All posts tagged: violence

Study Shows 86% Increase In Sexual Violence On French Public Transport

Study Shows 86% Increase In Sexual Violence On French Public Transport

Published by skeptic

Authored by Paul Joseph Watson via Modernity.news, There has been an 86% rise in sexual violence on public transport in France since 2016, with much of the surge happening as a result of mass migration. Figures released by the National Observatory on Violence against Women (Miprof) show that sexual violence in 2024 increased by 6 per cent over the previous year and 9 per cent over 2022 numbers. Since 2016, after which France experienced a surge in mass migration, the figure is up by a whopping 86 per cent. 44 per cent of victims were located in the Paris region, with women being the victims on 91 per cent of occasions, with 75 per cent of victims being under the age of 30 and 36 per cent of those being minors. “It should be noted that this data comes at the same time that France’s migration population has exploded,” reports Remix News. “With 63 percent of those arrested for sexual assault and 92 percent for petty theft in public transport being foreigners, according to data from 2019. …

Reconsidering how we think about sexual violence

Reconsidering how we think about sexual violence

Published by skeptic

Over the last decade, philosophers have paid significant attention to the topic of sexual violence. Much of this work is socially engaged, building theory from analysis of real-life cases and empirical work on sexual violence. Various philosophers have employed concepts from the social sciences, such as “unacknowledged rape” and “rape myths,” in analyzing epistemic problems related to sexual violence. They have appealed to empirical research that identifies barriers to the reception of victim testimony and documents the rarity of false reporting. But, little attention has been paid to how the phenomenon of sexual violence is studied and the processes by which scientific understanding of sexual violence is produced. In contrast, in the disciplines that undertake empirical research on sexual violence, these questions have recently received extensive attention in the face of claims that research practices have limited and distorted understanding of the phenomenon of sexual violence. In what follows, I sketch the recent history of sexual violence research and the emerging critiques and argue for the relevance of these debates to philosophical work on the …

Christian Nationalism and Hate Violence: What Can We Do?

Christian Nationalism and Hate Violence: What Can We Do?

Published by skeptic

 This week, Zev Mishell, National Programs Associate at Interfaith Alliance, joins host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush to discuss the intersection of systemic violence, hate crimes, and religious and political ideologies in America. Zev is the author of Interfaith Alliance’s new report, Together Against Hate, which closely analyzes how interfaith movements can address hate-based violence by uniting across differences while also examining how White Christian Nationalism is driving the alarming rise of hate in America. The report comprises case studies of successful strategies, practical recommendations, and a guide to organizations working to combat hate and extremism in the U.S. It is based on extensive research and interviews with nearly two dozen advocacy organizations dedicated to faith-based organizing, upholding civil rights and confronting hate. The full report will be released on Monday, January 13th, on the Interfaith Alliance website. “Religion is contextual, and it can manifest itself in extremely damaging and violent ways. It can divide us from one another. It can create supremacist outlooks. It can create and be influenced by ethno-nationalist outlooks. And maybe …

Can Violence Be Justified? A Philosophical Approach

Can Violence Be Justified? A Philosophical Approach

Published by skeptic

  In a world fraught with strife, few questions have proved as resistant to age as whether violence can sometimes solve problems. Treating this issue philosophically means delving into the ethical weeds—examining what we mean by “justified” and unpacking the moral implications of different kinds of force. It involves considering classic arguments on both sides and weighing factors that our predecessors never had to think about. Ultimately, though, by exploring various ethical theories and philosophical outlooks, we can gain fresh insights into an age-old quandary: Is there ever a good reason to engage in violence?   What Is Violence? The Massacre of the Innocents, Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1610. Source: the Art Gallery of Ontario   Violence is a complicated problem. It includes many different things that hurt or damage others’ bodies or emotions or violate their rights.   Physical violence happens when someone uses force to hurt someone else physically. This can be seen in things like fights, where people hit each other – or even in war, where one country’s military injures or kills people in another country (for example).   Psychological violence doesn’t leave marks on …

South Africa reroutes Mozambique trade, travel to Eswatini border amid violence

South Africa reroutes Mozambique trade, travel to Eswatini border amid violence

Published by Sam

MBABANE, ESWATINI —  As Mozambique grapples with a political crisis following a disputed national election and violent protests, the situation at its southern border with South Africa is increasingly volatile, affecting trade and travel. The violence in Mozambique forced trade and travel to be diverted from South Africa’s Leebombo Border Post to Eswatini’s Mananga Border Post, with Mananga serving as a makeshift lifeline for those seeking passage from Mozambique. Michael Masiapato, commissioner of South Africa’s Border Management Authority, told VOA that although authorities are managing the crisis, it continues to pose significant challenges. “Even … when they deploy the military and when they deploy police officers on the corridor [between the capital, Maputo, and the border], it is not able to cover each and every area,” he said. The protests, he said, are “very much sporadic” and “very much widespread.” Following presidential candidate Daniel Chapo’s controversial election victory Monday, Mozambique plunged into turmoil, leaving scores dead amid violent protests. Some analysts expressed concern that continued political violence could destabilize regional security and impede economic development, …

