Dear VPF Friends, 

Welcome to the Violence Prevention Forum newsletter. On a bi-weekly basis we will be sharing job, funding and training opportunities, details for webinars relevant to violence and its prevention, and links to new research and guidelines. We hope you find this a useful resource.

Job Opportunity: Director Position at The Seven Passes Initiative 

 

The Seven Passes Initiative is a community-based organisation stationed in Touwsranten, 26km from George. The initiative is looking for a highly motivated and visionary individual to fill the full day position of Director.  The starting date of the position will be the 1^st  September 2023. Applications close on the  19^th of July 2023.

Statement: Gun Free South Africa on underperformance and corruption at Central Firearms registry fueling gun violence in South Africa

 

Against the backdrop of a protracted policing crisis around effectiveness and leadership, allegations of underperformance and corruption have for years dogged the Central Firearms Registry (CFR), the police unit responsible for firearms management, including firearm-related record-keeping.  Globally accurate and efficient record-keeping, which tracks firearms from cradle to grave, is recognised as a cornerstone to effectively manage legal gun stocks and ensure they don’t leak into criminal hands; and is a requirement under several international small arms control instruments which South Africa has signed onto.

Article: ‘Falling short: Be careful not to transfer trauma of your upbringing to your kids

 

Trauma can be transmitted to children by traumatised parents. Chronic trauma, according to research may turn the body into a  state of persistent high alert, seeing threats or dangers in every situation. Parenting is intense and William Gumede unpacks some mindful approaches parents can use in their parenting style in a trauma-informed way.

Call for Inputs: Legislative Policy Proposals – Minimum Unit Pricing & Uniform Alcohol Trading Time Parameters for the Western Cape Province

 

The Western Cape provincial government (WCG) has identified the reduction of alcohol-related harms as one of its key interventions that will contribute to the strategic priorities of well-being and safety, while ensuring it is targeted to limit its impact on the economy. This is in line with the World Health Organization’s Alcohol Best-Buys which aims to reduce and restrict the availability of alcohol to reduce alcohol-related harms and benefit society as a whole.

 

As a priority issue, the WCG has identified the evidence-based policy proposals of Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) in the sale of alcohol and uniform alcohol trading time parameters in the province as strategies to reduce alcohol-related harms.

The WCG requests stakeholders to consider the two identified interventions and provide input and comments by no later than 31 July 2023.

Opportunity:  Postdoctoral Fellowship at CoE-Human Development  

The DSI-NRF Centre for Excellence in Human Development seeks to appoint THREE full-time postdoctoral researchers to work with Professor Shane Norris and Dr Asanda Mtintsilana as part of the Postdoctoral Accelerator Programme. This programme fellowship aims to develop postdocs to senior researcher level within 2 years. All fellowships will involve mentoring, academic writing, project planning/implementation, data analyses and career strategy formulation. The successful candidates will work closely with Professor Shane Norris and Dr Asanda Mtintsilana as programme mentors. The closing date is the 31^st of July 2023.

Article: A recipe for preventing violence in the Western Cape

 

Increasing levels of violence undermine the ability of citizens and families to reach their full potential in society. Evidence-led parenting programmes support parents to build warm, supportive relationships with their children, establish house rules and use positive discipline techniques instead of corporal punishment. These kinds of programmes have been shown to reduce child maltreatment and abuse and improve children's and parents’ mental health. In this way, they contribute to breaking cycles of violence.