Journal Article1 September 2026
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Volume 11, Issue 3 (2026)Read More
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- Journal Article1 September 2026
When Protection Becomes Predation: Militarized Masculinity and Sexual Violence in Northeastern Nigeria
The study investigates the structural and situational drivers of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) perpetrated by state security actors in the context of Nigeria’s counterinsurgency campaigns in Borno State. Drawing on militarized masculinity and strain and deprivation theories, and using a qualitative, interpretive research design, the study argues that CRSV is not an isolated or episodic form of deviance by individual soldiers and security personnel but is embedded in routine military–civilian interactions. Advancing an interactionist explanation of CRSV in Nigeria’s Islamist counterinsurgency operations, the study demonstrates that the likelihood of sexual violence increases through the interaction of gendered institutional norms, operational pressures, and permissive institutional environments. It further highlights the strategic implications of such abuses, including their potential to undermine state legitimacy and contribute to insurgent recruitment. The paper concludes that preventing CRSV requires addressing not only individual misconduct but also the structural and institutional conditions, including gendered organizational norms, operational strain, and weak accountability mechanisms, that enable and sustain such violence. - Journal Article1 September 2026
The Revival of Honor Killing in Iranian Kurdistan: A Sociological Analysis of Gender, Land, and Identity
Honor is a foundational yet restrictive sociocultural construct in Kurdish society of western Iran. Transgressions of its boundaries, particularly by women, are historically met with violent sanction. Despite processes of modernization, honor killings have re-emerged as a conspicuous phenomenon in Iranian Kurdistan, suggesting an active revival rather than a passive residue of tradition. This study employed a qualitative, interpretive phenomenological approach. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 21 social scientists and researchers from January 2022 to February 2024 in Iranian Kurdistan. A grounded theory framework guided the thematic analysis. Findings reveal a dual symbolic encoding of honor: it simultaneously signifies female chastity and the sanctity of the Kurdish homeland. This conflation elevates honor to an absolute, non-negotiable value and mandates collective defense. Perceived violations of women’s conduct or territorial/cultural boundaries trigger potent communal reactions. Moreover, selected religious interpretations and structural contradictions within Iran’s national legal code function not as deterrents but as catalysts that perpetuate and intensify honor-based violence. Honor killing in Iranian Kurdistan is not a medieval relic but a dynamic manifestation of an embattled identity system. Interventions focusing solely on legal reform are insufficient; sociocultural narratives that fuse gender, land, and ethnic survival must be addressed concurrently. - Journal Article1 October 2026
Student Perceptions of Artificial Intelligence-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material: A Qualitative Content Analysis
The rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI), especially generative AI and deepfake technology, has introduced new challenges in the production and dissemination of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). While existing research has examined the technological and legal implications of AI-generated child sexual abuse material, less is known about how the public, especially young adults who are most likely to use AI technologies, perceive these developments. The present study addresses this gap by examining undergraduate student perceptions of AI-generated child sexual abuse material at a medium-sized private university in the Southeastern United States. Using data from a Qualtrics survey, this study employed a qualitative content analysis of the open-ended responses to explore how students define AI and deepfake technology, perceive associated risks, and identify potential prevention strategies. Three themes were uncovered: 1) understanding AI’s foundations, capabilities, and societal impacts, 2) perceptions of the blurred boundaries between human and AI-generated content, and 3) proposed preventive measures involving both individual responsibility and institutional regulation. Findings suggest that while students demonstrate a general awareness of AI’s risks, there is variability in their depth of understanding and proposed solutions. These findings have implications for educational initiatives, policy development, and broader discussions of ethical AI use and the prevention of technology-facilitated exploitation. - Journal Article1 October 2026
Recovery and Resilience of Survivors of Sex Trafficking in Nepal
This exploratory qualitative study examines how trafficking survivors in Nepalese rehabilitation centres perceive recovery and experience resilience within Nepal's specific socio-cultural context. This qualitative study employed in-depth interviews with six female sex trafficking survivors in Bagmati Province rehabilitation centres and analysed them through Bronfenbrenner's socio-ecological framework under the themes such as Hindu purity concepts, caste discrimination, joint family dynamics, and non-governmental organization dependency which shape their recovery experiences. The findings of the study reveal recovery as gradual emotional stabilization and future orientation rather than complete healing. Survivors describe stigma in terms of religious purity/pollution binary, with Dalit participants experiencing compounded marginalization from intersecting caste and trafficking stigmas. Extended family veto power—particularly uncles threatening to sever kinship ties—determined survivor acceptance more than parental attitudes. Non-governmental organization funding cycles created arbitrary time limits disconnected from recovery readiness. Further the results show resilience develops through interaction between personal agency and social-institutional environments, with Nepal's macrosystem factors—Hindu religious frameworks, caste stratification, patriarchal family structures, neoliberal service models—cascading through ecological levels to fundamentally shape individual recovery possibilities. Human trafficking survivors in Nepal face complex post-trafficking challenges shaped by the country's unique socio-cultural context, including Hindu purity/pollution concepts, caste hierarchies, joint family honour systems, and NGO-dependent services. The conceptualization of recovery is attested by the survivors as they experience recovery and resilience within the specific cultural and temporal contexts. - Journal Article1 October 2026
