Presentations by family law researchers at the Institutions for Conflict Resolution (COI) Conference 2023

On 28 and 29 September 2023, The Institutions for Conflict Resolution (COI) Conference took place. The theme of the conference was: 'Towards institutional approaches to conflict prevention and resolution'. From Utrecht Centre for European Research into Family Law (UCERF), many researchers were present at this conference.

UCERF researchers Maaike Huijzer and Wendy Schrama presented their analysis of Dutch Supreme Court cases in family law that were decided in 2022. A few examples of their interesting findings: 70% of the 42 cases appear to be related to divorce and a significant portion of these are alimony cases that rarely lead to success. Conclusions by the Advocate General rarely reference international sources. Additionally, in only 13 of the 40 cases art. 81 RO plays no role. In the same panel, Charlotte Mol spoke about the method of her interdisciplinary literature research into child participation in family law cases and specifically the use of machine learning.

Christina Jeppesen de Boer and Wendy Schrama presented the research they are conducting into the Joint Access Divorce Pilot. Preliminary results show that the number of cases has so far been smaller than expected and considerable time is needed to implement a new working method. Disputes between parents often concern child-related topics. A solution is often reached between the parents. An interim evaluation will be published in 2024.

Lorena Sosa and Marjolein van den Brink participated in the panel entitled 'Gender Rights and Violence'. Lorena presented her research into which voices are heard and which legal principles shape conflict resolution when the opinions of parents and children differ about gender identity in the Netherlands and Argentina. Marjolein presented her paper on the role of law in the conflict that can arise when transgender people use spaces that are only intended for women. She conducted this research with Peter Dunne (Bristol University) and proposed various legal solutions that guarantee the protection of human rights.