May 2013 Mediation in Cases of International Family Conflict and Child Abduction Conference at NUI Galway

NUI Galway’s School of Law and the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre, in association with the Irish Centre for International Family Mediation will host a conference on Mediation in Cases of International Family Conflict and Child Abduction on Saturday, 18 May. 

The aim of the conference is to highlight the availability and suitability of mediation as an appropriate means of intervention in cases of international child abduction and family disputes. The conference will address the topic from a practical, legal and cultural perspective. Speakers will include legal and mediation practitioners, academics and members of the judiciary; the speakers will address the core topic from their perspectives and the recommended model of mediation in such cases will be presented.

Lughaidh Kerin, School of Law, NUI Galway, said: “This interdisciplinary and cross cultural approach will assist conference delegates in gaining a broader understanding of the important issues that need to be addressed in relation to mediation in cases of international family conflict and child abduction, which is indicative of the holistic philosophy at the core of mediation.”

Aimed at judges, legal practitioners, social and child care workers, academics, researchers, NGO’s and those involved in family and children issues, the conference will be jointly chaired by Professor Donncha O’Connell, Head of the School of Law, NUI Galway and Professor Pat Dolan of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre, NUI Galway. The conference will bring together internationally renowned experts in their respective fields, including: Hilde Demarré, Child Focus (Brussels); Judge Eberhard Carl (Retd.) (Berlin); Dr Mohamed M. Keshavjee BL (London); and representatives of the EU Network of International Family Mediators, amongst others.

The conference will take place in the Fottrell Theatre, Arts Millennium Building, NUI Galway, and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points will be available to those eligible as well as a Certificate of Attendance.

For further information, including the conference programme, registration and a list of speakers, see visit www.eventbrite.ie/event/6086818839. For other enquiries contact Lughaidh Kerin at 091 493341 or lughaidh.kerin@nuigalway.ie.                      

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