The Obligations of Prevention, Protection and Assistance to Victims of Trafficking

The emphasis on the prevention of the crime and the protection and assistance to victims of crime in international and European anti-trafficking instruments is a prominent example of the human rights-based approach to human trafficking. However, there is room for further improvement. This article reflects on the needs of trafficking victims in light of theoretical and practical implications of relevant international and European instruments with the aim of defining future action.

Digital Transformation of Education: Envisioning Post-Covid Education in Latvia

The project “Life with COVID-19: Evaluation of overcoming the coronavirus crisis in Latvia and recommendations for societal resilience in the future” (CoLife) was launched in Latvia in the summer of 2020. In this project, researchers representing different fields of social sciences were involved; researchers of education sciences were aiming to find out how the COVID-19 crisis contributed to the digital transformation of education and which changes in education caused by the COVID-19 crisis situation should be maintained in the future. The results of the project are a scientific prognosis on future action scenarios related to the digital transformation of education in Latvia, scientifically backed recommendations for related competency transformation, and tools for evaluating proposed solutions from the perspective of education to conceptualize recommendations for policy-makers on the digital transformation of education in relation to the digitalization and use of digital solutions at all levels of education (preschool, general education, higher education), thus laying the foundation for establishing and implementing a flexible and student-focused education. This article is dedicated to conceptualizing the recommendations for policy-makers on the digital transformation of education using the Delphi method.

ANALYSING THE EFFORTS OF HAMAS FOR THE PALESTINIAN CAUSE

Here, we examine Hamas' involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and make recommendations for future action. Public sources and interviews with five contemporary Hamas officials living abroad are used to examine the group's triumphs and failures since its active involvement in the military battle against Israel and Palestinian politics against the other key actor, Fatah, since the beginning of its involvement. Because it was driven into Gaza by the Palestinian Authority and because international players have blocked humanitarian help from reaching Hamas-controlled Gaza, Hamas has fallen short of Palestinians' expectations in terms of military triumph against Israel. Since the people of Gaza have become disgruntled with Hamas' administration due to rising unemployment and the Israeli blockade and attacks, it is expected that Hamas would continue to fight, but that it may largely withdraw from politics because of thi

Knowledge types and presuppositions

Public apologies are so prevalent in our social lives that they have become a subject of scholarly investigation all over the globe. The present study, which involves coding, frequency counting, and qualitative analysis, examines the strategic aspects of 16 public apologies issued to Filipino apologizees. The results of our analysis indicate that apologizers often choose varied knowledge types and draw upon presuppositions to strategically omit details that can negatively influence their credibility and the reception of their apology. More specifically, apologizers use the audience’s presuppositions to avoid presenting common knowledge of the offense that may incriminate them further; they also omit the mention of future action that may hold them more accountable for their transgressions. Our present analysis bolsters the view that although the sincerity of public apologies cannot be exactly measured, they are still performed as part of image repair and management of interpersonal relationships.

Tensions, articulations, and novelty in the ontogenetic development of historical thinking: Contributions of cultural–historical psychology

To analyse or experience history, to argue or narrate it, two approaches define and explain the phenomenon of thinking about history. In recent decades, thinking about history has become especially relevant because of its relationship with citizenship, either to evaluate evidence of the past or to guide present and future action. The contributions of psychology are diverse and come from traditions that refer to apparently antagonistic psychological processes, such as narrative and argumentation. The objective of this article is to address this discussion from a cultural–historical approach, specifically Vygotskian. We propose that argumentation and narrative are psychological processes that can be developed separately in ontogeny. Both processes, under certain conditions and socially mediated action, are stressed and articulated to give way to historical thinking, a higher psychological process.

THE OSSIFIED DEBATE ON A UN CONVENTION ON STATE RESPONSIBILITY

This article examines the developments on future action concerning the 2001 ILC Articles on the Responsibility of States for Internationally Wrongful Acts (ARSIWA) in the Sixth Committee of the UN General Assembly. It reviews the past 20 years, from the presentation of the final draft at the 56th session in 2001, to the most recent debate at the 74th session in 2019. In scrutinising the procedural actions taken over the relevant period, it argues that the ARSIWA have ossified in the Sixth Committee even as they have continued to gain authority through application in practice. This ossification is due not only to divisions amongst delegations on future action but also to disagreements on a select number of provisions. Whilst these substantive issues have narrowed, debate is made fruitless by entrenched positions that do not take account of the application of the ARSIWA in practice.

A New Swiss Federal Act on Gambling: From Missed Opportunities towards a Public Health Approach?

In January 2019, a new Swiss Federal Act on Gambling (Loi federal de jeux d’argent: LJAr) entered into force following a vote by the Swiss electorate. Intended to modernize and harmonize previous law and open the market for online casinos; the new regulations have highlighted the need for a comprehensive monitoring system. The present article outlines work undertaken by experts within the field to identify and elaborate the first steps towards developing such a monitoring system. This work includes the mapping of institutional actors and draft conceptualization of an impact model, including structural (i.e., prevention and intervention-based components), process (means), and outcomes (effect) indicators. Initial estimations of effective access to indicators and their perceived priority for data gathering are also described. Subsequent steps necessary for implementation of this public health approach for gambling are considered including grey areas for future action.