Research

Over the years during my academic career, I have built extensive know-how and experience in writing research proposal, supervising and implementing multi-country research studies, and dissemination of research results (publications, conferences, workshops and seminars).  My main focus is on qualitative research (in-depth interviews, focus groups), policy and legal analysis, situation analysis, intersectional analysis, feasibility studies, literature reviews, and to a lesser extent quantitative research (prevalence studies). I’ve worked in a number of countries in the European Union as well as in Sub-Sahara Africa. Research themes I worked on include: gender based violence, female genital mutilation/cutting, child/early/forced marriage, cosmetic genital surgeries, hymenoplasty, gender equality and comprehensive sexuality education. 

 
 

  • Prevalence studies

    Prevalence studies that I’ve done, have focused on advancing knowledge and insights on how to estimate the prevalence of female genital mutilation/cutting in Belgium (assignment for Belgian Federal Department of Public Health in 2010), and estimations of girls at risk of female genital mutilation/cutting in six countries of the European Union (assignment for the European Institute for Gender Equality in 2014). I also did a prevalence study of violence against women in Brussels, Belgium, an assignment for the Brussels government (in 2016-2017), and – when I was attached to Ghent University - a study on estimating the direct prevalence of female genital mutilation/cutting in Belgium, Italy and France in collaboration with INED Sorbonne France and Biccocca University Milano, Italy (in 2015 to 2017).

  • Situation analyses

    Some examples of such studies include my involvement in the 2015 study “What is the evidence on the reduction of inequalities in accessibility and quality of maternal health care delivery for migrants? A review of the existing evidence in the WHO European Region”, an assignment for WHO Europe; Another example is my study in 2017 for Plan International Belgium on “Assessing evidence on violence against girls and young women in Belgium”, and my involvement as co-researcher fort the literature review on the effectiveness of campaigns to reduce HIV stigma, an assignment for the German Bundeszentrale fur Gesundheidliche Aufkläring (BZgA) and carried out in 2018.

  • Policy analyses

    I have performed a number of preliminary policy studies for Belgian and international policy makers, as an evidence base to develop future policies, or to adapt policies. Some examples are:

    • “Study to map the current situation and trends on female genital mutilation in the 27 EU Member States and Croatia”, and assignment for the European Institute for Gender Equality carried out in 2012 (desk study with 27 national researches, policy research).

    • “Study to support the fitness check of the EU legislation on preventing and combatting violence against women and domestic violence and impact assessment for a legislative proposal on the topic, National Report Belgium, an assignment for DG Justice of the European Commission and carried out in 2021.

  • Intersectional analysis

    For Girls Not Brides, I performed an intersectional analysis of risk factors for child marriage for girls in Latin America and Caribbean, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa”. The study was done in 2021, and resulted in the development of a background paper and policy brief for Girls Not Brides.

  • Feasibility study

    For ENABEL, the Belgian Development Agency, I have carried out a feasibility study in Guinea in 2021, in collaboration with a local consultant, to establish a One Stop Centre for the holistic care of victims of gender based violence in Guinea.

 Capacity building, education and training

I can provide short courses, guest lectures, webinars and PhD guidance on gender-based violence, female genital mutilation/cutting and child/early/forced marriage.  Here are some of my activities in the field of capacity building, education and training: 

  • Training: From 2012 to 2014, I was involved in providing training for hospital-based health professionals in caring for women with female genital mutilation/cutting in Belgium, an assignment for the Belgian Federal Government. From 2016 to 2018, I provided training for graduate students in the framework of the project “Multisectorial, Academic Training on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting”, which was done in collaboration with Universidad Rey Juan Carlos Spain, Università Roma 3 and Fondazione Celli Italy, Fundacion Wassu-Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona Spain, Insitutuo Universitario de Lisboa Portugal.

  • Guest lectures: On a regular basis, I provide guest lectures for undergraduate students in nursery and midwifery on female genital mutilation/cutting, harmful practices, and gender-based violence for Ghent University Hospital, Thomas More Kempen, Hogeschool Gent, PXL Hasselt, Odisee Brussels, Artevelde Hogeschool, VIVES Brugge, as well as lay people.

  • Short course on gender based violence: In 2016, I provided a Short Course on Gender Based Violence, provided at Eduardo Mondlane University Mozambique in Maputo and Chibuto, organized in the framework of the interuniversity collaboration between Ghent University and Eduardo Mondlane in Mozambique.

