title: Non-Muslims in Muslim majority societies: with focus on the Middle East and Pakistan [Book Review]

authors: Drury, Abdullah

abstract: This article reviews the book 'Non-Muslims in Muslim majority societies: with focus on the Middle East and Pakistan', edited by Kajsa Ahlstrand and Göran Gunner.

text: Non-Muslims in Muslim majority societies: with focus on the Middle East and Pakistan [Book Review] This article reviews the book 'Non-Muslims in Muslim majority societies: with focus on the Middle East and Pakistan', edited by Kajsa Ahlstrand and Göran Gunner.

year: 2012-05

title: Sexual assaults on gay and bisexual men: Barriers to reporting to the police

authors: Patlakas, Peter

subjects: sexual assault

abstract: Sexual assault is a matter of public concern that affects many individuals globally, regardless of their gender and sexual orientation.  With many survivors of sexual assaults choosing not to report their victimisation to police, it appears that prevalence rates based on reports made to the police represent only a fraction of the actual occurrence of assaults.  This is especially the case where assaults on gay and bisexual men are concerned.  This study examined the barriers gay and bisexual male survivors of sexual assaults face in reporting their victimisation to the police.
This study aimed to address a lack in New Zealand based research on the topic and develop an overall representation of the various barriers these survivors may encounter, as well as solutions for their reduction.  This was achieved by conducting semi-structured interviews with six service providers functioning as key informants and four gay/bisexual male survivors of sexual assault.  Interviews were recorded and transcribed for thematic analysis.  The qualitative software NVivo was used to allow for the development and organisation of themes and subthemes from the interview data collected.  Four themes were identified pertaining to barriers: personal, social, institutional, and abuse-specific.  Personal and social barriers were more readily recognised than those within the institutional and abuse-specific themes.  A fifth theme, the reduction theme, emerged in relation to suggestions for decreasing barriers.
The following eight barrier areas were identified within the personal barrier theme: defence mechanisms, cognitive mindset, revisiting, knowledge, emotions, privacy/confidentiality, past experience, and mental health.  The social theme consisted of nine barrier areas: family, queer community, support, culture and religion, homosexuality and gender, myths, judgement, homophobia and prejudice, and location and environment.  Seven barrier areas were identified within the institutional theme: poor responses, services and counselling, cons to reporting, the law, court dynamics, limitations, and police.  The abuse-specific barrier theme consisted of nine barrier areas: time, need for proof, victim-perpetrator relationship, age, drugs and alcohol, disclosure of details, consent issues, report scrutiny, and labelling and defining.
Finally, six areas were identified pertaining to the reduction of barriers: services, youth, police, information, reporting process, and societal attitudes.  Many of the suggestions for reduction methods, such as increasing police training and services offered within the queer community, were seen to be beneficial, yet they may still be subject to various difficulties in their implementation, such as funding concerns.
Queer-specific barrier aspects were deemed important to account for in order to develop a comprehensive understanding of the topic.  Various linkages between barriers also emerged, effectively making a decision to report to the police even harder for survivors.  A case study based on one of the survivors interviewed helped to illustrate this complex weaving of barriers.
Further research is needed to examine these barriers on deeper levels, particularly in terms of addressing any differences between youth and adult survivors.  The results of this study serve as the first step in developing the foundation to bring information on this topic to the forefront of New Zealand research in the area.

