Doha International Family Institute (Difi), a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, recently co-hosted a comprehensive seminar discussing the issue of family disputes affecting children, entitled ‘Protecting the Best Interests of the Child in Cross-Border Family Disputes.’
The seminar was held in collaboration with Global Affairs Canada, the Ministry of Justice in Qatar 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.
During the seminar, 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.
Additionally, 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 co-operation, while taking into account the child’s best interests.
Noor al-Malki al-Jehani, executive director of Difi, said: “Qatar ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1995. Therefore, protecting the well-being of the child is recognised by the State of Qatar as a key issue, and guides the work of its institutions in terms of taking into account the child’s best interests in all legal and institutional procedures. Since the approval 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.”
Najat Mahdi al-Khalaf, director of the Convention and International Co-operation Department of the Ministry of Justice in Qatar, said: “This regional seminar stems from the emphasis Qatar places on protecting children and families. It is also a response to recommendations made by a number of governmental and judicial representatives from 24 countries, including Qatar, which participated in the third Malta Judicial Conference on Cross-Frontier Family Law Issues, which was held in Malta in 2009.”
Representatives from the Ministries of Justice in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) participated in the seminar, and it was also attended by judges, law professors and those concerned with family and child protection issues.