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Max van der Stoel Awards 2015 awarded to PhD researchers Antwerp and Tilburg University

Published: 10th December 2015 Last updated: 30th April 2019

PRESS RELEASE 10 Dec. 2015 - On the occasion of World Human Rights Day on December 10th, the Max van der Stoel Human Rights Awards 2015 have been awarded at Tilburg University. Three PhD researchers and two master’s students received a prize for their theses.

The first prize for PhD dissertations was awarded to both Arne Vandenboogaerde of the University of Antwerp (Belgium) and Lorena Sosa of Tilburg University (the Netherlands).

The Jury, led by Prof. Emeritus of Human Rights Law Jenny Goldschmidt of Utrecht University, concluded that Arne Vandenboogaerde offered refreshing and well founded perspectives for change in his study into the accountability of states, international organizations, and companies regarding social and economic rights.

Lorena Sosa conducted research into violence against women at the Tilburg University institute for victimology INTERVICT. She combined theoretical and empirical research in an innovative interdisciplinary way to arrive at recommendations for the implementation of ‘intersectionality’ in the existing legal framework. Intersectionality means that additional factors that influence violence against women are taken into account, such as religion, social status, ethnicity and age.

Vandenboogaerde and Sosa each received 1,500 euro. The second prize in the category PhD dissertation (1,000 euro) was awarded to Krit Jan Zeegers of the University of Amsterdam, for his research into human rights obligations in international criminal law.

The first prize for Master’s theses (750 euro) went to Yussef Al Tamimi (VU Amsterdam) and his thesis The protection of vulnerable groups and individuals by the European Court of Human Rights. The second prize (250 euro) was for Statelessness and Transnational Migration in the Asean Region by Sangita Jahai (Tilburg University).

On the Max van der Stoel Award

The Max van der Stoel Human Rights Award was established by Tilburg University and, for several years now, has been awarded by the School of Human Rights Research. Since 2002, this award has been called the Max van der Stoel Human Rights Award, in honour of the man who, in that year, left Tilburg University as professor of International Law and who had proven to be an indefatigable champion of human rights. Max van der Stoel (1924-2011) exerted himself as a politician, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, and UN Rapporteur on Human Rights.

 

Note for editors

For more information please contact press officer Corine Schouten, tel. +31 13 466 2993 / email c.h.schouten@tilburguniversity.edu.