The creation of a sustainable "Family Law Cooperation Network" has been initiated within the scope of the “Improving the Effectiveness of Family Courts: Better Protection of the Rights of Family Members” Project.
As a result of the analysis on the effectiveness of family courts in the process of protecting the rights of women, children and other family members, it has been concluded that some issues experienced in Türkiye regarding family law stem from the need to enhance collaboration between relevant institutions operating in the judicial sector. Therefore, it is expected that establishment of a sustainable “Family Law Cooperation Network” for stakeholders would contribute to the development of solutions to challenges and to the full harmonisation with the European standards and the ECtHR jurisprudence on the protection of the rights of family members.
As the first step towards this aim, stakeholder institutions were interviewed through focus groups and in-depth interviews, and discussions were held on whether a cooperation network is necessary, which concrete problems regarding family law arise from the lack of cooperation, the formation of the cooperation network and the contributions of the institutions. In this framework, between January and March 2023, the representatives of the Court of Cassation, the Council of Judges and Prosecutors, the Ministry of Justice, the Ankara Regional Court of Justice, the Ministry of Family and Social Services, the Union of Turkish Bar Associations and civil society organisations were interviewed.
The findings from these interviews will be reflected in the “Needs Analysis Report” to be shared with all the relevant stakeholders in order to assess the current situation and prepare recommendations on the approach and steps for establishment of the cooperation network. Subsequently, the Needs Analysis Report will be presented to the views of stakeholders through consultation workshops and an Action Plan summarising concrete actions and steps for the effective establishment and implementation of the cooperation network 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 Türkiye. The Project aims to ensure rule of law and fundamental rights in Türkiye 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.
