General Secretariat

Protecting Children and Uniting Families Across Borders for 90 years

  • homeslide1EN

    Every year, the ISS provides its services to approximately 75'000 families around the world

  • homeslide2EN

    Every year, the ISS provides its services to approximately 75'000 families around the world

  • homeslide3EN

    Every year, the ISS provides its services to approximately 75'000 families around the world

  • homeslide4EN

    Protecting Children and Uniting Families Across Borders for 92 years

  • homeslide5EN

    Protecting Children and Uniting Families Across Borders for 92 years

  • homeslide6EN

    Protecting Children and Uniting Families Across Borders for 92 years

  • conference
  • homeslide1EN

    Every year, the ISS provides its services to approximately 75'000 families around the world

  • homeslide3EN

    Every year, the ISS provides its services to approximately 75'000 families around the world

Latest News

Adoption of a historic resolution at the ISS IC in Melbourne, Australia

ISS Members recently participated at the ISS International Council to discuss emerging social challenges affecting children and families on the move. The necessity to collaborate as a network and further develop and expand well targeted individualized services addressing the complex needs of migrant families and children was also discussed in detail.
One of the outcomes of the IC was the adoption of a historic resolution, deciding unanimously for the membership expansion by giving the opportunity to more organizations adhering to ISS working principles, to join as members and actively participate in policy and decision making. The Secretary General, closed the meeting by stating that "ISS has taken the right decision in terms of membership structure. ISS is now better equipped to serve more and more children and families on the move and to serve better".

Which families might be concerned?

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A family conflict becomes international in various scenarios involving more than one country. It could happen, for example:

  • when there is a conflict in a family where the parents have different nationalities;

  • when a family is not living in its country of origin;

  • where the parents live in two different countries;

  • where one of the parents wants to go and live in another country.

 

"Now it's a war between laws. Lawyers in this country will give me custody [...] but that custody is not recognised in my husband's country of residence so I'm stuck in a situation where I cannot afford to take the child to the country where my husband is, in case I don't get him back. [On the other hand] I don't want to restrict my husband's access to the child."

A mother


"The proceedings were complex and long, with much back and forth between the two countries. We chose to attend mediation in order to speed matters up. Then, we realised that we could speak about everything and address questions that were going to come to the surface later anyway for example, how best to organise holidays."

A father and mother giving a joint report


"We agreed that the children would join me here when they were old enough to go to secondary school. This will happen this summer and I am very happy about it. I think I would not have reached this far if I had continued along the path of legal proceedings against my ex-wife. And I would have spent a huge amount of money in lawyers' fees since 2008. "

A father

 

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ISS Global Report 2015

Have a look at our Global Report 2015