Forum on Domestic Violence and the Operation of Article 13(1)(b) of
the 1980 Child Abduction Convention
Sandton, South Africa, 18-21 June 2024
Protea Hotel by Marriott Johannesburg Balalaika
PROGRAMME
Tuesday 18 June 2024
Time
Item
17:00
Opening Session (also for online participants), followed by a reception at the
Protea Hotel by Marriott Johannesburg Balalaika, hosted by the South
Africa National Convention Bureau (smart casual attire)
Remarks from
• University of Pretoria / South Africa National Convention Bureau
• John Jeffery, Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development
•
Christophe Bernasconi, Secretary General HCCH
Wednesday 19 June 2024
Time
Item
9:00 – 9:15
Morning coffee
9:15
Opening address by The Honourable Justice Mandisa Muriel Lindelwa Maya,
Deputy Chief Justice of South Africa
9:30 – 11:15
Session 1
Key actors in the operation of Article 13(1)(b) in DV cases
Moderator: Justice Baratang Constance Mocumie (South Africa), Justice at the
Supreme Court of Appeal
Justice Victoria Bennett
(Australia), Justice at the Federal Circuit and
Family Court of Australia, Melbourne (online)
Stefan Schlauss (Germany), Director of the International Civil Law branch
in the Federal Office of Justice in Bonn/Germany
Judge Martina Erb-Klünemann (Germany), Judge at
the Family Court,
District Court of Hamm
Alison Shalaby
(United Kingdom), CEO of reunite International Child
Abduction Centre
Michelle Najara Aparecida Silva (Brazil), General-
Coordinator of the
Federal Administrative Central Authority-MoJ /
Boni de Moraes Soares (Brazil),
National Procurator of the Union for
International Affairs
Jessica Raffal (Australia), Managing Lawyer ISS Australia
Q&A
11:15 – 11:30
Coffee break
11:30 – 13:00
Session 2
The trauma caused by DV and child abduction on victims
Moderator: Adrienne Barnett (United Kingdom),
UK lead on the international
strategy group of Hague Mothers (a FiliA legacy project) and Reader in Law at
Brunel University
Louise Godbold (United States of America), Executive Director of Echo
(Center for Nonviolent Education and Parenting)
Josimar Mendes (United Kingdom/Brazil), psychologist and research
associate at University of Oxford, Department of Computer Science
(online)
Sarah Calvert (New Zealand), Clinic psychologist and Family Court expert
(online)
Anne McKechnie (Scotland, United Kingdom), Consultant Forensic Clinical
Psychologist at Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (online)
Aleisha Ebrahimi (United Kingdom), Senior Policy Advisor to the Domestic
Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales (online)
Q&A
13:00 – 14:00
Lunch break
14:00 – 15:30
Session 3
Lived experiences of abduction cases involving DV
Roz Osborne (United Kingdom), CEO of GlobalARRK; Ruth Dineen (United
Kingdom), FiLiA Hague Mothers, International Coordinator; Juliana
Santos Wahlgren (Belgium/Brazil), Executive Director, Revibra;
Janaína Albuquerque (Brazil), Lawyer, and legal coordinator at Revibra
– to coordinate with a range of survivor and advocate groups including
Her Hague Story (Australia), New Zealand Hague Collective, Narkis
Golan Initiative (US) – Possible use of recorded video messages (with
English subtitles)
Q&A
(no direct questioning of victims)
15:30 – 15:45
Coffee break
15:45 – 17:30
Session 4
Approaches to hearing the child in return proceedings where DV is raised
Moderator: Freia Carlton (Australia), Associate Director Mediation Victoria Legal
Aid
Introduction by Noelle Hunter (United States of America) Clinical Assistant
Professor, University of Alabama in Huntsville, and Founding Partner in
the Coalition to End International Parental Child Abduction
Ana Quintella (United States of America),
lead counselor of Learn4life
High Schools, adult survivor
Michelle Fernando (Australia), Senior Lecturer in Law, University of South
Australia (online)
Stephanie Brandt (United States of America), Adult and Child Psychiatrist
and Clinical Assistant Professor of Child Psychiatry at Weill Cornell
Medical College (online)
Kerri Phillips (Australia), Independent Children’s Lawyer for the Child
Judge Martina Erb-Klünemann
(Germany), Judge at the Family Court,
District Court of Hamm
Session 5
Mediation and other ADR methods in return proceedings where DV is raised
Moderator: Freia Carlton (Australia), Associate Director Mediation Victoria Legal
Aid
Craig Schneider (South Africa), Director/Partner at
Craig Schneider
Associates, with a practice in family law and mediation
Valentina Shaknes (United States of America), Attorney specializing in The
Hague Convention Child Abduction issues / Krauss Shaknes Tallentire
& Messeri LLP
Q&A
18:30
Reception, Protea Hotel by Marriott Johannesburg Balalaika, hosted by Brazil
(formal or traditional attire)
Thursday 20 June 2024
Time
Item
9:00 – 9:30
Morning coffee
9:30 – 11:15
Session 6
Return and non-
