The European Court of Human Rights and the Best Interests of the Child in the Recent Case Law on International Child Abduction
The Hague Convention of 25 October 1980 on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction is an effective instrument for protecting the rights of families in the case of child abduction. It creates a jurisdictional mechanism in order to promote the swift return of a child wrongfully removed from his place of habitual residence, on the general presumption that the prompt return of a removed child objectively corresponds to the best interests of the child. Although the case law of the European Court of Human Rights has generally encouraged national courts to maintain a strict application of the Hague Convention in ascertaining the contrast with the prohibition of interference in private and family life contained in Art. 8 of the ECHR, in the Neulinger case the Grand Chamber gave a different interpretation, on the basis of the prominence of the principle of the best interests of the child. This case and other more recent judgments by the European Court, for some authors, could potentially harm the functionning of the Hague Convention. A protocol to the Hague Convention, as has already been envisaged, could probably be beneficial to ensure that the Hague Convention can still continue to function effectively in the future, as long as it is based on the prominence of the principle of the best interests of the child over all other considerations.
The Impact of the Hague Abduction Convention on the Rights of the Family in the Case-Law of the European Court of Human Rights and the Un Human Rights Committee: The Danger of Neulinger
This article comprehensively analyses the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights and the UN Human Rights Committee concerning the provisions of the Hague Child Abduction Convention 1980 ('the Abduction Convention'). The Abduction Convention creates an effective method for protecting the right to family life in the case of unilateral removal of the child by one parent without the permission of the other.
Intraepiphyseal osteoid osteoma of the distal femur in an 8-year-old girl.
A case of osteoid osteoma occurring in the distal femoral epiphysis of an 8-year-old girl is presented. The rare occurrence of this lesion is discussed together with the importance of establishing a definitive diagnosis. The surgical approach and role of the image intensifier are presented.