Els Dumortier

Els Dumortier is professor in Children’s Rights and in Youth Justice Law. She is a founder and member of the (Flemish) Children’s Rights Knowledge Centre. Her research focuses on (the history of) children’s rights and youth justice in the 20th and 21st centuries. Currently Els is 1) developing new methods to voice children and young people at social risk and 2) analyzing children’s rights in action (e.g. during police interrogations, hearings of young asylum seekers, right to complain in youth institutions).

Els participates in several national and international scientific networks on youth justice (Dutch, English, and French speaking), both contemporary focused (such as the Working Group on Youth Justice of the European Society of Criminology) and historical (such as the Working Group on Growing up in out-of-home care of the European Standing Conference for the History of Education).

Research Line

Youth Justice Studies

Current Research Projects

Primary prejudice. Tackling identity-based bullying in pre-and primary school.

Parental abuse by adolescents, a multi-voice story. A qualitative study of experiences and approach of parental abuse in Belgium. 

Courses (2024-2025)

Recht en Criminologie

Jeugdrecht en jeugdcriminologie

Jeugdcriminologie

Keywords 

# Childrensrights

#Youthjustice

#juvenilejustice