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. 

This year, the trial concerned a case dating back to July 2025: an illegal rave party, gathering some 1,200 people having been held at Ohey, near Namur, in the middle of a protected natural area. "This case is linked to this year's Fil Rouge, "Réenchantons la Terre".It involves a case that caused significant damage to nature, but also acts of violence, with and without a discriminatory motive, between a participant and a local resident", explains Emma Bourcelet, assistant at the Faculty of Law and co-organizer of the event. "In particular, the idea was to show how environmental criminal law can be a tool for defending nature."

Seven students carefully prepared their speeches, each in a different role: Théophile Renier, Aurélie Lemmens, Albiona Sefedini, Louis Jaspard, Dorien Huys, Nateo Carnot and Laly Vadevorst. The staff surrounding the project included: Nathalie Colette-Bazecq, Dean of the Faculty of Law, Amani Pici, PhD student, Amélie Lachapelle, UNamur doctorate in legal sciences, ELSA Namur (European Law Students' Association) and Emma Bourcelet.

Special guests

The Faculty of Law welcomed two guests: Julien Moinil, King's Public Prosecutor in Brussels and didactic collaborator in criminal law, who presided over the court during the mock trial, and Sarah Coisne, judge at the Liège Court of Appeal, who had provided the real case file that served as the basis for the facts submitted to the students.

"Julien Moinil's experience as a practitioner and alumnus of the Faculty was a real source of inspiration," Emma Bourcelet points out. "As for Sarah Coisne, she not only contributed to the deliberations for the verdict, but also shared her experience and the diversity of cases in environmental criminal law. The audience was thus able to appreciate the beauty and role of the law in shaping our world in the service of protecting living things. "

The pedagogical benefits of such an exercise for students are numerous! "First and foremost, it's a real collective intelligence process where personalities combine to give a unique color to the project. The rigor imposed pushes participants to develop a legal analysis applied to real facts, which enables them to go beyond pure theory. Building a coherent, relevant argument is an invaluable exercise for their future careers, whatever they may be. Finally, learning to speak, role-play and overcome certain fears is a major challenge. Seeing their evolution in just one month is impressive," enthuses Emma Bourcelet.

On this November 18, the emotion was palpable in UNamur's Pedro Arrupe auditorium. "These students are in their second year, they don't yet have all the criminal law material, they find out about the case a month before the event... and yet, the magic happens!" confides Emma Bourcelet.

The biodiversity crisis isn't just destroying nature: it's also threatening our societies, our well-being and our survival. Based on the scientific assessments and findings of the IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services), this Francqui Chair will explore our toxic relationship with nature, the global failure to protect it, and the multiple values of living things.

Speaker: Sander Jacobs, Senior Researcher at INBO (Institute for Nature and Forestry), Nature & Society research group, Coordinator of the Urban Nature research program and Visiting Professor at Ghent University.

19/11/2025 - Inaugural lecture | Biodiversity crisis: causes, consequences, and how (not) to get out of it.

This Francqui Chair offers a fresh look at the advances but also the tensions that today characterize the way the law organizes society's relationship with the environment. If the ambition to protect the environment has indeed become a legal issue, how are its essential mainsprings evolving, whether in climate matters, in the relationship to human health, or in the status accorded to nature?

The organization of this Chair is fully integrated into the Law School's Fil Rouge 2025-2026 dedicated to this substratum essential to life that is the environment, nature, our earth: "Réenchanter la terre".

Orator: Delphine Misonne, Senior Research Fellow FNRS, Professor at UCLouvain, Director of CEDRE and member of the Royal Academy of Belgium.

27/11/2025 - Inaugural Lesson I Protecting the environment beyond politics