Team

Dr. Roberta Ruggiero holds a Master of Law and a PhD in Promotion and Protection of Children’s Rights from the University of Molise, Italy. She is Senior Research Associate at the Centre for Children's Rights Studies at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, where she works as coordinator of the Master and the Certificate of Advanced Studies in Children's Rights (MCR).

Simon Nehme is a scientific associate with the Center for Children’s Rights Studies. He assists in the coordination of the Children’s Rights Academy and the Master of Advanced Studies in Children’s Rights (MCR). With the MCR, Simon’s research work focused on children’s rights in the digital environment, children’s rights and the business sector and independent children’s human rights institutions. He is an expert in child protection programming and system building, children’s rights in humanitarian settings and children in migration. He has a long working experience with UNICEF. He comes from a social work background and has a master’s in International Affairs and Political Science.

Vito Bumbaca (Ph.D, summa cum laude, University of Geneva) is a legal consultant, scientific advisor and lecturer. He holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Florence and a Master's degree from the University of Geneva. Vito wrote a doctoral thesis in English on habitual residence in international and comparative family law, analysing more than 15 legal systems, which has been awarded the prize as best PhD thesis from the Swiss Society of International Law. His research areas cover international law, family law, child protection and vulnerable migration. He has been visiting lecturer at the Universities of Dundee, Moscow, China-Renmin and Verona. Vito is a former staff member of the International Social Service and the Department of Private International Law at the University of Geneva. He is advisor to Sui-Generis (peer review) and assistant editor for the Yearbook of Private International Law. Vito is a member of the Swiss Society of International Law and Swiss Society of Jurists, and he cooperates with law firms and entities specialised in the field of international child protection. Vito teaches at the Swiss School for International Relations and the Université Catholique de Lyon.

After working several years in administrative position, Ms. Hofer integrated the Centre of Children’s Rights studies in July 2015 as an administrative assistant for the continuous education.