Introduction

International Family Law describes all family law matters with an international element. People are increasingly mobile, living outside their country of origin and experiencing international relationships more frequently. In such cross border situations the rules of international family law determine jurisdiction and the aplicable family law. The closest link to determine which national family law rules are applicable to specific family matters is the habitual residence or domicile of the parties concerned. Family matters include marriage, divorce, maintenance obligations, spouses, inter-country adoption, lineage, inheritance etc.

This Research Guide is intended as a starting point for research on International Family Law. It provides the basic legal materials available in the Peace Palace Library, both in print and electronic format. Handbooks, leading articles, bibliographies, periodicals, serial publications and documents of interest are presented in the Selective Bibliography section. Links to the PPL Catalogue are inserted. The Library's systematic classification → Private international law: family law and subject heading (keyword) Family Law are instrumental for searching through the Catalogue.
Special attention is given to our subscriptions on databases, e-journals, e-books and other electronic resources. Finally, this Research Guide features links to relevant websites and other online resources of particular interest.

Bibliography

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• Yassari, N., L.M. Möller, I. Gallala-Arndt (eds.), Parental Care and the Best Interests of the Child in Muslim Countries, The Hague, Asser Press, 2017.

  

  This volume compiles selected contributions to the workshop ‘Parental Care and the Best Interests of the Child in Muslim Countries’, which was convened at the Centre Jacques Berque pour les Études en Sciences Humaines et Sociales au Maroc in Rabat, Morocco, 1–5 April 2015. In recent years, legislatures of many Muslim countries have revised the conventional Islamic rules on child custody. Whereas in the past, rules were oriented on fixed age brackets and the gender of the parent and child, they have increasingly been formulated in favour of the principle of the best interests of the child and/or in favour of the mother through an extension of the custodial time period afforded to her as a matter of law. This book contains a historical perspective on the evolution of domestic rules on parental care and on the introduction and development of the notion of the best interests of the child in ten countries. Further, the chapters consider social and cultural factors and discuss the particular characteristics of each country before analysing the policies and agendas of national legislatures and other stakeholders which have led them to amend law in a specific direction. The countries are: Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Qatar, South Africa, Tunisia,

   

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• Laquer Estin, A., International Family law, Cheltenham, UK, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2016

  
  This collection canvasses the growing literature on international family law, extending from the traditional private law governing cross-border families, to multi-lateral treaties on subjects such as child abduction and intercountry adoption, to the framework of international human rights law that shapes domestic and international family law systems. Volume I explores the internationalization of family law and considers adult relationships, whilst Volume II examines parent–child relationships. All of the articles are tied together in the Editor’s introductory essay, which provides a useful and insightful overview.
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• Scherpe, J.M. (ed.), European Family Law, Cheltenham, UK, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2016.

  

  This  work, published in four-volumes, maps the emerging European family law.
  The chapters draw on a wide range of topics, such as: marriage, divorce, cohabitation, same-sex relationships, the financial consequence of divorce, adoption, parentage and surrogacy, parental responsibility, the child’s welfare, and law concerning older people. Through its stimulating comparative analysis and comprehensive coverage of the topic, this set of books is intended to serve as a major resource for all scholars, practitioners and students interested in family law.

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• Blair, D.M. (et. al.)(eds.), Family Law in the World Community: Cases, Materials, and Problems in Comparative and International Family Law, Durham, North Carolina: Carolina Academic Press 2015.

  

  The third edition of this casebook covers a variety of private international law issues, including child abduction, international adoption, child support enforcement, and recognition of foreign marriages and divorces. The book also explores the impact of public international law on both domestic and international regulation of the family, focusing on topics such as family violence, “mail-order” marriages, the human rights of children, and same-sex couples. Finally, the book uses comparative law materials to examine traditional family law topics, such as the regulation of marriage, LGBTQ relationships, adoption, reproductive freedom, child custody, financial support of children (both public and private), and corporal punishment.

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• Büchler, A. and Keller, H. (eds.), Family Forms and Parenthood: Theory and Practice of Article 8 ECHR in Europe, Cambridge, Intersentia, 2016.

  

  The European Convention on Human Rights has always had a significant influence on the development of family law in the different European national jurisdictions. This book explains and analyses in depth the theory and practice of Article 8 ECHR with respect to family forms and parenthood. It examines how judgments of the ECtHR are received and implemented in a variety of Contracting States (Austria, Croatia, England and Wales, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland) and how the judgments contribute to the shaping of domestic and European family law. Family Forms and Parenthood concludes with a detailed reflection on the relationship between the case law of the ECtHR and developments in national family law and jurisprudence.

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• De Waal, M.J. and Zimmermann, R. (eds.), Comparative Succession Law, Vol. 2, Oxford University Press, 2015.

