Download Volume XXVII of the Judges' Newsletter here.

Table of contents

Welcome and opening remarks

  • Ms Sarah Cohen, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Canada in Washington, DC
  • Ms Rachael Kelsey, President of the IAFL
  • Dr Christophe Bernasconi, Secretary General of the HCCH
  • Mr Philippe Lortie, First Secretary at the HCCH

Session 1 –Setting the scene: The harmful effects of international child abduction and international family relocation as a potential tool to help prevent it

  • The Washington Declaration on International Family Relocation – 15 years Later
    • Diana Bryant, former Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia and Member of the IHNJ, Chair of the Board of the 9th World Congress on Family Law & Children’s Rights and Chair of the Drafting Committee for the March 2010 Washington Declaration on International Family Relocation
  • The impact of child abduction and relocation on children
    • Dr. Ruth Zitner, Psy.D.
  • The impact of depriving children of parental contact
    • Dr. Jorge Guerra, Member of the International Association for the Maintenance of the Best Interest of the Child (IAMBIC), International Council on Shared Parenting (ICSP)
  • Overview of international family relocation
    • Professor Robert George KC, University College London, King’s Counsel at Harcourt Chambers

Session 2 - International family relocation - State of play

  • HCCH Conventions
    • Philippe Lortie, First Secretary at the HCCH
  • HCCH Tools
    • Laura Martinez-Mora, First Secretary at the HCCH
  • A GlobalARRK study of how applicant parents experience relocation proceedings to return to the country they consider home
    • Dr. Nishat Hyder-Rahman, Postdoctoral Fellow, MSCA Impact Fellowship Programme, Vakgroep privaat- en economisch recht (PREC)
  • Relocation under Canada’s Divorce Act 
    • Geneviève Laurence, Counsel, Family Law and Youth Justice Policy Section of the Department of Justice Canada

Session 3 - States with specific relocation procedures 

  • Canada
    • Justice Gwen B. Hatch, Associate Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench of Manitoba (Family Division), Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Member of the IHNJ
  • Chile 
    • Javiera Verdugo Toro, Lawyer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • South Africa 
    • Ronaldah Lerato Karabo Ozah, Director of Centre for Child Law, University of Pretoria
  • United Arab Emirates 
    • Awatif Al Khouri, IAFL Fellow, and Dr. Hassan Elhais, Co-Chair of the IAFL Relocation Committee, IAFL Fellow

Session 4 - States that follow case law or guidelines in relocation cases 

  • Australia
    • Diana Bryant, former Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia and Member of the IHNJ, Chair of the Board of the 9th World Congress on Family Law & Children’s Rights and Chair of the Drafting Committee for the March 2010 Washington Declaration on International Family Relocation
  • India
    • Anil Malhotra, Secretary of the IAFL Relocation Committee, IAFL Fellow
    • Ankit Malhotra , Advocate, LL.M.(London), Felix Scholar
  • United Kingdom (England & Wales)
    • Lord Justice Stephen Cobb, Court of Appeal Judge, Royal Courts of Justice, London
  • United States of America
    • Hiram Puig-Lugo, Associate Judge, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Washington D.C., Member of the IHNJ

Session 5 - States that follow case law or guidelines in relocation cases 

  • Argentina
    • Judge Marcela Sandra Trillini, Judge in charge of the Family Court No 9, San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Member of the IHNJ
  • France
    • Anthony Manwaring, Magistrat de liaison, Embassy of France in Washington DC
  • Hungary
    • Soma Kölcsényi, IAFL Fellow
  • Spain
    • Lola Lopez-Muelas, President of AEAFA, IAFL Fellow

Session 6 - States that utilise best interests assessments as guidelines in relocation cases 

  • Brazil
    • Judge Guilherme Calmon Nogueira Da Gama, Vice-President, Regional Federal Court of the Second Region, Rio de Janeiro, Member of the IHNJ
  • Germany
    • Judge Martina Erb-Klünemann, Judge of the Family Court, District Court of Hamm, Member of the IHNJ
  • Mexico
    • Judge Oscar Gregorio Cervera Rivero, Family Magistrate, Superior Court of Justice of Mexico City, Member of the IHNJ
  • Netherlands
    • Judge Annette C. Olland, Family Law and International Child Protection Division, District Court of The Hague, Member of the IHNJ

Session 7 - Research & Policy work on international family relocation 

  • International Social Service (ISS)
    • Marc Bauer, Deputy Director, ISS Germany
  • Asociación Internacional de Juristas de Derecho de Familia (AIJUDEFA)
    • Patricia Kuyumdjian de Williams, President of AIJUDEFA, IAFL Fellow
  • International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL)
    • Anna Worwood, Co-Chair of the IAFL Relocation Committee, IAFL Fellow
  • Global Research on Relocation
    • Professor Marilyn Freeman, Co-Director, International Centre for Family Law, Policy and Practice; Principal Research Fellow, University of Westminster; Chair, International Association of Child Law Researchers (IACLaR); 4PB Door Tenant; IAFL Associate Fellow
    • Professor Nicola Taylor, Faculty of Law, University of Otago, New Zealand; Secretary, International Association of Child Law Researchers (IACLaR); IAFL Associate Fellow

Session 8 - The use of alternative dispute resolution and other services in cases of international family relocation 

  • Reunite
    • Alison Shalaby, CEO reunite
  • Overview of a mediation training initiative for Central Authorities under the 1980 Child Abduction and 1996 Child Protection Conventions
    • Marzia Ghigliazza, International family lawyer, cross-border family mediator, IAFL Fellow
  • GlobalARRK
    • Roz Osborne, CEO GlobalARRK
  • Mediation experience
    • Alexander Jones, Lawyer / Mediator

Concluding remarks 

  • Philippe Lortie, First Secretary at the HCCH

Online Survey: Supporting families following international child abduction

Convenções (incl. Protocolos e Princípios)