Law

As the first in her family to go to university, Davina Simons (30) had to make it happen largely on her own. In 2019, she earned her master's degree in law from Ghent University. In no time, she became one of the Belgium's best-known criminal defense lawyers and today she runs her own law firm.

Migration remains a topic that deeply affects many and stirs strong emotions. Many people believe that it is “all too easy” for migrants, or that “judges go too far” when it comes to protecting refugees. But what is the reality? Prof. Ellen Desmet puts three misconceptions about migration law into perspective.

Human rights should not only be seen as a legal issue. “They play a role in all disciplines”, says professor of human rights Eva Brems. With a multidisciplinary outlook on the theme, Ghent University is playing a pioneering role. And that is necessary, “because human rights are more than ever under pressure, also in Europe.”

More frequent environmental disasters due to global warming, plant and animal species that disappear, ecosystems that are disrupted. These are environmental problems, but increasingly they threaten human rights, such as the right to health or even the right to life. It raises the question: is the right to a healthy environment actually a human right?

The tension between privacy law and criminal law is a ticking time bomb. “We are heading for an unmitigated disaster”, says Professor Gert Vermeulen.