  

  Intestate Succession is the second volume in the Comparative Succession Law series which examines the principles of succession law from a comparative and historical perspective. This volume discusses the rules which apply where a person dies either without leaving a valid will, or leaving a will which fails to dispose of all of the person's assets. Among the questions considered are the following: What is the nature of the rules for the disposal of the deceased's assets? Are they mechanical or is there an element of discretion? Are particular types of property dealt with in particular ways? Is there entitlement to individual assets (as opposed to money)? Do the rules operate in a parentelic system or a system of some other kind? Are spouses treated more favourably than children? What provision is made for extra-marital children, for adopted children, for step-children? Does cohabitation give rise to entitlement? How are same-sex couples treated? This book will focus on Europe and on countries which have been influenced by the European experience such as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the United States of America, Quebec, and the countries of Latin America. Further chapters are devoted to Islamic Law and Nordic law.

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• Swennen, F. (ed.) Contractualisation of Family Law : Global Perspectives, Cham, Springer, 2015.

  

  This book contributes to the topical academic debate on ‘family law exceptionalism’ by exploring the blurred lines between public law, private law and family law, and sheds light on the many shades of grey that exist. The contributions focus on both substantive and procedural family law on parents and children and on life partners, with particular attention for contractual arrangements of family formations and of conflict resolution. The hypothesis underlying all contributions was the trend towards contractualisation of family law. A convergent research outcome resulting from the comparison of national reports was the ambivalent position of family law in legal systems worldwide. This volume is based on the general and selected national reports on the topic “Contractualisation of Family Law” that were presented at the XIXth International Congress of Comparative Law in Vienna in July 2014.

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• Chaudhary, K., Pakistani Marriages and the Private International Laws of Germany and England: a Legal Comparison of the Private International Law Approaches of Germany and England concerning the Assessment of the Validity of Marriages celebrated in Pakistan, Oisterwijk, Wolf Legal Publishers, 2014.

  

  In private international law, and more precisely in international family law, century-old core values of the receiving States meet with major values of immigrants. The public debates on the application of religious laws and traditions in Europe are often very emotional, e.g. the burka-ban in France, the minaret referendum in Switzerland or the debate in Germany on the circumcision of Muslims and Jews. However, with regard to marriage, one cannot alter the fact that one can be married abroad, and thus one would also like their foreign marriage to be recognized in the new country of domicile.

  This book explores Pakistan, a country whose legal system raises many questions with respect to international family law matters, in particular in relation to marriages celebrated in Pakistan. It is known that Pakistan is a country with a huge Muslim population. However, it is not well established which laws are applicable to marriages of Muslims in Pakistan and too little is known about which laws are applicable to other religious groups.

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• Beaumont, P., Hess, B., Walker, L. and Spancken, S. (eds.), The Recovery of Maintenance in the EU and Worldwide, Oxford, Hart Publishing, 2014.

  

  This book grew out of a major European Union (EU) funded project on the Hague Maintenance Convention of 2007 and on the EU Maintenance Regulation of 2009. The project involved carrying out analytical research on the implementation into national law of the EU Regulation and empirical research on the first year of its operation in practice. The project also engaged international experts in a major conference on recovery of maintenance in the EU and worldwide in Heidelberg in March 2013. The contributions in this book are the revised, refereed and edited versions of the best papers that were given at the conference. The approval of the Hague Convention by the EU on 9 April 2014 is a major step forward for its practical significance in enabling the recovery of child and spousal support, as from 1 August 2014 all of the 28 EU Member States apart from Denmark will be bound by the Convention.

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• Rains, R.E. (ed.), The 1980 Hague Abduction Convention: Comparative Aspects, London: Wildy, Simmonds and Hill Publishing, 2014.

  

  Leading authorities explore the successes and shortcomings of the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction in the thirty years that have elapsed since that Convention entered into force. Special attention is given to national legislation implementing the Convention and to judicial practice applying Convention and legislative provisions. The Convention continues to attract ratifications, and lawyers from many countries will find the thoughtful articles contained in this volume helpful in understanding comparative approaches to this increasingly important domain of international legal cooperation.

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• Barrière-Brousse, I. and M. Douchy-Oudot (eds.), Les Contentieux Familiaux : Droit Interne, International et Européen, Paris, Lextenso, 2013.

  

  Les impératifs économiques, sociaux, culturels conduisent à une plus grande mobilité des personnes dans l’espace et avec elle se multiplient les situations familiales comportant un élément d’extranéité menant dans l’application de la règle à une superposition des ordres juridiques. Les familles constituées sont soumises, elles aussi, au changement, avec la question centrale de l’enfant. Couples, filiation, autorité parentale, respon sabilités en lien avec l’enfant, divorce, désunions, aliments, régimes matrimoniaux, successions, sont autant d’éléments soumis aux fluctuations de la vie affective des personnes. La famille se retrouve dans les contentieux aussi diversifiée que la dislocation du modèle familial traditionnel. Les juristes se mobilisent : magistrats, avocats, huissiers de justice, notaires, autant de professions en contact direct avec les litiges propres à la matière familiale, et réunies dans cet ouvrage.

