You are cordially invited to the seminar organised by Bilkent University Faculty of Law.
“Children’s Right to Access to Justice: A Focus on Civil Procedure”
Dr. Çağrı Mardin
Kadir Has University Faculty of Law
17 June 2025, Tuesday – 13:30
Art Gallery, Main Campus Library
The seminar will be held in English.
The concept of access to justice refers to a fundamental human right: from the perspective of individuals, it ensures the ability to seek and obtain remedies through legal institutions; from the perspective of the state, it entails the duty to provide an accessible, equal, and effective justice system for all. This concept encompasses not only access to courts but also to the mechanisms providing effective exercise of rights. Although access to justice is recognized as a procedural right in civil, administrative, and criminal matters, this seminar focuses on its civil dimension, particularly in relation to children. As rights holders, children are entitled to access justice, and their best interests must be primary consideration in all proceedings involving them. However, aligning civil justice procedures with the principle of the best interests of the child presents various legal and institutional challenges. This seminar explores key issues surrounding children’s access to justice in civil cases and examines how the effective exercise of this right can be enhanced. It considers what a truly child-friendly justice system might entail and discusses how legal, and policy frameworks can evolve to support the development of a child-centered justice policy.
Çağrı Mardin obtained his undergraduate law degree from Ankara University Faculty of Law in 2014. While pursuing a master’s degree in civil procedure, enforcement, and bankruptcy law at the same university, he completed his legal internship and briefly worked as an attorney at law. He received his LL.M. in 2018 with a thesis on the enforcement of custody and contact orders, supervised by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emel Hanağası. In 2024, he completed his doctoral studies at Marmara University under the supervision of Prof. Dr. İbrahim Aşık. His doctoral research focuses on access to justice in civil procedure law. He teaches at both undergraduate and graduate levels and has been a member of the Department of Civil Procedure, Enforcement, and Bankruptcy Law at Kadir Has University Faculty of Law since 2016. In addition to his main field of expertise, his research interests include human rights, children’s rights, and legal design, with a particular focus on the right to a fair trial.