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The Plan

mother and child

Our overarching aim is to end the injustices created by The Hague Convention, specifically for mothers and children who are fleeing abusive relationships.

We intend to ensure that:

– the significance of domestic abuse (including coercive control) – for mothers and their children – is fully addressed in the implementation of the Convention;

– the rights of the child and their genuine best interests are central to Hague Court judgments;

– there is equity before the law for mothers facing Hague petitions.

How will we do it?

In a nutshell, through mobilizing the international feminist network. Solidarity and sisterhood in action! We will draw on our collective expertise, creativity, and passion, to co-create the campaign, agree and implement key actions, and build an international movement for justice. 

What have we achieved so far?

We began the campaign in 2022 with a focus on building the team, raising awareness, and both creating and collating resources. Our advocacy campaign started in 2023; we began to see the fruits of our collective efforts towards the end of that year. To date, we have:

  • established a global membership of over 60 volunteers including leading experts on the Convention
  • built partnerships with a number of key organisations across the world
  • created resources for mothers and domestic violence organisations
  • created a ‘Time for Change’ video viewed by over 1500 people
  • collated and shared key academic resources and media articles
  • held an international webinar on ‘Ending the Injustices of the Hague Convention’ with world-renowned experts from the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand
  • participated in a range of international conferences, webinars, and podcasts
  • gained credibility and influence within the HCCH, in a number of individual states, and amongst experts in this field
  • received ongoing and active support from the UNSR on Violence Against Women & Girls, Reem Alsalem
  • created a global ‘Protect Hague Victims’ petition of over 37,000 signatures, and an open letter calling for change, signed by 90 international experts; both were circulated to delegates at the Special Commission Meeting in October 2023
  • created a ‘Mothers’ Voices’ publication which was given out to delegates as they arrived at the October meeting in The Hague.

 

A significant result of this collective advocacy was an unprecedented HCCH Forum on Domestic Violence and the Hague Convention, held in South Africa in June 2024. We were invited on to the Forum Steering Group along with our partners GlobalARRK and Revibra Europe. Speakers from our FHM team and our partners were included in all but one session and provided powerful advocacy and evidence to the 100 attendees and 300 online participants.

We published seven Expert Papers on key topics relating to the Forum sessions which were circulated to all attendees. We also created a video of mothers’ voices which was shown at the Forum as part of the immensely powerful ‘voices of experience’ session.

One of the immediate outcomes of the event was that the Brazilian government offered to hold a second Forum in 2025 to ensure that the dialogue continues and that solutions are found that will safeguard both mothers and their children.

What’s next?

We are in the process of creating the 2025-26 strategy which will focus on the human rights abuses that are being enabled by the Convention. Among other priorities, we intend to work with signatory states and the HCCH, to ensure that governments’ obligations to human rights treaties are not negated by a blind adherence to the Convention protocols.

Watch this space!