![](https://ircp.ugent.be/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Wendy-De-Bondt_opt.png)
Short bio
Wendy De Bondt is tenure track professor, with a background in both law and criminology, with a PhD in law.
Together with her team, she works on two research lines.
Firstly, she focusses on substantive criminal law principles and the in-depth study of certain specific offence types. In addition to criminal law applicable to adults, she also looks into juvenile delinquency law. The research projects aim to always include a comparative or cross-border component. She participated in a large number of EU wide research projects in the field of international cooperation in criminal matters.
Secondly, broadened her research work to encompass the rights of children and juvenile law, predominantly looking into the legal framework governing the contact between children and the criminal procedure. This research line looks into the topic both from a national as well as a European/international perspective. it not only looks into children as suspects or witnesses, but also children (in)directly influenced by sentences handed down against their care takers. In light thereof, she has become a member of the Human Rights Center.
Wendy is often invited as an expert or rapporteur in studies conducted by other research institutes and as a speaker at national and international conferences and training seminars. She is a regular guest at the seminars organized by the European Judicial Training Network and the seminars organized by European Law Academy.
Work details
- EMAIL: wendy.debondt@ugent.be
- TELEPHONE: +32 9 264 69 84
- TELEPHONE SECRETARIAT: +32 9 264 69 30
- ADRESS: Universiteitstraat 4, Ghent, Belgium
- ORCID: 0000-0001-7393-9164
Selected societal impact activities
- 16/03/2017 – De Standaard (newspaper) – Opinion piece on the travel ban launghed by President Trump, pointing to possible offences committed for airlines operating from Brussels Airport in execution thereof
- 12/10/2017-20/09/2018 – Lecture series on the rights of migrant children and children in armed conflicts, started at Deinze Library (in cooperation with Amnesty International) and ended at Rotary Kluisbergen
- 17/09/2015 – Membership working group “jeugddelinquentierecht” organised by “Agentschap jongerenwelzijn” preparing the new legal framework governing juvenile delinquency
Selected media
- 28/08/2019 – Podcast Mententaal – PodCast Mensentaal commenting on the PhD research regarding international parental abduction and the new juvenile delinquency decree, as a follow up of a Radio interview on 15.05.2018
- 28/05/2018 – De Wereld Vandaag (radio program) & VRT NWS (news program) – Radio interview and news interview advocating for a children’s rights based return of the children of (former) IS members
- 16/03/2017 – De Standaard (newspaper) – Opinion piece on the travel ban launghed by President Trump, pointing to possible offences committed for airlines operating from Brussels Airport in execution thereof
Selected events
Expertise
- International, European and national criminal (procedural) law
- Juvenile delinquency law
- Rights of the child
Selected projects
- 2016-2020 – PhD promotor: Heleen Lauwereys – Conceptualising the best interest of the child in the decision making process of Belgian criminal justice actors
- 2017-2021 – PhD promotor: Nele Audenaert – A theoretical framework for the concept of “criminal attempt” in Belgian Criminal Law
- 2018-2022 – PhD promotor: Elise Blondeel – Children’s rights in international parental abduction cases