Fiona Southward - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Fiona Southward

SUMMARY OF RESPONSE 1. Where rape victims are killed to prevent them speaking out about rape, de... more SUMMARY OF RESPONSE

1. Where rape victims are killed to prevent them speaking out about rape, decisions to leave rape charges to lie on file when defendants plead guilty to murder and not guilty to rape, allows perpetrators to achieve their aim in murdering victims, by allowing them to avoid the stigma of rape trial and conviction. We welcome the DPP’s acknowledgment of this position.

2. Failing to prosecute rape in murder cases raises serious public justice and public safety issues. Rape should be both charged and pursued to trial in appropriate cases.

3. We welcome the issuance of guidelines explicitly addressing this issue: in particular, making counts on file exceptional; stipulating public interest factors, especially on terms of detention; making time to consult families, requiring senior level sanction; and explicit reference to SOPOs.

4. However, the guidelines appear to offer prosecutors little more guidance than currently offered under existing CPS policy on prosecuting rape in homicide cases on a case by case basis in practice. This is light of the fact that: (1) murder is the most serious crime, (2) conviction attracts a mandatory life sentence, (3) murderers are released on licence with stricter conditions than under the Sexual Offences Act, and (4) the absence of victims raises time and cost concerns for judges in rape trials. The public interest factors outlined in the new draft guidelines speak little to when rape prosecution is appropriate in spite of these facts. We would appreciate clarification on this point.

5. Transparency and accountability are crucial to the CPS’s role in delivering justice in the public interest, including for women and victim families. The guidelines could be considerably enhanced in the extent to which they facilitate transparency and accountability in these cases.

6. Recommendations for the DPP:

Include a “public justice” factor in favour of rape prosecution in appropriate cases.
Require prosecutors to provide written explanations for leaving rape charges on file, to be made publically available by the CPS, with the consent of families.
Remove the explicit stipulation that judges views be taken into account in determining whether to proceed with a prosecution.
Collect and present data on when rape is not charged in murder cases despite evidence of it, as part of the CPS Violence Against Women Crime Report.
Separate data on when rape charges are left on file from other miscellaneous categories in the CPS Violence Against Women Crime Report.
Clarify the extent of prosecutorial awareness of the implications of rape convictions beyond sentencing; specifically as regards rehabilitation, the setting of minimum terms, post-release supervision, child protection and other areas where conviction for a sexual offence may trigger specific interventions. If necessary, training should be provided.
7. We would welcome a response from the DPP on the issues raised herein.

In a new report and webmap on the longstanding crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR), IPIS... more In a new report and webmap on the longstanding crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR), IPIS points out that access to resources remains the predominant driver of both armament and conflict in CAR. All armed groups operating in CAR are engaged in predation on one or more economic sectors. Such predation is not only a key determinant of an armed group’s movements and activities, but provides essential sustenance to its rank and file.

Two thirds of all reported incidents are characterised predominantly by violence against civilians, particularly in key pastoralists and mining locales. Roadblocks generate revenue for both the state and armed groups and roadside taxation has reached such an extent that it asphyxiates the economy. Humanitarians are increasingly targeted.

IPIS’ interactive webmap and the report “Central African Republic: A Conflict Mapping” provides the reader with an overview of the actors, dynamics and the drivers of conflict in the Central African Republic.

This report takes stock of 5 years of implementation of national and international programmes and... more This report takes stock of 5 years of implementation of national and international programmes and initiatives designed to operationalize the recommendations of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance on Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas in the Great Lakes Region of Central Africa, mainly focusing on the
Democratic Republic of the Congo. It has been prepared by the International Peace Information Service (IPIS) for the OECD.

In 2014 deed IPIS een uitgebreid ‘conflict mapping’ onderzoek om inzicht te krijgen in de veiligh... more In 2014 deed IPIS een uitgebreid ‘conflict mapping’ onderzoek om inzicht te krijgen in de veiligheidssituatie in de Centraal-Afrikaanse Republiek (CAR). Dit leidde tot de publicatie van een publiek toegankelijke webkaart over belangrijke conflictdynamieken. IPIS bracht de gewapende groepen, mensenrechtenschendingen, natuurlijke rijkdommen, vluchtelingenstromen en migratieroutes van veehouders in kaart.

De voornaamste conclusies van dit rapport en nieuwe gegevens die IPIS verzamelde in 2016 leidden tot de publicatie van dit Nederlandstalig rapport dat op 20 december werd toegelicht tijdens een panelgesprek met IPIS-onderzoekster Fiona Southward en CAR-expert Peer Schouten van het Danish Institute for International Studies. Peer Schouten gaat in op de problematiek van de wegversperringen of roadblocks en hun impact op het dagelijks leven, de lokale veiligheid en de economie.

PIERRES DE COULEUR DANS L'EST DE LA RDC: L'EXPLOITATION ET LE COMMERCE DE LA TOURMALINE DANS LES PROVINCES DU KIVU

Coloured gemstones in eastern DRC: Tourmaline exploitation and trade in the Kivus

This IPIS Insight will elaborate on IPIS’ findings in its recent report, Mapping Conflict Motives... more This IPIS Insight will elaborate on IPIS’ findings in its recent report, Mapping Conflict Motives: the Central
African Republic – the latest in our conflict mapping series. It gives some insight into the modes of
exploitation used by armed groups in the CAR to profit from diamonds and the role these stones have
played in the complex and shifting dynamics that characterise the on-going crisis, both in the east and
west of the country. It will then briefly consider the KP’s role in this context.