Albania to ban TikTok for a year as PM Edi Rama claims app inciting violence and bullying | World News

Albania to ban TikTok for a year as PM Edi Rama claims app inciting violence and bullying | World News

Published by skeptic

The Albanian government plans to block access to TikTok for a year after the killing of a 14-year-old boy led to concerns about social media’s influence on children. Prime Minister Edi Rama said the proposed ban will start early next year as he particularly blamed the video-sharing app for fuelling violence and bullying, especially among youths. The boy was stabbed to death last month, allegedly by a fellow pupil, with the incident reportedly taking place following an argument between the pair on social media. Chinese-owned TikTok says it has found no evidence that either of them had accounts on the platform. And it has asked for “urgent clarity from the Albanian government” over the stabbing. The incident sparked a wider debate about social media’s influence on children. They are believed to be the largest group of TikTok users in the country and after meeting parents and teachers, Mr Rama said: “For one year, we’ll be completely shutting it down for everyone. “There will be no TikTok in Albania.” He added: “The problem today is not …

Deadly violence in Nigeria linked to breakup of United Methodist Church over LGBTQ policies

Deadly violence in Nigeria linked to breakup of United Methodist Church over LGBTQ policies

Published by skeptic

A religious schism has turned deadly in Nigeria, with a church member fatally shot and two young children killed as homes were set ablaze, according to United Methodist News Service. The news service said the reported violence on Sunday stemmed from a schism in the worldwide United Methodist Church over its decision to repeal LGBTQ bans — and the ensuing formation of the new Global Methodist Church by breakaway conservative churches. According to the news service, a United Methodist church member was shot and killed in a confrontation between both factions in Taraba, a state in northeast Nigeria. Homes were set ablaze, claiming the lives of two children, ages 2 and 4, of the overseer of a United Methodist school and nursery, the news service said. Another 10 church members were reported injured. The worldwide Global Methodist Church held its inaugural general conference earlier this year. It was created by churches breaking away from the United Methodist Church — an international denomination with a strong U.S. presence. While the UMC, at its general conference in May, lifted …

AI-Powered Robots Can Be Tricked Into Acts of Violence

AI-Powered Robots Can Be Tricked Into Acts of Violence

Published by skeptic

In the year or so since large language models hit the big time, researchers have demonstrated numerous ways of tricking them into producing problematic outputs including hateful jokes, malicious code and phishing emails, or the personal information of users. It turns out that misbehavior can take place in the physical world, too: LLM-powered robots can easily be hacked so that they behave in potentially dangerous ways. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania were able to persuade a simulated self-driving car to ignore stop signs and even drive off a bridge, get a wheeled robot to find the best place to detonate a bomb, and force a four-legged robot to spy on people and enter restricted areas. “We view our attack not just as an attack on robots,” says George Pappas, head of a research lab at the University of Pennsylvania who helped unleash the rebellious robots. “Any time you connect LLMs and foundation models to the physical world, you actually can convert harmful text into harmful actions.” Pappas and his collaborators devised their attack by …

Why are female politicians more often targeted with violence? New findings confirm depressing suspicions

Why are female politicians more often targeted with violence? New findings confirm depressing suspicions

Published by Sam

Despite some progress, women remain seriously underrepresented in politics globally. As of 2023, women held only 26% of parliamentary seats and 15.8% of the positions as heads of state or government. My new research with colleagues raises one possible factor in this representation that goes beyond discrimination in selection procedures. It is simply more dangerous for women to pursue careers in politics than men. They are far more likely to become targets of violence. In Italy, where we conducted our study, elected female mayors are approximately three times more likely to experience an attack than their male equivalents. The reasons behind women’s ongoing underrepresentation in the corridors of power are multifaceted. Research has explored factors from political parties sidelining women and voter discrimination, to cultural norms and traditional familial expectations. Political violence might be part of the story. Although there is evidence suggesting that women are disproportionately targeted by political violence, researchers have yet to determine whether this relationship is truly causal. The main obstacle lies in data quality. Much of the research relies on …

SEND delays ‘making children vulnerable’ to violence t

SEND delays ‘making children vulnerable’ to violence t

Published by skeptic

More from this theme Recent articles Delays in assessing SEND needs and issuing education, health and care plans “is making children more vulnerable” to serious youth violence and putting them at greater risk of harm, inspectors have warned.  A group of inspectorates including Ofsted warned there was evidence of a link between “SEND and an increased risk of exploitation” and violence. Children wait “too long” for needs to be assessed, then face delays in access to support services and variation in the quality and timeliness of EHCPs. A new report on agencies’ responses to serious youth violence said these factors were “making children more vulnerable”, because “problems can escalate while they wait for an assessment or support”.  Delays in assessing needs “are putting these children at greater risk of harm”.  Of the 36 children whose experiences they tracked in detail, 16 had a diagnosis of a disability and/or an EHCP. A further 15 had additional needs identified and were waiting for an assessment.  In three of the areas visited by inspectors, children had to wait …