At the Leiden Expertise Centre Gender-based Violence we conduct research on the nature and prevention of gender-based violence.

Our projects cover a range of types of gender-related violence: from femicide and sexual violence to street harassment. We study the nature, causes, and consequences for the physical and mental health of victims and surviving relatives. We also examine which interventions are effective, for whom, and under what circumstances. We do this both in the Netherlands and internationally , in comparative work with colleagues from Argentina, Colombia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Peru, Switzerland, Sweden – including many other countries.

Together with academics, policymakers, and societal partners, we translate this knowledge into concrete tools for effective interventions, care, and policy.

Our team

'We are an interdisciplinary team of professors, researchers, and PhD candidates dedicated to understanding the causes, consequences, and prevention of gender-based violence.' – Mischa Dekker, researcher at the Expertise Centre Gender-based Violence

University-wide programmes

Within the university, the Centre is involved in various programmes: 

• SSH Sector Plans: Mental Health
• Research theme: Generation of the Future