"In this paper, I attempt to analyse the effects of war on the size and age-sex structure of the Afghan population, and to estimate the size of the Afghan population in Afghanistan by age and sex for the years 1978-1987. In doing so, I try to estimate the number of persons killed during the war and examine the validity of the available estimates." The analysis is based on data from the 1979 census, a 1987 survey, and other sources.

The study identifies factors that limit effective institutional responses to domestic violence (DV) in Kyrgyzstan, in the context of recent legislative actions aimed at reducing DV through improvements in law enforcement, judicial processes, and provision of social services. The study uses qualitative, grounded theory methods to analyze interviews and focus groups with 83 professionals working in these sectors. Two major themes emerge from the analysis: (1) barriers to effective institutional responses from internal challenges and constraints, and (2) social resources and challenges identified as important to provide a better collective response. The study highlights the need for capacity development within institutions and broader social learning to overcome existing barriers and better align outcomes with the intentions of recent legislation. Standardized training, awareness-raising, enhanced roles for educators and religious leaders, better coordinated social service provision, rehabilitation for victims and perpetrators, and family-centered school-based interventions are identified as targets for improving responsiveness.

This article analyses the Kutaisi Trial (1878-80), a little-known case of blood libel in the Caucasus, in which nine Jewish men stood accused of involvement in the killing of a Georgian girl. All defendants were acquitted. While the accusation of killing for allegedly Jewish ritual purposes was not pressed explicitly by the prosecution, the case was widely discussed in terms of blood libel not only by the jurists but also by the authorities, the Georgian villagers, and the press. Existing scholarship on blood libel in Russia has stressed the influence of the Russian administration over court cases and in stirring up intercultural hatred. This article, however, shows much diversity among local and central, administrative and legal actors, and paints a more complex picture of Russian imperial courts and colonialism. It is based on an analysis of archival records from Tbilisi and Kutaisi, published court transcripts, and local and regional newspapers.