text: Sexual assaults on gay and bisexual men: Barriers to reporting to the police Sexual assault is a matter of public concern that affects many individuals globally, regardless of their gender and sexual orientation.  With many survivors of sexual assaults choosing not to report their victimisation to police, it appears that prevalence rates based on reports made to the police represent only a fraction of the actual occurrence of assaults.  This is especially the case where assaults on gay and bisexual men are concerned.  This study examined the barriers gay and bisexual male survivors of sexual assaults face in reporting their victimisation to the police.
This study aimed to address a lack in New Zealand based research on the topic and develop an overall representation of the various barriers these survivors may encounter, as well as solutions for their reduction.  This was achieved by conducting semi-structured interviews with six service providers functioning as key informants and four gay/bisexual male survivors of sexual assault.  Interviews were recorded and transcribed for thematic analysis.  The qualitative software NVivo was used to allow for the development and organisation of themes and subthemes from the interview data collected.  Four themes were identified pertaining to barriers: personal, social, institutional, and abuse-specific.  Personal and social barriers were more readily recognised than those within the institutional and abuse-specific themes.  A fifth theme, the reduction theme, emerged in relation to suggestions for decreasing barriers.
The following eight barrier areas were identified within the personal barrier theme: defence mechanisms, cognitive mindset, revisiting, knowledge, emotions, privacy/confidentiality, past experience, and mental health.  The social theme consisted of nine barrier areas: family, queer community, support, culture and religion, homosexuality and gender, myths, judgement, homophobia and prejudice, and location and environment.  Seven barrier areas were identified within the institutional theme: poor responses, services and counselling, cons to reporting, the law, court dynamics, limitations, and police.  The abuse-specific barrier theme consisted of nine barrier areas: time, need for proof, victim-perpetrator relationship, age, drugs and alcohol, disclosure of details, consent issues, report scrutiny, and labelling and defining.
Finally, six areas were identified pertaining to the reduction of barriers: services, youth, police, information, reporting process, and societal attitudes.  Many of the suggestions for reduction methods, such as increasing police training and services offered within the queer community, were seen to be beneficial, yet they may still be subject to various difficulties in their implementation, such as funding concerns.
Queer-specific barrier aspects were deemed important to account for in order to develop a comprehensive understanding of the topic.  Various linkages between barriers also emerged, effectively making a decision to report to the police even harder for survivors.  A case study based on one of the survivors interviewed helped to illustrate this complex weaving of barriers.
Further research is needed to examine these barriers on deeper levels, particularly in terms of addressing any differences between youth and adult survivors.  The results of this study serve as the first step in developing the foundation to bring information on this topic to the forefront of New Zealand research in the area.

year: 2013

title: A reflective account of successful leadership: Māori special character secondary boarding schools.

authors: McAllister, Theresa

abstract: This thesis explores the leadership and Māori student achievement in Māori boarding schools taking into account cultural contexts, environments and the leadership ideologies around educational leadership. What are the leadership practices in Māori boarding schools that have made a difference for Māori student achievement? I argue that, Māori secondary boarding schools continue to offer an educational framework whereby Māori students achieve as Maori.
In order to better understand the philosophies and goals of those early Māori boarding school leaders through to the present time I have researched a sample of current leaders within those boarding schools. This research interest arose many years ago when I first realised that there was a significant gap in Māori student educational achievement compared to non-Māori. What was also realised was that few people understood the contribution that Māori boarding schools have played in Māori student achievement and success over many decades. While some people had heard of Māori boarding schools, not a great deal was really known about what Māori boarding schools delivered in terms of education for Māori and Māori culture. What is apparent from an historical perspective is that Māori boarding schools have contributed to the retention of Māori culture, language and identity resulting in student achievement. This is a result of what successful leadership has provided for Māori students to achieve.
Student achievement is a direct result of leadership. In a Māori boarding school setting, achievement is multifaceted. For Māori secondary boarding schools, achievement is taken from three perspectives: Christian, Māori and Academic. Flowing down from those three perspectives is the holistic wellbeing of students’, mind, body and soul, while recognizing and including whānau, hapū and iwi. Therefore, this research investigates the leadership practices in Māori boarding schools that have made a difference for Māori student achievement.

text: A reflective account of successful leadership: Māori special character secondary boarding schools. This thesis explores the leadership and Māori student achievement in Māori boarding schools taking into account cultural contexts, environments and the leadership ideologies around educational leadership. What are the leadership practices in Māori boarding schools that have made a difference for Māori student achievement? I argue that, Māori secondary boarding schools continue to offer an educational framework whereby Māori students achieve as Maori.
In order to better understand the philosophies and goals of those early Māori boarding school leaders through to the present time I have researched a sample of current leaders within those boarding schools. This research interest arose many years ago when I first realised that there was a significant gap in Māori student educational achievement compared to non-Māori. What was also realised was that few people understood the contribution that Māori boarding schools have played in Māori student achievement and success over many decades. While some people had heard of Māori boarding schools, not a great deal was really known about what Māori boarding schools delivered in terms of education for Māori and Māori culture. What is apparent from an historical perspective is that Māori boarding schools have contributed to the retention of Māori culture, language and identity resulting in student achievement. This is a result of what successful leadership has provided for Māori students to achieve.
Student achievement is a direct result of leadership. In a Māori boarding school setting, achievement is multifaceted. For Māori secondary boarding schools, achievement is taken from three perspectives: Christian, Māori and Academic. Flowing down from those three perspectives is the holistic wellbeing of students’, mind, body and soul, while recognizing and including whānau, hapū and iwi. Therefore, this research investigates the leadership practices in Māori boarding schools that have made a difference for Māori student achievement.

year: 2016