Catherine Frances, Ph.D.
The Issue of International Child Abduction
In Japan and the West
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Print Show Tote Bag Auction

June – the month of blooming roses and the impending rainy season. For our final luncheon of the first half of the year we have two treats for you! The first is a fun activity and the second is the chance to hear more from one of our 2009 Scholars, the newly-minted PhD, Catherine Frances.

 

We’ll start off the luncheon with an auction of Print Show Tote bags, lovingly and creatively decorated by our energetic members! Be sure to come early so you can see all the bags and pick one or two to bid on.

After that we are privileged to have Dr. Catherine Frances speak on the very timely subject of International Child Abduction and parental rights in Japan. As international marriages between Japanese and foreigners have increased, so has the rate of divorce. When children are involved, various cultural and legal differences surface between the East and the West. Where the idea of joint custody- both parents having access to the children – is accepted as the norm in Western culture, it is actually prohibited by Japanese law. This has led desperate parents on both sides of this dilemma to resort to abducting their own children from their former spouses. It also puts the laws of one country up against the laws of another, creating complex and contentious international legal issues.

                                    

Dr. Frances examined this issue in depth in her PhD thesis. Taking a multidisciplinary approach and exploring the legal, historical, political, cultural and sociological dimensions surrounding the problem, she has been able to identify a potential solution which she will share with CWAJ members.

Dr. Frances received a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Health Science and Law from the University of East London and an MA in International Public Health Policy (focusing on Mad Cow Disease) from the International Christian University in Tokyo. In May of 2010 she received her PhD in Comparative Culture also from ICU.