Significant Progress In Implementation Of The Hague Convention On Civil Aspects Of International Child Abduction

NAPLES - Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said on Friday that Turkey attached great importance to protection of children's rights and had recorded significant progress in implementation of The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.
Cicek delivered a speech in the European Conference on Policies for the Protection of Children held in Naples, Italy and attended by European justice ministers.
Justice Minister Cicek gave information about practices in Turkey regarding child abduction which was one of items of agenda of the conference.
Cicek said that Turkey had attached great importance to protection of children's rights and adopted majority of main international conventions on children.
Although The Hague Convention of 1980 had been put into practice by European Union (EU) and the United States for about 20 years, the problem of abduction of a child by one of the parents could not been totally solved yet, Cicek noted.
Cicek said that he thought that finding a voluntary solution between parents would be for the advantage of the child in child abduction cases.
It was pleasing for Turkey to announce that voluntary solution was reached in most of cases carried out by the Justice Ministry, Cicek stated.
Referring to practices in Turkey regarding The Hague Convention, Cicek said that 88 applications were made by the countries side to the Convention to the Justice Ministry between August 1, 2002 and September 18, 2003.
Cicek noted that eight of those applications were rejected since conditions of the convention had not been fulfilled under the provisions of the 27th articles of the convention.
Nine of the applications were rejected by the courts after being examined, Cicek pointed out.
Cicek said that 35 of the applications were settled by a voluntary solution between parents and the cases were closed.
Although Turkey did not have much experience in implementation of the convention, it had recorded significant progress in its implementation and would continue to walk on the same road determinedly, Cicek added.
(BRC-AÖ) 31.10.2003