Criminal Law and Justice Weekly, 2012

The issue of leaving criminal charges to remain "on file" instead of taking them to trial can oft... more The issue of leaving criminal charges to remain "on file" instead of taking them to trial can often be misunderstood. When applied in respect of stigmatic offences, like rape, orders to this effect can elicit responses akin to those occasioned by Scotland's contentious "not proven" verdict.

DISCLAIMER: This document is intended to be for information purposes only. The author takes no re... more DISCLAIMER: This document is intended to be for information purposes only. The author takes no responsibility for the accuracy of content nor for acts or steps taken by third parties pursuant to the information contained herein.

University of Essex, 2010

Crucial issue of consent reviewed

BBC News, 2006

Criminal Justice Scotland, 2006

University of Glasgow Student law e-Journal, Jun 2005

Identity theft" is a termthat has come tobe well recognised ineveryday media and is a growing phe... more Identity theft" is a termthat has come tobe well recognised ineveryday media and is a growing phenomenon that costs the British economy over £1.3 billion annually. It affects an estimated 100,000 people in the UKevery year, and yet still no recognition of victimstatus is granted to such affected persons in the law. This paper seeks to use theidentity theft phenomenon to explore the ambits of the law of theft in Scotland and England. It will examine why and howidentity could be said to have become a formof property that requires protection via criminal sanction, going on to assess the law ofthefts abilityto cope with such emerging notions of property. It will argue that both English and Scots law show a strain in their ability to do so that would ultimately precludethe inclusion ofidentitytheft and other forms of incorporeal property under the paradigmof theft.

Teaching Documents by Fiona Southward

Chapters by Fiona Southward

La chaîne d'approvisionnement des minerais et ses liens avec le conflit dans l'est de la République démocratique du Congo : bilan des 5 dernières années

Conjonctures congolaises 2015. Entre incertitudes politiques et transformation économique, 2016

2015 : année des espoirs déçus. Année électorale, mais aucune élection n'eut lieu. Année du dialo... more 2015 : année des espoirs déçus. Année électorale, mais aucune élection n'eut lieu. Année du dialogue politique national et inclusif, mais qui n'était toujours pas acquis au 31 décembre. Année de la décentralisation, alors que l'autonomie provinciale fut rapidement confisquée par le pouvoir central. Année du renforcement de l'opposition rejointe par d'importantes personnalités politiques, mais cependant déforcée par la politique répressive du gouvernement. Année marquée par la revendication du respect de la Constitution, mais qui fut contrée par la tentative de la modifier ou par les efforts de « glissement ». Année de pacification de l'Est du pays grâce, entre autres, aux opérations Sokola I et Sokola II, bien que les violences n'aient pas cessé, voire se soient intensifiées en certains endroits.
L'année donc du questionnement et de la confusion, mais tel n'est pas le cas de la transformation en matière économique et partiellement sociale. En comparaison avec les années 1990 du siècle passé, le pays connait un changement remarquable. Un taux de croissance soutenu depuis une décennie, reflété par l'augmentation de la production dans les secteurs miniers, la construction et les communications, qui a fait diminuer quelque peu la pauvreté des ménages. En outre, la bancarisation (paiement électronique des agents de l'État) et la régularité des paiements des salaires a sans doute amélioré passablement les conditions de vie des fonctionnaires. Les réformes tangibles mises en œuvre sont, comme tout changement, l'effet de différents facteurs : par exemple, l'appui de la communauté internationale et la rentrée de nouveaux investissements étrangers ainsi que nationaux. Dans ce cadre, il y a le choix par le gouvernement de s'insérer dans cette globalisation, profitant des atouts en ressources naturelles qu'offre la République démocratique du Congo aux nouveaux venus. Toutefois, cette évolution présente le danger d'une nouvelle forme d'extraversion de cette même croissance. C'est la raison pour laquelle le gouvernement a aussi opté, ces dernières années, pour un développement accéléré de l'agriculture, secteur délaissé depuis bientôt trois décennies entraînant une dépendance accrue aux importations de nourriture de l'étranger. C'est, entre autres, ce pari de « modernisation » qui est analysé dans cette édition 2015 des Conjonctures congolaises.
Le problème de fond qui se dessine donc est cette évolution contradictoire entre un développement économique prometteur et un piétinement, ou détérioration, du paysage politique. Cette transformation paradoxale peut fragiliser les acquis timides, mais réels, de la reconstruction du pays.

"Article 9 Transit and Transhipment" in WEAPONS AND INTERNATIONAL LAW: THE ARMS TRADE TREATY

"Article 8 Import" in WEAPONS AND INTERNATIONAL LAW: THE ARMS TRADE TREATY

Weapons and International law: The Arms Trade Treaty gives a thorough legal and practical analysi... more Weapons and International law: The Arms Trade Treaty gives a thorough legal and practical analysis of this important new legal instrument to regulate the global trade of the most commonly-used conventional arms.