Antje started her PhD in 2016 at Queen’s on a part-time basis whilst she was working as a Child Rights Officer at Terre des Hommes, a leading international children’s rights charity, which inspired her PhD.   

Antje said: “I am in charge of the lobby and advocacy work with a focus on child labour and I coordinate the Task Force on child labour at Terre des Hommes International Federation, our umbrella organisation.”   

“At work, I started a project called “It`s Time to Talk! – Children`s Views on Children`s Work” (2016-2019) to explore the views of working children on their work. The idea for this project was born when I attended the Third Global Conference on Child Labour in Brazil in 2013. I was disappointed that working children did not have the chance to participate meaningfully and that policy measures adopted in parts contradict what these children recommend. So I wanted to fill this gap by researching their views and lobbying for their future participation, and this is when the idea for the PhD came about after a chat with Professor Laura Lundy at Queen’s.  

“I had a dual role as practitioner and researcher which required a lot of reflection, but it was extremely rewarding and provided a lot of unique insider knowledge to implement the Time to Talk! project while at the same time evaluating its application of a children`s rights-based approach to research in the course of a PhD. Moreover, the knowledge I gained directly influenced the planning and implementation of the follow-up project “Dialogue Works” (2020-2024) in a positive way.”   

During the course of her PhD, Antje experienced some of the happiest and saddest times personally. She had her two daughters, Nell born in 2017 and Maja born in 2019.   

Antje said: “The births of our daughters were the most wonderful experience of my life and I enjoy so much having them with us. However, I underwent surgery between pregnancies and the little one had a heart muscle inflammation after birth. Spending time with her in hospital made me realise how vulnerable life is and how grateful we have to be for healthy and joyful moments in life.  

“When she had luckily recovered, the COVID-19 pandemic started in March 2020 and all parents know how stressful it can be to work part-time, continue with the PhD and care for two little ones. My husband and I worked in shifts and when the first wave was over and the risk lower, my parents and parents-in-law supported us a lot by taking care of our girls. And the girls enjoyed so much having time with their grandparents.”   

Antje then sadly lost her father in 2022, and her mother in 2023. She said: “When I started the PhD journey, our plan was to attend the graduation altogether to celebrate – now my parents can only follow from above. I can’t find the right words to describe how incredibly sad this is. I am so thankful for all what my parents have done for me and I dedicate the day of graduation to them.”  

Speaking about the support she received from Queen’s, Antje commented: “Laura Lundy and Jannette Elwood as my main supervisors have been of extraordinary support on my PhD journey. We shared laughter and tears and I never thought about skipping this process due to their fantastic support. I have learned so much on this journey, that I am just thankful to have these two wonderful women as supervisors.”   

“In addition, Alison McKenzie has supported me so much and has been the best chair during the viva that one can imagine. I was also lucky to have Dirk Schubotz and Deidre Horgan as wonderful examiners during the viva who gave positive and inspiring feedback.”  

Antje will be in Belfast with her husband, two children and parents-in-law for her graduation day. She said: “It is bittersweet and very emotional to be in Belfast for graduation. On the one hand I am excited and proud to celebrate after this long journey and to show my family around. On the other hand, my wish was to celebrate with my parents, but I know they will follow from above.”  

After graduating, Antje will continue her work at Terre des Hommes in Germany and with the implementation of the Dialogue Works project to support the implementation of working children’s right to be heard in local to global policy processes. In addition, she will work on publishing her findings in relevant journals.

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