Collaboration with International Social Services (ISS)

Since 2020, Lawyers for Women (L4W) has been collaborating with the International Social Services (ISS) to provide urgent legal and social services in Iraq for children and families who have concerned family members abroad. The collaboration and communication with ISS is facilitated by Mercy Hands Europe.

ISS is a Swiss based international organization founded in 1924 with the mission of "uniting families across borders". To achieve its mission, ISS partners with local entities around the globe. Families and minors facing complex legal and/or social across borders situations reach out to ISS for help, either directly or through entities. ISS then will coordinate with its local partner(s) in the involved countries to connect, assist and counsel the client and their family members. Through its network of local partners, ISS currently operates in 120 countries. L4W is ISS's partner in Iraq.

L4W's expert lawyers provide a range of legal services, from telephone advice to court representation. L4W lawyers and social workers are also experienced in mediation and negotiation. Once L4W receives a case from ISS, a team of lawyers and social workers will set off to provide the needed legal and social assistance.

In our practice we focus on protecting the rights of children in transnational legal and social disputes. As our main goal is the well-being of children, we always try to resolve transnational and multicultural family disputes by applying a variety of approaches, and by following the guidelines set by the Convention on the Rights of the Child of 1989.

The following is an example of referred cases (personal identifiers redacted):

L4W has successfully resolved all cases referred to it by ISS, and the partnership between the two organizations continues to grow and bring hope to families and children in Iraq and across the borders. The following is ISS' testimonial of L4W work: