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19 March 2024 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo SUPPLIED
Prof Robert Peacock
Prof Robert Peacock, of the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Criminology Department, champions global engagement in scholarship, offering hope to victims worldwide while linking academia, policy, and practice.

Crime and victimisation have far-reaching consequences that profoundly impact on societal, economic, and ecological development. At the forefront of addressing these global challenges in Criminology, Victimology, Transitional and Criminal Justice, stands Prof Robert Peacock, an esteemed figure in the field from the University of the Free State's Department of Criminology.

His expertise adds significant depth to understanding and tackling the complex interplay between interpersonal conflict and broader societal, economic and ecological injustices. As serving and now Immediate Past President of the World Society of Victimology, Prof Peacock’s impact reached the highest levels, holding consultative status at both the United Nations Economic and Social Council and the Council of Europe. Together with the Justice Section of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), interventions on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice reform were also made on occasion of the 35th Anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power.

Advancing global discourse

Reflecting on his tenure, Prof Peacock emphasises: “The plight of victims of crime and abuse of power underscores the imperative to scrutinise global and local power dynamics, linking local experiences to global patterns of victimisation and transformation.” This sentiment resonated profoundly during the World Victimology Symposium held in Donostia/San Sebastian in Spain, shedding light on the Anthropocene epoch’s complexities.

His commitment to international collaboration is unwavering, evident in his new role on the Scientific and Advisory committee of the upcoming 2025 World Criminology conference to be hosted by O.P. Jindal Global University in India.

Global reach

Beyond academia, Prof Peacock’s influence extends worldwide, with invitations as a guest lecturer, course director, and keynote speaker at prestigious institutions and symposia. His guest editor roles in special editions of journals like Mediarres and Ethnicity in Criminal Justice highlight his dedication to advancing critical regional and international discourse.

To proceed with an emancipatory agenda for victims of crime and abuse of power in Africa or that of a Southern Victimology, Prof Peacock advocates for a paradigm shift in victimology, transcending narrow Western perspectives, and to remain mindful of the global economy and geopolitics that create new variations of privilege and status and asymmetries that cut across nations and regions. Recent translations of his work into Spanish aim to enhance accessibility across Latin America.

Strategic collaborations

In recognition of his expertise, Prof Peacock received a Global Minds grant, facilitating collaboration with KU Leuven (Katolieke Universiteit Leuven) in Belgium, a leading institution in law and criminology. This partnership, focusing on human rights, transitional justice, restorative justice and victimology, paves the way for impactful research on conflict, peace, and development.

Prof Peacock’s longstanding collaboration with colleagues in Belgium and the Netherlands underscores his commitment to international scholarship. Together, they’ve contributed significantly to victimological approaches to international crimes, even securing an audience with Pope Francis.

Advancing practical application

In advancing praxis and the internationalisation of engaged scholarship, Prof Peacock presented twice during the month of January 2024 on the topic of Trauma informed practice for frontline workers at the Permanent Mission of Belgium to the European Union. This was done in close cooperation with the Leuven Institute of Criminology, KU Leuven, and the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Brussels, together with an interdisciplinary project consortium, that included partners from Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Prof Peacock shared as speaker sessions with a Trauma Expert of the Victims and Witnesses Section of the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

As Prof Peacock continues to champion engaged scholarship on an international scale, his contributions seek to ameliorate the plight of victims of crime and abuse of power worldwide, bridging gaps between academia, policy, and practice.

News Archive

Postgraduate success rewarded during winter graduation ceremony
2012-06-06

The university is celebrating an increase in postgraduate success with a record number of master’s degrees and doctorates to be awarded during the winter graduation ceremony on 14 June 2012.

A total of 481 master’s degrees and 82 doctorates will be awarded in two ceremonies in the Callie Human Centre on the Bloemfontein Campus. This is the most postgraduate qualifications to be awarded at a single graduation ceremony. 

The university will also award an honorary doctorate in Literature to the author, Etienne van Heerden. Van Heerden, the author of Dertig Nagte in Amsterdam and Toorberg, among others, will be honoured with a D. Litt degree. Van Heerden, currently Hofmeyr professor and Head of the Department of Afrikaans and Dutch studies at the University of Cape Town, is one of the most acclaimed Afrikaans writers. His novels have been translated into eleven languages and his contributions are included in anthologies worldwide. One of his most important contributions to South African society is his creation of LitNet and the development of this powerful digital website that now also includes two accredited journals.

Ms Nicky Abdinor, a clinical psychologist of Cape Town, who was born without arms and with shortened legs, will be the guest speaker at the graduation ceremony.

The programme for the two ceremonies is: 

  • At 10:15, the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences will award 231 master’s degrees and confer 43 doctorates. The Faculty of Health Sciences will award 52 master’s degrees and confer seven doctorates. 
  • At 14:15, the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences will award 62 master’s degrees and confer seven doctorates. The Faculty of the Humanities will confer one honorary doctorate, award 47 master’s degrees and confer 13 doctorates. In the Faculty of Education, 22 master’s degrees will be awarded and nine doctorates conferred. In the Faculty of Law, 34 master’s degrees will be awarded and one doctorate conferred. The Faculty of Theology will award 33 master’s degrees, and confer two doctorates.
     

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