interaction of international standards with existing domestic legal traditions aimed at the protection of cultural heritage. Moreover, given that many of the norms established by international heritage conventions do not have a ‘self-executing’ character, they remain beyond the reach of domestic legal actors. In many cases it is thus more illuminating to interrogate precisely which elements of cultural heritage law are commonly not translated into domestic law and why. Show less
It is estimated that up to 25% of all children growing up worldwide experience child maltreatment, making it a global emergency with substantial individual and public health consequences. This... Show moreIt is estimated that up to 25% of all children growing up worldwide experience child maltreatment, making it a global emergency with substantial individual and public health consequences. This chapter addresses one of the most societally pervasive consequences of child maltreatment which is known as the "cycle of victimization." This concept depicts the increased risk of maltreated individuals to victimize others later in life, both within and outside the family environment. To understand the architecture of this victimization cycle, the chapter further sheds light on neurocognitive mechanisms aiding different forms of victimization and the buffering role of social support that could help break the cycle of victimization. Advancing our understanding of these complex and interrelated mechanisms will ultimately facilitate the design and implementation of more targeted early treatments and (preventive) interventions and support a move toward a safer society. Show less