return decisions in abduction cases involving DV (incl. risk
assessment)
Mr Justice Cobb (United Kingdom), Justice of the High Court in the Family
Division, to present the case in Re A (Article 13(b): Mental ill-health)
[2023] EWHC 2081 (Fam)
Judge Guilherme Calmon Nogueira Da Gama (Brazil), President, Regional
Federal Court of the Second Region, Rio de Janeiro
Judge Martina Erb-Klünemann
(Germany), Judge of the Family Court,
District Court of Hamm
Justice Steven Arnold Majiedt (South Africa), Justice of the Constitutional
Court
Q&A
11:15 – 11:30
Coffee break
11:30 – 13:00
Session 7
Risk assessment
and protective measures (incl. benefits of the 1996
Convention)
Costanza Honorati (Italy), Full Professor of
European Union law and
Private International Law at the University of Milano-Bicocca, School
of Law (to present, also on behalf of Onyoja Momoh (Nigeria/United
Kingdom), and Katarina Trimmings (United Kingdom)
the POAM
project: Protection of Abducting Mothers in Return Proceedings –
Intersection between Domestic Violence and Parental Child Abduction)
Mari Nagata (Japan), Professor of law at the Osaka University Graduate
School of Law and Politics, Department of Law and Political Science
Janaína Albuquerque (Brazil), Lawyer, and legal coordinator at Revibra
Adrienne Barnett (United Kingdom), UK lead on the international strategy
group of Hague Mothers (a FiliA legacy project) and Reader in Law at
Brunel University
Justice Baratang Constance Mocumie
(South Africa), Justice at the
Supreme Court of Appeal
Lord Justice Moylan (United Kingdom), Court of Appeal of England and
Wales, Head of International Family Justice for England and Wales
Q&A
13:00 – 14:15
Lunch break
14:15 – 15:45
Session 8a
“Post-decision” – preserving the best interests of the child (supporting children
and their families)
Noelle Hunter (United States of America),
Clinical Assistant Professor,
University of Alabama in Huntsville, and Founding Partner in the
Coalition to End International Parental Child Abduction
Juliana Santos Wahlgren (Belgium/Brazil) – Founding Director of Revibra
Europe (online)
Roz Osborne
(United Kingdom), CEO of Global Action on Relocation &
Return with Kids (GlobalARRK)
John Gomez (Japan), Chairperson Kizuna Child-Parent Reunion
Eleni Bailey (Australia),
International Family Mediation Coordinator,
Accredited Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner, Senior Social
Worker & Child Consultant
Session 8b
The voice of the seeking parents - keeping contact with the child after a decision
Sean Fackrell (United Kingdom), seeking parent (online)
Q&A
15:45 – 16:00
Coffee break
16:00 – 17:30
Session 9
Assessment of possible relocation in situations involving DV
Luke Brown (Australia), Assistant Secretary – International Cooperation,
Attorney-General’s Department
Roz Osborne (United Kingdom), CEO of
Global Action on Relocation &
Return with Kids (GlobalARRK) / Ruth Lamont (United Kingdom),
University of Manchester, Reader in Child and Family Law
Martin Strous (South Africa), educational psychologist and Court-
appointed expert in children and family law cases
Joy Brereton KC (United Kingdom), practitioner (online)
Judge Liina Naaber-Kivisoo (Estonia), Judge of the Viru County Court, Ida-
Viru maakond
Q&A
Friday 21 June 2024
Time
Item
9:00 – 9:30
Morning coffee
9:30 – 11:15
Session 10
Identifying the need for further research and collection of data on abduction
cases involving DV
Jeffrey Edleson (United States of America), Distinguished Professor of the
Graduate School and Harry & Riva Specht Chair Emeritus in Publicly
Supported Social Services in the School of Social Welfare at the
University of California, Berkeley (online)
Miranda Kaye (Australia), Associate Professor
at the University of
Technology Sydney /
Adrienne Barnett (United Kingdom), UK lead on the international strategy
group of Hague Mothers (a FiliA legacy project) and Reader in Law at
Brunel University
Costanza Honorati
(Italy), Full Professor of European Union law and
private international law at the University of Milano-Bicocca, School of
Law
Juliana Santos Wahlgren (Belgium/Brazil) – Founding Director of Revibra
Europe (online)
Clement Marumoagae (South Africa), University of the Witwatersrand,
Family law lecturer and specialist (online)
Q&A
11:15 – 11:30
Coffee break
11:30 – 13:00
Session 11
Moderated discussion on the lessons learned from the Forum and possible next
steps
Co-moderators:
Judge President Cagney John Musi (South Africa),
Free State High
Court
Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier (Philippines),
Associate Justice of the
Supreme Court of the Philippines
Concluding Remarks
Christophe Bernasconi, Secretary General HCCH
13:00 – 14:00
Lunch break, Protea Hotel by Marriott Johannesburg Balalaika
14:00 – 18:00
Visit to the Constitutional Court of South Africa (in-person event only)
