Tom Beken
Ghent University, Criminology, Criminal Law and Social Law, Faculty Member
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Background: Sexual violence (SV) literature on applicants for international protection (AIPs) shows that they are at high risk of victimization. The study objectives are to provide an exploratory overview of the occurrence of SV in AIPs... more
Background: Sexual violence (SV) literature on applicants for international protection (AIPs) shows that they are at high risk of victimization. The study objectives are to provide an exploratory overview of the occurrence of SV in AIPs in Belgium and their help-seeking behavior (HSB). This overview is crucial to develop prevention strategies and care paths focusing on providing adequate care to AIP SV victims in Belgium. Methods: Quantitative data from structured interviews with AIPs (n = 62) triangulated with qualitative data from in-depth interviews with AIP SV victims (n = 11) served to explore the nature and impact of SV in AIPs in Belgium and their HSB. Results: A total of 83.9% of respondents have experienced SV. A total of 61.3% were victimized within the past year. Victimization seems more gender-balanced than in the general population. AIPs link SV to their legal status and their associated vulnerable situation. HSB upon SV was very limited in this sample. Help-seeking bar...
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Background: Previous studies report vast mental health problems in sexual minorities. Representative national proportion estimates on self-identifying LGB+ persons are missing in Belgium. Lacking data collection regarding sexual... more
Background: Previous studies report vast mental health problems in sexual minorities. Representative national proportion estimates on self-identifying LGB+ persons are missing in Belgium. Lacking data collection regarding sexual orientation in either census or governmental survey data limits our understanding of the true population sizes of different sexual orientation groups and their respective health outcomes. This study assessed the proportion of LGB+ and heterosexual persons in Belgium, LGB+ persons’ self-identification as sexual minority, mental health, and experienced minority stress. Method: A representative sample of 4,632 individuals drawn from the Belgian National Register completed measures of sexual orientation, subjective minority status and its importance for their identity as well as a range of mental-health measures. Results: LGB+ participants made up 10.02% of the total sample and 52.59% of LGB+ participants self-identified as sexual minority. Most sexual minority ...
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COVID-19 impacts the daily lives of millions of people. This radical change in our daily activities affected many aspects of life, but acted as well as a natural experiment for research into the spatial distribution of 911 calls. We... more
COVID-19 impacts the daily lives of millions of people. This radical change in our daily activities affected many aspects of life, but acted as well as a natural experiment for research into the spatial distribution of 911 calls. We analyse the impact of the COVID-19 measures on the spatial pattern of police interventions. Crime is not uniformly distributed across street segments, but how does COVID-19 affect these spatial patterns? To this end, Gini coefficients are calculated and a proportion differences spatial point pattern test is applied to compare the similarity of the patterns of incidents before, during, and after the first lockdown in Antwerp, Belgium. With only essential mobility being allowed, the emergency call pattern has not significantly changed before, during or after this lockdown, however, a qualitative shift in police officer’s daily work may have had an effect on the daily operation of the Antwerp police force.
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Background: Applicants for international protection (AIPs) may be more frequently exposed to sexual violence (SV) than Belgian citizens. Having an overview of the prevalence of SV and help-seeking behavior [HSB] upon SV is crucial to... more
Background: Applicants for international protection (AIPs) may be more frequently exposed to sexual violence (SV) than Belgian citizens. Having an overview of the prevalence of SV and help-seeking behavior [HSB] upon SV is crucial to develop prevention strategies and care paths focusing on providing adequate care to AIP SV victims in Belgium. Methods: Using quantitative data from structured interviews with 62 AIPs and qualitative data from 12 semi-structured in-depth interviews with AIP SV victims, we mapped the magnitude and impact of SV in AIPs in Belgium and their HSB upon SV. Results: 83.9% of AIP respondents have ever been exposed to SV and 61.3% of them were victimized within the past year. Victimization and perpetration seems to be more gender balanced than in the general population. AIPs link SV exposure to their legal status and their associated vulnerable situation. HSB upon SV was very limited in this sample. Help-seeking barriers interfering with the decision making proc...
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This systematic review assesses the efficacy of quantitative police presence. The review also investigates concepts of police presence and differences between reported effects. PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and... more
This systematic review assesses the efficacy of quantitative police presence. The review also investigates concepts of police presence and differences between reported effects. PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines and protocols are used to systematically identify and review eligible studies on police presence. Further, quality assessment and findings synthesis are used to map limitations of current research as well as grounds for future avenues. The systematic search strategies yielded 49 studies focusing on testing the effects of police presence or evaluating its measurement. We find evidence that police presence has mostly positive effects on reducing crimes related to motor theft, property, violence, and guns. Police presence also reduces calls for service and improves traffic behaviour. Police presence focused on specific areas, times, and types of crime achieves maximum efficacy. The reviewed studies show a high degree of hetero...
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Research Interests: Computer Science, Forensic Science, Effectiveness, Medicine, Multidisciplinary, and 12 moreLaw Enforcement, Dna Databases, Systematic review, Law and Political Science, Data Bank, Criminological Research, Serial Offenders, Medicine and Health Sciences, Elsevier, Database, DNA database, and Police investigation
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... Paul.Ponsaers@UGent.be; Gudrun Vande Walle [801001149913] - Ghent University Gudrun.VandeWalle@UGent.be; Tom Vander Beken [801000906201] - Ghent University Tom.VanderBeken@UGent.be; Freya Vander Laenen ...
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Research Interests: Philosophy and Art
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Aporophobia, the rejection of poor people, is a major social problem with known harmful consequences, especially for the most excluded in our society, i.e., homeless people. However, this phenomenon has been only rarely studied using... more
Aporophobia, the rejection of poor people, is a major social problem with known harmful consequences, especially for the most excluded in our society, i.e., homeless people. However, this phenomenon has been only rarely studied using testable means on the ground. This article reports on empirical research conducted on a sample of homeless people in Ghent, Belgium. The principal objective was to analyse aporophobic discriminatory incidents and hate crimes which were experienced by around 50% of the respondents. The most common offences were property crimes, particularly thefts and robberies, with the belief being that the perpetrators were motivated to perform these crimes as they saw this particular demographic group as more helpless and vulnerable. Moreover, the victims usually experienced more than one crime and different typologies. Unfortunately, underreporting was pronounced. It is therefore necessary to increase the visibility of these crimes and the reporting rate, as well as...
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... certainly not insurmountable. Quantifying informa-tion about organized crime is not the greatest challenge facing measurement. There is sufficient analyses on the number of criminal groups or offences and their nature. Studies in ...