In the Shadow of the Ballot: Children as Victims of Zimbabwe's 2008 Election Violence
The year 2008 witnessed one of the most violent electoral processes in Zimbabwean history. While extensive research has examined the 2008 election violence, limited scholarly attention has been paid to its effects on children. Using the structural violence framework, this study examines how the 2008 electoral violence affected children in Zimbabwe. The study analysed media reports and secondary texts, complemented by retrospective observations, to explore children's experiences during the electoral crisis. It seeks to expose the less examined consequences of political violence on children. The findings reveal that children witnessed assaults, murder, rape, forced displacement, the destruction of homes and the targeting of their caregivers. Some were involuntarily drawn into partisan activities, experiences that shaped their early political socialisation. Children were also subjected to coercive political structures, community-level intimidation and the militarisation of everyday life, despite being neither active participants nor direct beneficiaries of the electoral process. The study argues that children were not mere bystanders to the 2008 election violence but direct and indirect victims of political violence. Hence, this study is among the first to discuss the effects of the 2008 electoral violence on children, thereby bringing to light the living realities of children during violence and crises. - Journal Article1 October 2026
Spirituality and Resilience Among Survivors of Child Sex Trafficking: A Ten-Year Longitudinal Study in Cambodia
Sex trafficking causes profound trauma requiring comprehensive healing. While spirituality is central in many survivors’ lives, it remains under-researched. In Cambodia, Christian organisations provide most aftercare despite 93-97% Buddhist population, creating complex religious dynamics. This study examined how spirituality affects trauma recovery, the factors that support or hinder spiritual practice, and how religious identity is negotiated over time. Butterfly Longitudinal Research project followed 128 sex trafficking survivors (80% female, 20% male, ages 6-30 at baseline) in Christian-founded aftercare programs throughout Cambodia, beginning 2010. A mixed-methods longitudinal design employed structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews 2-3 times annually over 10 years, achieving 70% retention (n=90). Analysis draws from 85 interviews in 2017, focusing on faith impact, supplemented by 2011-2017 data. The authors systematically coded qualitative data for themes. Christian identification decreased 41% (80 to 47 participants) while Buddhist identification increased 27% (26 to 33) from 2011 to 2017; the remaining participants identified with another faith or with no religious affiliation (22 of 128 in 2011; 10 of 90 in 2017 — see revised Table 1). Both traditions provided protective factors: among Christians, 23 reported emotional regulation benefits, 19 hope provision, 18 reduced shame, 4 suicide prevention; among Buddhists, 18 reported help overcoming problems, 14 relief/refreshment, 12 illness healing. Barriers included family opposition (n=27), geographic isolation (n=19), and discrimination (n=8). Spirituality—Buddhist or Christian—functions as a significant protective factor when integrated into trauma-informed care, respecting autonomy. The 41% reversion from Christianity reveals sophisticated navigation of competing demands rather than spiritual failure. Findings demonstrate spirituality expands choice-making capacity through shame reduction, hope provision, emotional regulation, and community connection, challenging both religious triumphalism and secular dismissiveness. - Journal Article1 November 2026
Inequities in Agency and Post-Surrogacy Impact on Surrogate Mothers in India
India became a global hub for commercial surrogacy because surrogate mothers had fewer rights over their own bodies and the child born, and had no agency in medical interventions during surrogacy, until the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021 prohibited transnational and commercial surrogacy in India. Studies have found detrimental physical and emotional health impacts of surrogacy on surrogate mothers in several developing countries. Economic coercion limits the agency and bargaining capacity of surrogate mothers, leading to unjust surrogacy contracts. Mandatory retention at surrogate homes, separation from family, surveillance, social stigma, secrecy, and a disconnect from the intended parents and surrogacy children are known to cause distress to surrogate mothers. This study examined surrogate mothers' agency within surrogacy and the post-surrogacy monetary, health, and psychological impacts among 45 surrogate mothers in Anand, India, in 2019-20, using interview schedules; the variables were analysed using Spearman correlation. The surrogate mothers had lower educational attainment, unskilled occupations, and low income, with a dire need for money. The post-surrogacy outcome revealed unfulfilled purpose and worsened financial impact among very poor households, and severe emotional and physical health impact on surrogate mothers. A correlation was found between the physical and emotional impact of surrogacy, monetary outcome, and fulfilled needs with the source country of intended parents and remuneration. Most very poor surrogate mothers slipped further into poverty, and repeated surrogacy could bring them out of poverty. The surrogate mothers were denied agency during the surrogacy process and were in a state of denial of agency.