  • Summer schools: I provided guest lectures on harmful practices across cultures for the Summer school on Reproductive Health and Rights, organized by the Belgian Medical Students’ Association in collaboration with International Centre for Reproductive Health (in 2017 and 2018), and for the Summer school on Health and Migration, organized by the Belgian Medical Students’ Association in collaboration with International Centre for Reproductive Health (from 2013 to 2018).

  • Workshops and seminars: I have organized and gave lectures and a number of workshops and seminars, for a wide variety of national and international audiences, some of which are:

    • “Good practices in prevention, protection, prosecution, provision of services and partnerships regarding female genital mutilation in the EU”, international experience exchange meeting, organised for the European Institute for Gender Equality, London, September 13, 2013.

    • “Forced marriage in Belgium”, a seminar for the Federal Institute for Equal Opportunities, Brussels, February 24, 2015.

    • “Challenges in estimating prevalence of female genital mutilation in the European Union and recommendations for future estimations”, an international symposium held in Brussels, February 27-28, 2017.

    • “2nd International Academic Seminar of the MAP FGM Project “FGM/C at the intersection of qualitative, quantitative and mixed method research – Experiences from Africa and Europe”, a seminar I organized in Brussels, June 8-9, 2017.

  • Webinars: After writing a technical paper, I gave a webinar on “Strategies against medicalisation of FGM”, for the United Nations Population Fund, West and Central Africa Regional Office, May 15 2018.

  • Supervision of students: As a postdoctoral research fellow and assistant professor, I have supervised numerous Master students and PhD students. A list of the PhD students I supervised in the past can be found under Achievements. Currently, I’m co-supervising Mrs Carla Martingo, with her PhD in Gender Studies at NOVA in Lisboa, Portugal, focusing on female genital mutilation in Portugal: experiences and challenges in the diaspora.

Senior advisor / Technical expert

I served as a senior advisor and expert for a number of international and national clients, including: European Commission, European Parliament, World Health Organisation, Belgian government, Ministry of Health of the Netherlands, END FGM European Campaign, Worldbank, the UN Division for the Advancement of Women, the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at Washington College of Law, Belgian Parliament, and many others. Below are some of the assignments accomplished in recent years:

 

  • During 2015 and 2016, I was one of the experts in the Guideline Development Group of the World Health Organisation, for the development of the “WHO Guidelines on Management of health complications of FGM”. http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/fgm/management- health-complications-fgm/en/, World Health Organisation, Reproductive Health Research

  • I was an invited expert to the “UK Mutual Learning Gender Seminar” on Gender Equality, for which I prepared a discussion paper on FGM and other harmful practices in Belgium”, and attended the seminar, an assignment for the UK Home Office and the European Commission in 2016.

  • In 2016, I was a senior expert consultant for a number of studies for the FEMM Committee of the European Parliament, including the study “Forced marriage from a gender perspective” (2016), the “Study on violence against women and the EU accession to the Istanbul Convention” (2017), the “Study on Sexual and reproductive health rights and Conscientious objection” (2018).

  • In 2016 and 2017, I was a senior expert advisor for the study “Terminology and indicators for data collection: rape, femicide and interpersonal violence”, a study that was carried out for the European Institute for Gender Equality.

  • In 2017 and 2018, I was a member of the steering committee for the Prevalence study on female genital mutilation in the Netherlands, an assignment for the Dutch government.

  • In 2020, I was a senior advisor for the study “Estimation of girls at risk of female genital mutilation”, a study for the European Institute for Gender Equality.

 

Evaluations

Evaluations that I have done include the evaluation of action plans of Belgian NGOs in the area of international development and disability (done in 2006 and 2007 for the Belgian International Cooperation), the evaluation of registrations of female genital mutilation in Belgian hospitals (done in 2012 for the Belgian Ministry of Health), and the evaluation of the REPLACE II project on behavior change towards female genital mutilation in the EU-supporting communities to end FGM in the EU (done in 2015).

I’m also asked to evaluate research proposals for the European Research Council, the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (Belgium), Zorgnet Nederland and to review research papers submitted to a wide range of scientific journals. 

 
multisectoral training guide on female genital mutilation and cutting
 

Development of tools 

For the Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa (AWEPA), I developed the Guide on Female Genital Mutilation for Parliamentarians in 2012, and updated the same tool in 2016. 

For university students, and in collaboration with Universidad Rey Juan Carlos Spain, Università Roma 3 and Fondazione Celli Italy, Fundacion Wassu-Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona Spain, Insitutuo Universitario de Lisboa Portugal, I developed the Multisectorial, Academic Training Guide on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting”.