On 17 October 2025, CESSMIR colleague Lore Roels successfully defended her PhD at Ghent University. Her research examines how rape myths – false beliefs about sexual violence, its survivors and perpetrators – permeate asylum decision-making in Belgium.
By translating the notion of “rape myths” from the criminal justice context to “SGBV myths” (sexual and gender-based violence) within asylum procedures, Roels identified six key myths and analysed their prevalence across Belgian asylum decisions through a mixed-methods approach combining case law and literature review, interviews, and a survey.
Her findings reveal that 76% of analysed asylum decisions relied on at least one SGBV myth, cutting across all forms of violence, applicant profiles, and procedural stages. The study highlights the urgent need for reform in asylum decision-making practices to ensure a more just and gender-sensitive approach.
Want to know more? Contact lore.roels@ugent.be