Institute of Criminology Public Seminars: 'Hurting the Vulnerable; Harming Ourselves: Modes and mechanisms of structural and hidden violences against women and children from a culturo-evolutionary co-perspective'

Speaker: Dexter Dias QC, Barrister

Questions: Why do we hurt the most vulnerable? When we do so, how do we harm ourselves? What are the commonalities between modes of violence directed at the most vulnerable - state-authorised violence against children in custodial institutions; familial and kinship violence against girls subjected to Female Genital Mutilation? If there are regularly recurring explicators, how deeply rooted are they? Might such causes be - shockingly, counterintuitively, unpalatably - in some sense 'adaptive', evolutionary in origin? What would that mean; what would it look like? How would that interact with culture - does it? Above all, how do we fight such violences? Answers: Based on (1) the speaker's research at Harvard and Cambridge; (2) 25 years working in human rights and criminal justice as a barrister and part-time judge; and (3) fleshed out by disputation and discussion.

Dexter Dias QC is a human rights barrister, part-time judge of the Crown Court and visiting researcher at Harvard and Cambridge. He chaired and co-authored the influential Bar Human Rights report to the Parliamentary Inquiry into FGM and has briefed and written reports for the UN around gender-based violence.

This seminar starts at 5.30pm, and will be held in Seminar Room B3, Institute of Criminology, Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 9DA. A drinks reception in the basement foyer will follow this seminar for attendees.

The IoC Public Seminar Series is open to all interested in attending, with no ticket required. If you wish to be added to the seminar mailing list, please contact: Joanne Garner, on: jf225@cam.ac.uk