   

   

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• Barnes, M., et al., International Child Maintenance and Family Obligations: A Practical Guide,Bristol,Family Law, 2013.

  

  The growth in international mobility means that there are now significantly more child and spousal maintenance cases which include an international element. Enhanced inter-country cooperation in the processing of such applications has resulted in more effective recovery of maintenance, so that practitioners and legal advisors need to have a good grasp of the various rules and regulations in respect of jurisdiction and reciprocal enforcement in this increasingly relevant and complex area.

  This book provides straightforward guidance to the law and procedures that govern applications for new orders and enforcement of existing orders to and from abroad. An overview is provided for all available applications under domestic law, in addition to procedural guides and analysis of international law (including the EU Council Maintenance Regulation 4/2009 and the implementation of the 2007 Hague Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance). The summary of enforcement procedure will equally assist legal advisors at family proceedings courts and practitioners instructed to deal with financial orders and provide advice on reciprocal enforcement.

  A comprehensive review of the new statutory regime for claims through the Child Support Agency is also provided, so that clients can be advised about the new “gross income” scheme and how decisions interact with international law.

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• Estin, A.L., International Family Law Desk Book, Chicago, IL, American Bar Association, 2012.

  

  International family law has emerged as an important subject in its own right and has become part of the everyday work of family court judges and family law practitioners across the country. International family law presents many puzzles, especially in the United States. This book takes a broad approach to the subject, bringing together the law applicable to a wide range of cross-border family issues. Designed to serve as a compact and useful resource and reference tool, the chapters that follow address marriage, divorce, the financial aspects of divorce, parentage and parental rights, custody and child abduction litigation, child support and intercountry adoption. Each chapter builds on the foundation established by treaties and uniform acts, and incorporates case law, the Restatements, and important secondary sources whenever possible. The book includes extensive discussion of the international treaties that have come to form the basis for reciprocal relationships between the United States and more than 85 other nations, but it focuses on the law applied to these transnational family issues in the United States. Although written primarily for U.S. practitioners, it will hopefully also be of use to foreign lawyers and judges with an interest in understanding the U.S. system.

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Database

Blogs

• The Harmonization of European Family Law: Work in Progress

  With the aim of offering citizens in the European Union legal certainty in cross border family law situations the EU has increasingly come to define key aspects of jurisdiction, applicable law and recognition and enforcement of judgments on divorce, maintenance, and disputes over children, including international child abduction, and provided new frameworks for cross-national cooperation. This blog gives an overview of the main EU regulations in the field of international family law.

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• Towards a Toolbox for Nationality Legislation

  From 13 to 14 October Prof. Dr. Gerard–René de Groot will host his farewell seminar on the ”Future of nationality law” at Maastricht University. In this seminar specialists in the field of nationality law will discuss how academia and civil society can best collaborate in the fight to eradicate statelessness. With whole populations adrift, nationality and citizenship today are critically important to gain admittance in a state. Nationality is in fact commonly regarded as an inalienable right of every human being. Thus, the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) states that “everyone has the right to a nationality” and that “no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality.”

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• The Special Commission on the implementation of the 2007 Child Support Convention and of the Protocol on Applicable Law

  From 10 to 17 November a Special Commission of the Conference on Private International Law (hereafter HCCH) on the implementation of the 2007 Child Support Convention and of the Protocol on Applicable Law will meet at the Peace Palace in The Hague. The Special Commission of the HCCH will discuss the implementation of the 2007 Child Support Convention and of the Protocol on Applicable Law. The new Convention aims to resolve the problems of unpaid or uncollectible child support and the problems of costly, complicated, slow and under-utilized international procedures. It will provide for a simplified procedure to recover child support internationally.

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• Cultural Diversity

  On Monday the 17th of August 2009 the Centre for Studies and Research in International Law and International Relations of the Hague Academy of International Law started. The Centre takes place annually at the Academy and Library building of the Peace Palace. The purpose of the Centre is to bring together advanced young scholars of […]

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• Lesbians v. Lesbians

  Who is a true Lesbian?
  Inhabitants of the Greek Isle of Lesbos started a trial in Athens to ban the Greek Gay and Lesbian Union (OLKE) from using the word “Lesbian”. According to the Lesbos residents the term “lesbian” causes psychological distress to the islanders, as it is a world lesbian centre in a rather conservative environment. Same-sex marriage is still a difficult issue. The decision can have worldwide effects, if the name may be used only for the people of Lesbos, with a copyright not to use it publicly in print. What about the other “Lesbians”?
  Perhaps Sappho, the poetess, who lived around 630 BC on the island, and whose poems caused all these problems, was not a lesbian after all?

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Links

See also

More Research guides on Private International Law

• Intellectual Property
• International Commercial Law
• International Contracts
• Private International Law

PPL keywords

• Family law
• Private international law