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Internationalisation of engaged scholarship: Prof Peacock’s impact

19 March 2024 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo SUPPLIED

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

Hearing loss a silent public health crisis in South Africa

2017-03-27

Dr Magteld Smith engages on the topic of hearing loss
and how it coincides with the commemoration of
World Hearing awareness during the month of March.
Photo: Oteng Mpete

Communication is a principal challenge for people with hearing loss. It can be difficult to negotiate everyday interactions, whether in the workplace, on the street, in classrooms, courts, during consultations with health professionals, or even when contacting the police. The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) World Hearing Day is an annual advocacy event held each year on 3 March to raise awareness and promote ear and hearing care across the world. In many countries this awareness campaign usually starts on 3 March but many continue to create awareness for the full month of March.

Hearing loss is a global reality
According to Dr Magteld Smith, a researcher at the University of the Free State (UFS) School of Medicine’s Department of Otorhinolaryngology, unaddressed hearing loss poses a high cost for the economy globally and has a significant impact on the lives of those affected. Interventions to address hearing loss are available in South Africa but are not accessible or affordable for most citizens. This is partly because not only persons with hearing loss but also people with disabilities experience barriers in accessing services that many of us take for granted, including health, education, employment, and transport as well as information. These difficulties are exacerbated in less-advantaged communities.

“WHO estimates that there are more than 360 million persons with hearing loss globally. The statistics in South Africa are unreliable due to the different definitions used by Statistics South Africa and the absence of training of the officials who conduct and collect statistics concerning hearing loss in South Africa,” says Dr Smith.

According to Dr Smith, analysis from retrospective studies reflects that about 17 out of 1 000 infants are born daily in South Africa with severe to profound hearing loss. However, Dr Smith states that the number could be higher because of late diagnosis, high levels of undiagnosed and untreated hearing loss. This excludes young adults, adults and the elderly as well as children with acquired (become deaf after birth) hearing loss.

Crisis that needs urgent intervention
Dr Smith says hearing loss is an emergency which the South African government fails to prioritise. She says that research published confirms that the risk compounding the projected increase in hearing loss that comes with an ageing population. This is a looming and silent public-health crisis.
She believes that the government should take urgent action to align research-spending with the current and projected size and impact of hearing loss. It should also collaborate across related conditions, such as vision, neurodegenerative diseases and neurological conditions. Furthermore, the government needs, and is obligated, to deliver more accessible and integrated services and develop quality standards that take account of the whole pathway – linking public health, clinical and social needs.

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