▪ Introduction
The Network of Hemispheric Legal Cooperation in the Area
of Family and Child Law (the “Network”) was originated
in the Seventh Meeting of Ministers of Justice or Other
Ministers or Attorneys General of the Americas (REMJA-VIII).
On such meeting the member states instructed the General
Secretariat (Secretariat for Legal Affairs) to create an
inter-American project on legal cooperation and mutual
assistance in the area of Family and Child law.
Based on the four inter-American conventions on Family Law
which were approved by the OAS (Inter-American Convention on
Support Obligations, Inter-American Convention on the Return
of Children, Inter-American Convention on International
Traffic in Minors, and Inter-American Convention on Conflict
of Laws Concerning the Adoption of Minors) and with special
emphasis on the rights of minors, the Network will endeavor
to facilitate the access to the inter-American system on
protection of the family and childhood and will promote
international cooperation on the matter.
The Network is formed by three components: a public and a
private site on the Internet, and a secure electronic
communications system.
The Public Component
The Public Component of the Network (the site on which you
are currently navigating) consists of a site on the Internet
that contains public information on how to protect and
enforce the rights of children and families. The site
contains legal information as well as information about the
competent authorities of the inter-American system,
including information that allows the users to establish
direct contact with such authorities.
The Private Component
The [Private
Component] offers a site on the Internet with
restricted access and private information that enables the
users designated by the member states to exchange
information regarding legal cooperation in general and/or
with respect to specific cases.
The Secure Electronic
Communication System
The Secure Electronic Communication System allows the
exchange of authentic and confidential information among the
authorities designated by each state to participate in the
Network, by means of software that provides a system of
secure, instantaneous electronic mail and workspaces on
which virtual meetings can be held and official documents
can be exchanged. |