“We’re Not Being Treated Like Mothers”: Listening to the Stories of First Nations Mothers in Prison

This article is based on research with over 160 First Nations women in prisons in New South Wales, Australia. The research identified the lived experience of prison sentences for First Nations women in prison. Our research methodology was guided by an Aboriginal women’s advisory body called sista2sista. It was based on the principles of Dadirri in which we listened to the stories of First Nations women in prison on their terms. Consequently, many stories we heard were not about the criminal sentencing process itself, but about the impacts of imprisonment on their capacity to be caregivers in the community, including as mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, teachers and role models. The findings from this research are dual. First, the importance of listening to and empowering First Nations women in prison in policy making that concerns First Nations women. Second, the need to decarcerate First Nations mothers and listen and respond to their needs, expectations, priorities and aspirations, to ensure they are supported in fulfilling their role and responsibility to care, nurture, strengthen and lead their families and communities.

La democracia y el Areópago en la segunda mitad del s. IV a.C.: del Areopagítico de Isócrates al caso de Hárpalo

In this article I address the question of whether, during the second half of fourth century B.C., the Areopagus was an institution opponent to democracy and, moreover, a refuge of Philip’s supporters or of the oligarchy. I will analyse our sources from Isocrates’ Areopagiticus (358 B.C.) to the Greek defeat during the Lamian War. Evidences lead to conclude that the Areopagus was an important advisory body, always subordinated to the Assembly, that was taken into account in critical moments when deciding to save the city.

COMEST: Ethical Advice across Scientific and Geographic Borders

COMEST, an acronym for the French name of the World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology [1], is an advisory body within United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and a forum of reflection, “mandated to formulate ethical principles that could provide decision-makers with criteria that extend beyond purely economic considerations.” [2] Over the years, the Commission has addressed ethical issues in many areas where science and technology have an impact on people, nature, and society. The deliberations result in reports, which are put forward to the biannual General Conference of UNESCO for discussion and adoption. The outcome has often been ethical recommendations and guidelines to consider and hopefully abide to so that science can interact with society in a responsible way and without adverse consequences.

Contribution to linguistic politics in the Interwar Period — Ministry of Communication for the sake of language

The article presents the interwar initiatives of the Polish Ministry of Transport (for some time functioning under the name of the Ministry of Railroad) that served to encourage appropriate language use. In order to promote linguistic correctness in rail transport, the ministry established the Language Commission, which functioned in 1919–1938. The members of this organisation, which was an advisory body of the ministry, included linguists (A.A. Kryński, K. Król, S. Szober). The commission published lists of phrases of foreign origin that were deemed incorrect, especially those used in official letters. Recommended equivalents were provided, too. The commission also Polonized German terminology. These initiatives serve as evidence of language awareness at the time. They also bring new arguments to the discussion of Poland’s linguistic politics in the interwar period.

State council in the light of the 2020 constitutional reforms

The article analyzes the prerequisites for changing the legal status of the State Council of the Russian Federation, analyzes the Federal Law "On the State Council of the Russian Federation" dated December 8, 2020 No. 394-FZ and studies the changes that came into force in the light of the constitutional reforms of 2020. According to this Law, the State Council of the Russian Federation should become a real mechanism of public power in Russia, while remaining an advisory body and a platform for coordinating the interests of the regions and the center. The author conducted a comparative analysis of the State Council, which acted in accordance with the Presidential Decree of 2000, and the law adopted in 2020. Based on the conducted research, the author concludes that the amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation adopted in 2020 are timely and necessary in order to restore the existing government.

BETWEEN PLAGUE AND CHOLERA: IRREGULAR TROOPS OF THE ORENBURG REGION IN THE FIGHT AGAINST EPIDEMICS OF THE FIRST THIRD OF THE 19th CENTURY

