Under the Joint EU/CoE Project “Improving the Effectiveness of Family Courts: Better Protection of the Rights of Family Members”, a study visit to France was held between 28-30 September 2022.
The visit aimed to familiarise Turkish judiciary representatives with the French justice system and institutions in charge of the family justice and combating domestic violence. The meetings with the officials of the Civil Affairs Directorate of the French Ministry of Justice and the judges and psychologists of the Paris Tribunal focused on the recent reforms in the French divorce and maintenance laws with particular attention on how child-friendly approaches are maintained while divorce processes are simplified.
Effective management of domestic violence cases was discussed with the Public Prosecutors of the Paris Tribunal and officials of the Criminal Affairs Directorate and senior official for Equality of Women and Men of the French Ministry of Justice.
The Turkish delegation received information from the directing judges of the National Magistrates School of France on the training programmes and pedagogic methodologies in family justice domain. The focus was both on the pre-service training for magistrate candidates as well as in-service training and internships for family court judges before and during their tenures.
As a follow-up to this study visit, a recommendations report will be prepared and will allow awareness raising of a wider public on the key takeaways from the recent family justice reforms in France.
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.
