A two-day workshop on custody arrangements was held on 19-20 June 2023 in Ankara within the scope of the EU-CoE Joint Project on “Improving the Effectiveness of Family Courts: Better Protection of the Rights of Family Members”. The event gathered family court judges and judicial support workers from pilot courts, representatives of the relevant departments of the Ministry of Justice, high courts, Union of Turkish Bar Association and Ombudsman Institution.
The workshop served as a discussion platform for consultation, cooperation and exchange of information, aiming in particular to provide detailed decisions on custody and contact in divorce cases. The workshop provided an overview of the joint custody and contact arrangements taking into account the European Court of Human Rights and Turkish high court judgments. The participants also had a chance to engage in the active exchange based on practical case studies prepared by the Project.
As a follow-up of the meeting, a "Recommendations Report" and a “Handbook on Best Interests Determination and Improved Custody Arrangements” will be prepared.
The “Improving the Effectiveness of Family Courts: Better Protection of the Rights of Family Members” Project is co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe and Justice Academy of Turkey. The Project aims to ensure rule of law and fundamental rights in Turkey as fully in line with international and European standards and to improve the effectiveness of family courts in protecting the rights of women, children, and other family members.