The first third of the 19th century gives an example of the massive involvement of the irregular troops of the Orenburg region (the Ural and Orenburg Cossacks, Bashkir-Meshcheryak, Stavropol Kalmyk, Teptyar horse regiments) in the quarantine service. During the first 1829–1832 cholera epidemic the region’s military leadership adopted the correct strategy, creating an advisory body with doctors, introducing the Quarantine Regulations, sending mobile irregular troops to carry out quarantine services on the border and inside the province. The local population showed a high degree of understanding of the situation related to quarantine measures. It independently organized quarantine posts, showed confidence in the doctors, maintained pickets and lines of irregular troops at its own expense, which ultimately made it possible to defeat cholera in the province. The region’s population also initiated local quarantines related to epizootics. At the same time, mixed regiments of the Orenburg Cossacks and Bashkirs sent to the border with Turkey and participated in the Russian-Turkish war of 1828–1829 faced an epidemic of plague. In addition to participating in hostilities, they maintained quarantine lines and posts. In terms of mass involvement in sanitary and epidemiological measures, the irregular troops of the Orenburg region were second after the Don Cossacks. The first experience of involvement of irregular troops in the fight against epidemics on this scale has been generally successful. The successful implementation of quarantine measures by the Cossacks and Bashkirs of the Orenburg province was based on the experience of the border service, the previous massive participation in the Russian-Turkish and Napoleonic wars, integration into the empire’s administrative institutions.

Context-Relative Norms Determine the Appropriate Type of Consent in Clinical Biobanks: Towards a Potential Solution for the Discrepancy between the General Data Protection Regulation and the European Data Protection Board on Requirements for Consent

Clinical biobanks processing data of participants in the European Union (EU) fall under the scope of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which among others includes requirements for consent. These requirements are further specified by the Article 29 Working Party (WP29)—an EU advisory body currently known as the European Data Protection Board (EDPB). Unfortunately, their guidance is cause for some confusion. While the GDPR allows participants to give broad consent for research when specific research purposes are still unknown, the WP29 guidelines suggest that additional consent for specific uses should be obtained in addition to broad consent when this becomes applicable. This discrepancy elicits the question whether clinical biobanks can fail the requirement of consent if they obtain broad consent, but not a specific consent for each biomedical study. We analysed this discrepancy within the framework of contextual integrity, in order to describe the context-relative informational norms that govern information flows in clinical biobanks. However, our analysis demonstrates that there is no uniform set of norms that can be applied to all clinical biobanks. As such, neither the GDPR nor the WP29 guidance can act as a “one size fits all” approach to all clinical biobanks. Rather, differences between clinical biobanks—especially regarding the scientific aims and patient populations—make the case for context-relative norms that determine the appropriate type of consent.

Criteria for Selecting Members of Municipal Public Chambers and Councils in Russia and Economic, Social and Environmental Councils in France

he paper considers the goals implemented in the legal regulation of the formation of public chambers (councils) inArkhangelsk, Barnaul, Volgograd, Yekaterinburg, Surgut (Russia) and social, economic and environmental councils of the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, Hauts-de-France, New Aquitaine, Brittany, Normandy regions (France). It is suggested that the main possible goals are to ensure that citizens represent their interests and the city authorities receive assistance from citizens when solving their tasks. There is a similarity between the requirements for candidates for membership in Russian public chambers and French social, economic and environmental councils (the need for representation of those whose lives depend on the level of development of the territorial unit in which the Advisory body operates; the ban on membership for those having been involved in offenses; the need for representation of public organizations). The requirements, both identical and different, are primarily aimed at ensuring the representation of the local population. At the same time, the French legislature sets a requirement for mandatory representation not of any local resident, but of particular groups defined for various reasons and a certain numerical ratio of representatives of these groups. As for the formation procedure, the composition of the considered Russian Advisory bodies is determined by local self-government bodies, while the French ones are determined by state authorities, besides local organizations are involved both in Russia and France. This procedure (as well as part of the requirements for candidates) is aimed at selecting individuals who are qualified enough to help local governments in the implementation of their functions, in case there are guarantees that these individuals will be representatives of the local community. At the same time, it is stipulated that elections are not the only way to ensure the representation of citizens; alternative methods include, in particular, the division of members of the Advisory body into groups based on the categories of the population they represent, provided for in the French law.

Stewardship and renewal of catholic places of worship in Australia

The National Liturgical Architecture and Art Council (NLAAC) is an advisory body to the Bishops’ Commission for Liturgy of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, mandated to provide advice in the areas of liturgical architecture, art and heritage. The Council has prepared guidelines for use throughout the Catholic Church in Australia. The most recent of these documents, Fit for Sacred Use: Stewardship and Renewal of Places of Worship (2018) focusses on existing church buildings with particular reference to cultural heritage, and is the subject of this paper. Vatican II sought the full and active liturgical participation of all the people and so existing churches were reordered to foster inclusion. It is timely to consider questions around what constitutes our heritage and how it is valued. Fit for Sacred Use sets out the liturgical and heritage principles which are fundamental to conserving, renovating and reordering a church building. Its holistic approach considers how we renew our churches while honouring our heritage.