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Children in Cross-Border Family Conflicts |
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Children in Cross-Border Family Conflicts - The ISS Asia-Pacific Regional Training Seminar
ISS Australia had the privilege of hosting the ISS Asia-Pacific
regional training seminar, Children in Cross-Border Family Conflicts.
Funded by the Australian Attorney-General’s Department, this 3-day
training event took place in Sydney in June 2007 and focused on
building knowledge and skills in the child-centred, mediation-based
approach of ISS to cross-border family work.
Forty-two participants attended the training seminar, with
representatives from 16 Asia-Pacific countries: Australia, China, Fiji,
Hong-Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan,
Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and
Vietnam. Delegates included veteran ISS workers as well as those who
joined the ISS global network during the training, such as Papua New
Guinea.
Our international training team included William Duncan and Jenny
Degeling from The Hague, Jane Selwood from the Australian Central
Authority, Dr Lawrie Moloney from La Trobe University, Stephan Auerbach
from ISS Switzerland, Yuk-ching Cheung from ISS Hong Kong, as well as
Maria Brett and Sandra De Silva from ISS Australia. Andrew Johnson, the
Executive Director from ACOSS gave our keynote address.
The 3-day training event gave everyone the valuable opportunity to
learn first-hand what is happening in the Asia-Pacific region around
international child rights and child protection issues. During the
first half of the seminar, participants were introduced to the
international conventions that govern the rights-based work of ISS, as
well as the ISS casework methodology and were challenged to put their
learning into practice. During the latter half, participants explored
the skills needed for cross-cultural family work and the ISS
mediation-based approach to working with cross-border family conflict.
Sandra De Silva, ISS Australia’s Training Coordinator, co-ordinated the
training event very ably, bringing together the experience and
expertise, not only of our international training team, but also of
members of the ISS network within the region. The training seminar was
a rare chance for participants to meet the individuals who, as a
network, uphold the rights and protection of children across borders in
their everyday work.
All the participants and the trainers put in a great effort. Thank you to everyone. Below are a few photos from the seminar.
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