A specialist in constitutional law and fundamental rights, Stéphanie Wattier has established herself as one of Belgium’s leading academic voices on the intersection of gender and human rights. With some 100 publications to her credit, this book is the result of years of research and teaching, particularly through her course “Law, Gender, and Society” taught in the Faculty of Law and in the inter-university master’s program specializing in gender studies.

Primarily grounded in Belgian law, the book incorporates numerous developments in European law, including the case law of the European Court of Human Rights, as well as elements of comparative law.

The book opens with an analysis of the emergence of the concept of “gender” and its reception in law, before addressing topics such as gender identity, the physical and psychological integrity of intersex people, sexual orientation, gender-based violence, reproductive health, and gender equality.

The foreword is written by Stéphanie Hennette Vauchez, professor of public law at the University of Paris Nanterre and a leading expert on gender issues, a scholarly endorsement that underscores the significance of this work beyond national borders.

While not intended as a popular science guide, Gender Through the Lens of Human Rights was written to be accessible to a wide audience: lawyers, law students, activists, social workers, policymakers, and curious citizens will all find food for thought within its pages. This accessibility reflects Stéphanie Wattier’s conviction that legal research must be grounded in real-world practice and accessible to society as a whole.

Co-director of the Center for Vulnerabilities and Societies (V&S) and Vice President of the Transitions Institute at UNamur, as well as a member of the University’s Gender Committee, Stéphanie Wattier embodies this ambition for research that is both rigorous and grounded in the real world, addressing the challenges of our time. Her expertise is regularly sought after at national and international conferences, by the media, by members of civil society, and by the various Belgian parliaments.

The University of Namur is strongly committed to gender equality, diversity, and inclusion. Since the creation of a gender group in 2011, followed by a dedicated Vice-Rectorate in 2013, UNamur has implemented a proactive policy centered on four pillars: human dignity, gender equality, inclusion, and the fight against harassment. On campus, the PHARE (Protection HARcèlement Étudiant) initiative, launched in 2021, allows any student who is a victim or witness to report an uncomfortable situation and receive anonymous and confidential support. Gender equality is also one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to which UNamur has fully committed.

Launched in 2010 by NARILIS (Namur Research Institute for Life Sciences), the “student-researcher” program is based on a simple yet ambitious idea: to enable motivated students to immerse themselves in research starting in their undergraduate years. The goal is not necessarily to train future academics, but to push students out of their comfort zones, to develop their ability to learn independently, and to tackle complex subjects methodically and autonomously. These are valuable skills, regardless of the career path they choose.

Today, this educational model is gaining traction beyond the NARILIS Institute. At the UNamur Law Faculty, Donaciene Quoirin tried the experiment last year as part of writing a scientific article alongside Géraldine Mathieu, a professor of family and juvenile law, and Bee Marique, a lawyer and teaching assistant. Her mission? To give children a voice. This year, she has joined Lisa Salmon in the CAPACITI project, focused on children’s rights, in collaboration with researcher Manon Brulard.

CAPACITI is a research project aimed at engaging children in learning about and advocating for their rights. Far from being a desk-bound endeavor, it involves going directly to meet with children—particularly in schools—to hear their voices and understand how they perceive their rights.

The students were therefore tasked with designing fun educational tools, leading workshops with classes, taking notes, and facilitating activities. 

“For example, we created a little game called ‘Agree, Disagree,’ using signs, and a picture game to match a right with its illustration… These are practical tools we developed in collaboration with Manon Brulard,” explains Donaciene.

Lisa, for her part, focused on developing a board game inspired by Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit, while actively participating in on-site activities. 

More recently, they have also contributed to in-depth research on the procedures for hearing children under Belgian law. This work will enable the creation of fun fact sheets for children to answer all their questions about how hearings before a judge take place.

What strikes Donaciene and Lisa is not only the intellectual depth of the project, but the human reality it reveals. During the workshops in schools, the children open up with disarming ease, sometimes on very sensitive topics. 

“We’ve been here for two hours, and they’re coming up to us to talk about very personal things. I found that pretty impressive,” Donaciene says.

Lisa, for her part, was struck by the way the children sometimes look at one another: “What struck me is that even among themselves, they can judge each other. Children trying to speak, not very sure of themselves, facing a group that judges…”

On the issue of rights themselves, the conclusion is clear: children know little, or misunderstand, their practical implications. “They’re for them and they’re essential, but they don’t know much about them,” Lisa sums up. Donaciene, for her part, observes two types: those who know they have rights but feel they aren’t respected much in the face of parental authority, and those who’ve never heard of them.

What makes this educational program particularly unique is also the nature of the relationship between the researcher and the students. Manon Brulard, the project’s principal investigator, is only three years older than Donaciene and Lisa. This closeness fosters a genuine, horizontal dynamic of collaboration, far removed from the traditional mentor-mentee model.

