Deogratias, Benedicta

Position / Title

Assistant Professor of General Legal Theory & Practice

ORCID

0009-0008-7510-2550

Fields of Specialization

Methods in Empirical Legal Research
Human Rights Law
Women's rights
Law and Religion

Last updated May 5, 2025

Biography

Benedicta Deogratias has been a researcher and lecturer of general law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Aruba since March 2020. Additionally, Benedicta is the exchange coordinator of the faculty. Furthermore, she is part of the Tienda di Ley committee and a member of the Exam Committee. Benedicta's research focuses predominantly on human rights topics related to women's rights, social inequalities, and racial discrimination.

Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 13

COVIDCAS Research into the resilience of Dutch Caribbean societies Final Report
(2024) Bailey, Ajay; Griffith-Lendering, Merel; Hellings, Elly; Gertsenbluth, Izzy; Carmona Baez, Antonio; Deogratias, Benedicta; Jessurun, Raymond; Jahangir, Selim; Elsinga, Jelte; van Liempt, Ilse; Duits, Ashley
Symposium Series Slavery Past and Present.
(2024-01-30) Alofs, Luc; Deogratias, Benedicta
June 26 May 29 April 17 January 31
Ensuring equal human rights enjoyment and protection in the Kingdom of the Netherlands
(2023-07) Huiskes, Brechtje; Deogratias, Benedicta
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination recently expressed concerns about the ‘potential discrimination in the enjoyment of human rights by people of Aruba, Curacao and Sint-Maarten’ during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the conditionalities linked to the financial assistance of the Netherlands to the Dutch Caribbean. The agreed upon conditionalities called for the introduction of austerity measures within the Dutch Caribbean. Consequently, existing inequalities in the enjoyment of human rights in the different countries of the Kingdom are likely to increase. As a State the Kingdom of the Netherlands, comprised of the autonomous countries of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint-Maarten and the Netherlands, is primarily responsible for the implementation of treaties and protection of human rights within the Kingdom. The territorial application of human rights treaties can however be limited to certain parts of the Kingdom. At the same time, on the constitutional level, the Charter of the Kingdom of the Netherlands has delegated the implementation of human rights treaties to each individual country, whilst the Kingdom assumes a guarantee function (waarborgfunctie). This paper highlights how this constitutional set up contributes to existing structural inequalities in the enjoyment of human rights in different countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. By exploring existing constitutional tools and institutions, this paper additionally offers various ways to strengthen cooperation and equal participation between the countries of the Kingdom in their joint effort to ensure
De eer gekeerd: Een verkennend onderzoek naar de rol van de extended family bij de aanpak van eergerelateerd geweld in verschillende Europese landen
(Maastricht University, 2020) Rutten, Susanne; Deogratias, Benedicta
Unlike domestic violence often is perpetrated by persons within the nuclear family, Honour Based Violence often involves multiple persons within the nuclear and extended family and may very well involve persons from the close community. It may be condoned and is at times even encouraged within the family and in close social circles. These aspects require attention within all the decision-making processes and policies that address Honour Based Violence. In light hereof, an exploratory research was carried out to explore the extent to which the extended family is involved in addressing Honour Based Violence in three European countries: Belgium, Germany and Sweden. The Report offers a succinct overview of the answers to the research questions and the observed measures and interventions in these countries. The study followed a top-down as well as a bottom-up approach in exploring the existing measures. A top-down approach refers to exploring the laws and policy measures developed on national or regional levels that are implemented on both national and local levels. The bottom-up approach refers to the initiatives and measures that have been taken and are being used at the local levels by projects and NGOs that actively address Honour Based Violence.
Race in the Netherlands: The Place of the Surinamese in Contemporary Dutch Society
(Humanity in Action, 2011) Signleton, Kyera; Wojtalewicz, Casey; Deogratias, Benedicta
Marital Captivity: Divorce, Religion and Human Rights
(Eleven International Publishing, 2019) Rutten, Susanne; Kruiniger - van Maanen, Pauline; Deogratias, Benedicta; Rutten, Susanne; Deogratias, Benedicta; Kruiniger - van Maanen, Pauline
This collected edition by experts from all over the world, reflects a multidisciplinary approach to marital captivity and shows a multifaceted view of this widespread phenomenon. Marital captivity is a social and human rights problem that occurs within religions or religious communities worldwide. It is defined as a situation in which one or both spouses, but predominantly the wife, is unable to terminate a religious marriage, consequently trapping that spouse within the marriage against her or his will. As such it is a form of forced marriage and violence against women. Because of its severe social, legal, and economic implications, the phenomenon is approached from different perspectives: anthropological, sociological and legal. In thirteen chapters the book discusses the practice of marital captivity and human rights approaches, solutions and best practices to marital captivity. It is therefore a must-read for civil society, academics, legal practitioners such as solicitors, the judiciary, notaries and registrars, policy makers, and all other practitioners and ngo's concerned with family issues and violence against women.
Trapped in a marriage
(Maastricht University, 2018) Deogratias, Benedicta
This short documentary that follows the story of a woman who for years is trapped in her marriage and is not able to divorce. This is also referred to as marital captivity. Marital Captivity concerns a situation in which one or both spouses are forced to remain married against their will because the religious marriage cannot be terminated. Essentially, this is a form of forced marriage that often affects women.
Use your freedoms wisely!
(Films of Freedom, 2016) Deogratias, Benedicta
On the 5th of May, the Netherlands celebrates freedom and liberation. But what is freedom? In order to highlight the current challenges we face, Humanity in Action, Nationaal Comite 4 en 5 mei and FreeLoops created a series of short films. The films of freedom are screened at the Liberation Festivals in the Netherlands. Senior Fellows of Humanity in Action provided (personal) stories to address issues of freedom and the lack of it. Freedom cannot be taken for granted.
States' Intervention in Islamic and Jewish Divorces: An Interference with the Freedom of Religion?
(Eleven International Publishing, 2019) Deogratias, Benedicta; Rutten, Susanne; Deogratias, Benedicta; Kruiniger - van Maanen, Pauline
Overcoming the public/private dichotomy that undermines women's rights: A case study of the phenomenon of marital captivity
(2018) Deogratias, Benedicta