The family forum
A humane idea for children in cooperation with the sharia courts...
Among the basic groups the Centre works to protect and to provide a protective and supportive environment for is the group of children, whether all children or children with special needs, where the Centre works on providing all the necessary rights for them, whether the right to good education, the right to equality or the right to protection from all forms of oppression and ill-treatment.
The Centre works in the field of family mediation, which is based on the principle of intervening to resolve family disputes, in order to contribute to the stability of society. Many matters relating to the family disputes arising after divorce were identified, where the Centre found that among the most prominent of those problems is children seeing their parents, particularly when one of the parents takes the children as a winning card in their hand or as a card of pressure on the other party.
It was also observed that most of the visitation rulings issued by the sharia courts are issued designating police stations as the meeting point and the place for seeing the children, and this is due to the obstinacy of both parties in accepting that seeing the children should be in the home of one of them.
From here sprang the idea of the family forum, which aimed at alleviating the suffering of children resulting from the negative psychological effect of children seeing their parents at police stations, and at achieving visitation in the best possible way and within the sharia conditions that must be followed, in a way that achieves the dignified human side for separated spouses and their children, away from unsafe places and atmospheres of violence.
Coordination was made with those concerned inside the government institutions, particularly the sharia courts, where a letter was sent to the deputy chief sharia judge presenting a proposal that the Centre designate a safe place for families to meet for the purpose of seeing their children, carrying the name of the family forum, in which the means of psychological comfort and calm are prepared and which is easy to reach, where the visitation takes place at the main centre in Gaza opposite the Governor's Palace, and at the Centre's branches in Deir Al-Balah, Khan Younis, Hebron and Nablus in the West Bank.
Accordingly, a circular was issued in order to work according to professional and sharia standards, carrying the number 22/2010, issued by His Eminence Sheikh Mahmoud Salama, deputy chief judge of the sharia courts, providing for the designation of a safe place for seeing children after a court ruling is issued regarding the child's right to see the father and the mother and everyone who has the right of custody.
Accordingly the Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution was approved as a designated place for visitation, where the Centre began carrying out the programme and prepared a safe place for families to meet, during which all the Centre's staff volunteered to work in support of the success of this idea and as a contribution to alleviating the severity of family separation.
Now you can see your children after separation in a safe place and a settled visitation..
The aims of the family forum:
- Alleviating the suffering of children resulting from the negative psychological effect of visitation at police stations.
- Achieving visitation in the best possible way, within the sharia conditions that must be followed, in a way that achieves the dignified human side for separated spouses and their children, away from police stations and atmospheres of violence.
The services provided:
- At this forum the means of comfort and calm are prepared in terms of the ease of reaching the Centre's premises and its branches.
- The existence of the safe place and the suitable time, where the visitation takes place in a place equipped in a way that supports the comfortable psychological side for the child and the parents.
- The presence of a social and legal specialist to solve the problems facing the parents or the child during the visitation.
- The possibility of converting many visitations into hosting with the agreement of both parties.
- Intervening to reach an agreement between the two parties on caring for the children.
- Intervention by community mediation between the two parties is offered to help in resolving the disagreement between the spouses through the social and legal specialist.
- Distributing gifts to the children according to the available resources.
The premises of the family forum
- Gaza, Al-Rimal, opposite the Governor's Palace - telephone: 2841414 - mobile 0599-9980616
- Khan Younis, Al-Mahatta Street, opposite Al-Bandar Al-Sharqi - telephone: 2076212 - 2067776