“I really want to treat them as full-fledged researchers. I give them meaningful tasks—tasks that will have a tangible impact. I don’t want to ask them to do work that no one will read,” Manon insists.

For her, working with student researchers also breaks the isolation inherent in research: “Research is a very solitary endeavor. Being able to discuss things after the sessions, to share ideas, is extremely enriching.”

The inclusion of the student-researcher status in the curriculum is no small matter. While Donaciene initially contributed on a volunteer basis as a student-researcher to the drafting of a scientific article, student participation in the CAPACITI project is now recognized as part of their legal internship, earning them 4 credits.

But beyond the credits, it is the experience itself that matters most. Donaciene puts it bluntly: seeing research from the inside, from its inception to its concrete outcomes, has opened her eyes to the profession of research. Lisa, for her part, regrets that the program is still not well-known enough: “If I hadn’t taken the Youth Law track, I would never have known this role existed.”

Both hope to continue the adventure next year and perhaps, one day, make research their career. Provided, they point out with clarity, that the criteria for entering an academic career do not close doors to students who are already rich in concrete and valuable experience.

Since joining the Transitions Research Institute in 2024, the V&S; Center has strengthened its interdisciplinary approach. While law remains its foundation, dialogue with other disciplines (philosophy, history, political science, geography, etc.) is essential. “Law is indispensable for structuring society, but it often comes too late. It must be informed by sociological, anthropological, or medical analyses to truly drive change in norms,” emphasizes Stéphanie Wattier.

This openness allows the 47 researchers at the V&S; Center to better grasp the complexity of the phenomena they study and avoid a purely normative approach. It also fosters fruitful collaborations with external partners: grassroots organizations, NGOs, public institutions, judges, lawyers, and policymakers. These ongoing exchanges fuel research and strengthen its societal impact.

Each year, the Center organizes a conference centered on a unifying theme, chosen based on contemporary societal issues. These gatherings serve as key opportunities for dialogue among researchers and practitioners in the field. They often lead to the publication of collective works, designed as tools for reflection and action.

To mark its tenth anniversary, the Center organized a conference dedicated to a subject that is both sensitive and essential: “Combating Sexual Violence.” This choice came naturally. “Many of us were working, directly or indirectly, on this issue. And despite its prevalence, sexual violence is still under-addressed in legal scholarship,” explains the Center’s co-director.

The anniversary symposium brought together legal professionals, specialized organizations (“Breaking the Silence” and “Lawyers Victims Assistance”), researchers from other disciplines, judges, attorneys, and institutional representatives. This diversity reflects the Center’s philosophy: bringing together different perspectives to better understand and take action. Discussions focused on a legal analysis of sexual violence experienced by various groups, including children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and victims of armed conflict; but also on the settings where it occurs, whether in the family, online, or within institutions such as the Catholic Church, higher education, or the medical field.

This work resulted in a collective volume published by Larcier, titled “Combattre les violences sexuelles.” The choice of title is no accident. “We wanted to adopt a clearly committed stance. The role of legal doctrine is not only to describe the law, but also to shed light on phenomena that have been silenced or trivialized for too long,” explain Stéphanie Wattier and Géraldine Mathieu, coordinators of the book and co-directors of the Center.

The publication highlights two major findings: women and children remain the primary victims of sexual violence, and the law, while indispensable, remains insufficient on its own. The contributions underscore the difficulties related to evidence, compensation for physical and psychological harm, as well as the limitations of an exclusively criminal justice response.

Through the Center’s conferences and publications—whether addressing gender-based violence from a legal perspective or the rights of intersex people—a common thread emerges: the conviction that prevention is essential. “Punishment isn’t enough. We need to act upstream—raise awareness, educate, and change mindsets. The law can support these changes, but it can’t do everything,” insists Stéphanie Wattier.

It is precisely this interplay between the law, on-the-ground realities, and prevention that has been the strength of the Center for Vulnerabilities and Societies for the past ten years. By giving a voice to victims, frontline workers, and researchers, it helps to change norms, practices, and, gradually, society itself. After ten years of existence, the Center continues to pursue its mission: to put the law at the service of people, so that it becomes a true lever for protection, recognition, and social transformation.

International Women's Day (UN), also known as "International Day of Struggle for Women's Rights" (UN Women), is celebrated every year on March 8. This day highlights the struggles for women's rights and, more broadly, for the elimination of inequalities between women and men.  

Although International Women's Day was made official by the United Nations in 1977, following on from the International Women's Year proclaimed in 1975 by the UN General Assembly, its origins date back to the social movements that emerged in North America and Europe at the turn of the 20th century. 

The fight against gender discrimination is a priority at UNamur, which is firmly committed to promoting gender equality, non-discrimination, and respect for diversity.  

UNamur's goal is to create an inclusive university community where everyone can thrive, regardless of gender. By embracing diversity and taking concrete measures, the university affirms its commitment to a more equitable society based on the values of justice, inclusion, and respect for human dignity.