House committee examines family law reform focused on children

Nicosia, Cyprus. The House legal affairs committee began discussing legislation on Wednesday to modernise family law and place the best interests of children at the centre of family disputes. The bill is part of an eight-bill reform package.

Child protection and parental equality

Committee chairwoman Fotini Tsiridou said the reform was necessary given the number of divorces and family disputes in Cyprus.

“We have an obligation to modernise our legislative framework so that the best interests of the child are always at the centre,” Tsiridou said after the meeting.

She said the changes would focus on protecting children, ensuring equality between parents and sharing responsibilities and financial burdens more fairly.

Family law reform package

The bill under examination concerns the relationship between parents and children and forms part of the wider family law reform.

Four bills have already been approved by the House, introducing consensual divorce and faster procedures in family cases.

Support measures

The proposed changes would strengthen protection for children affected by domestic violence and allow for counselling, psychological assessments and other support.

They would also introduce counselling programmes for parents and strengthen procedures for determining child maintenance.

The legislation includes provisions for cases in which a child becomes alienated from one parent.

A multidisciplinary team coordinated by the Social Welfare Services would also be established to help protect children from physical and psychological violence.