On 26-27 September 2016, our Partner Ms Sherlynn Chan attended the “Symposium on Cross-Border Disputes Involving Children – Perspectives on Family Disputes Involving Children in a Globalized Society”, which was held at the Supreme Court Auditorium, Singapore. It was co-organized by the Family Justice Courts of Singapore and the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH).
The event was well attended by leading judges in their respective jurisdictions, including Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, etc. The Honourable Chief Justice Diana Bryant AO, Family Court of Australia, delivered a keynote address on an overview of the present day issues faced by judges in cases involving children in cross-border situations and the related challenges faced by the judiciary in providing for the needs of the child.
The Hon. Madam Justice Bebe Chu, Judge-in-charge of the Family Court List in the High Court of Hong Kong, was also one of the panelists, who shared on the topic of judicial communications and collaboration from the perspective of Hong Kong.
Apart from panelists’ presentation, attendees were also given an opportunity to engage in interactive table discussion on issues, legal frameworks, practices and challenges in their jurisdictions with regard to different case scenarios.
On the second day, there was a lively presentation on recent developments in adopting mediation and cross-disciplinary approaches as a dispute resolution tool for international family disputes, including how judges collaborate internationally to support the role of mediation and expedite mediation in international custody, access and relocation cases.
Filled with fruitful discussion and sharing, the two-day symposium ended by the closing remarks given by Mr Anselmo Reyes, Representative, HCCH, Asia Pacific Regional Office, Hong Kong, followed by an official dinner held at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre in the evening of 27 September 2016.
Please contact our Ms Sherlynn Chan for any enquiries or further information about this event.
