International Child Abduction by One of the Parents and Mediation: The Mexico-USA Case

The year 2013 marked the 30th anniversary of the entry into force of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. This treaty facilitates the prompt return to their country of habitual residence of children wrongfully removed to, or retained in any Contracting State so that a court of that country can resolve issues of custody and visitation. The Abduction Convention is by no means perfect, perhaps because we have not yet fully understood the child’s right not to be removed or wrongfully withheld in another country as a basic principle regarding the best interest of the child. This situation is increasing for many and diverse reasons.
This talk will discuss international child abduction by one of the parents and the necessity, due to a lack of practical success, of introducing an alternative dispute resolution such as mediation, specifically international family mediation. It will examine this topic with an emphasis on the situation between Mexico and the United States of America, which accounts for 10% of all international parental child abductions worldwide. Solutions through Alternative Dispute Resolution such as mediation, which are in the best interest of the child, will also be discussed. 
Nuria González Martín has a PhD in Private International Law, from the Pablo de Olavide University, in Seville, Spain. She is a Professor and Senior Researcher in the Institute for Legal Research, at the National University of Mexico (UNAM). Currently she is a Visiting Scholar at Stanford’s Law School and Visiting Fellow at the Gould Negotiation and Mediation Program at the same School. 
The talk will be in Spanish. 
Lunch will be provided.