DOHA: Doha International Family Institute (DIFI) recently co-hosted a comprehensive seminar discussing the issue of family disputes affecting children.
‘Protecting the Best Interests of the Child in Cross-Border Family Disputes’ was held in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, Global Affairs Canada and the Hague Conference on Private International Law.
It aimed to promote dialogue and consolidate interaction among regional government officials, judges, independent experts, and other regional authorities and stakeholders.
Participants explored the topic of children’s rights in cross-border family disputes, especially those that result in the illegal transfer of children across international borders. The event aimed to provide information on child protection agreements under the auspices of the Hague Conference on Private International Law, and how it relates to countries in the GCC.
The seminar examined existing alternative means of dispute resolution, such as family mediation relating to the Shariah legal system and how it can be used to solve cross-border family disputes and strengthen international legal cooperation, while taking into account the child’s best interests.
Noor Al Malki Al Jehani, Executive Director, DIFI, said, “Qatar ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1995. Protecting the wellbeing of the child is recognised by Qatar as a key issue, and guides the work of its institutions in terms of taking into account the child’s best interests in legal and institutional procedures. Since the endorsement of the Convention, Qatar has amended legislation to provide greater protection for children, and established entities that provide services to protect them from violence, abuse and exploitation.”
Representatives from the GCC Ministries of Justice also participated in the seminar, along with judges, law professors and those concerned with family and child protection issues.
Dr Christophe Bernasconi, Secretary-General, Hague Conference on Private International Law, said, “The seminar increased awareness of the Child Abduction Convention, the Child Protection Convention, and other relevant Hague conventions in Qatar and the wider region. It also served to further strengthen the ties between the region and the Hague Conference in general.”
The Peninsula
DOHA: Doha International Family Institute (DIFI) recently co-hosted a comprehensive seminar discussing the issue of family disputes affecting children.
‘Protecting the Best Interests of the Child in Cross-Border Family Disputes’ was held in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, Global Affairs Canada and the Hague Conference on Private International Law.
It aimed to promote dialogue and consolidate interaction among regional government officials, judges, independent experts, and other regional authorities and stakeholders.
Participants explored the topic of children’s rights in cross-border family disputes, especially those that result in the illegal transfer of children across international borders. The event aimed to provide information on child protection agreements under the auspices of the Hague Conference on Private International Law, and how it relates to countries in the GCC.
The seminar examined existing alternative means of dispute resolution, such as family mediation relating to the Shariah legal system and how it can be used to solve cross-border family disputes and strengthen international legal cooperation, while taking into account the child’s best interests.
Noor Al Malki Al Jehani, Executive Director, DIFI, said, “Qatar ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1995. Protecting the wellbeing of the child is recognised by Qatar as a key issue, and guides the work of its institutions in terms of taking into account the child’s best interests in legal and institutional procedures. Since the endorsement of the Convention, Qatar has amended legislation to provide greater protection for children, and established entities that provide services to protect them from violence, abuse and exploitation.”
Representatives from the GCC Ministries of Justice also participated in the seminar, along with judges, law professors and those concerned with family and child protection issues.
Dr Christophe Bernasconi, Secretary-General, Hague Conference on Private International Law, said, “The seminar increased awareness of the Child Abduction Convention, the Child Protection Convention, and other relevant Hague conventions in Qatar and the wider region. It also served to further strengthen the ties between the region and the Hague Conference in general.”
The Peninsula
