Kate Banerjee, partner at Jones Myers and head of the family law firm’s children’s department, says the psychological impact on children can be devastating and long-lasting – and that it is essential to obtain permission from all with parental responsibility for a child before taking him or her abroad.
Every year there are around 1,000 cases of British children under the age of 16 being taken abroad by one parent without the permission of the other parent. This is a criminal offence if the offending parent has not obtained court permission.
In many cases, children are trafficked to countries that have not signed the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction, an international treaty dating back to 1980.
Non-signatories to the Hague Convention include over 60 countries that do not have international systems to help parents find their children, including Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Zimbabwe.
Telltale signs
Preventive measures
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Apply for a custody order that clearly identifies each parent’s rights. In cases of abduction, this is a violation of custody rights.
If you are threatened with child abduction or your child has been abducted:
We will guide you through this complex process
Jones Myers is nationally and internationally recognized for handling parental child abduction cases.
This includes children who are unlawfully removed from England and Wales and unlawfully retained in another jurisdiction – or who are abducted from another jurisdiction to England and Wales and unlawfully retained there.
Our consistently high success rate extends to countries both inside and outside the Hague Convention. We have extensive experience working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Home Office and with officials, police forces and politicians at the highest level both at home and abroad.
Helpful websites are International parental child abduction – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) And Reunite | International Child Abduction Centre | Child Abduction Charity
