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January 20, 2020 – Conference Conclusions 2018

Introduction: This “ESP Thought of the Day” will be coming out periodically on a go forward basis.

If you have a comment, feel free to click here and I’ll post some of the comments either at my blog or at my website .

Conference Conclusions 2018

In accordance with the articles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the ICSP calls upon the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Council of Europe, governments and professional associations:

1. to identify shared parenting as a fundamental right of the child.

2. to focus on the specific need of children of separated and divorced parents to know and be raised by both of their parents, and to endorse shared parenting as best ensuring that this need is protected.

3. to respect the views of children of separated and divorced parents in regard to their stated preferences for post-separation living arrangement.

4. to clearly define and operationalize the concept of the “best interests of the child” in the context of parental separation, toward an evidence-based, child-focused understanding of “best interests.”

5. to identify shared parenting as in the best interests of the child, as it maintains children’s relationship with both parents and reduces conflict between parents.

6. to ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and development of children of separated and divorced parents, and to take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect these children from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including parental alienation as a form of emotional child abuse and family violence.

We call upon governments and employers:

7. to institute family policies that support and protect both parents’ involvement in work and family life, including equal support for mothers and fathers in regard to parental leave and leave for family reasons.

We call upon the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Council of Europe, and International Institutions:

8. to take measures to ensure that member states do not discriminate against children of separated and divorced parents on the basis of parental status, specifically in regard to removing a parent from the daily life of a child.

9. to encourage states that are signatories to the Convention to adopt shared parenting as the foundation of family law.to encourage states that are signatories to the Convention to adopt shared parenting as the foundation of family law.

Source: International Council on Shared Parenting, 2018 Conference Conclusions, accessed on 5 January 2020 at: https://www.complexfamilylaw.com/wp-contentwww.twohomes.org/conference-conclusions-2018/

Link to Gene C. Colman’s Equal Shared Parenting Web Page

Link to past issues of the ESP Thought of the Day publication

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