Child abduction

Once a relatively rare occurrence, an increase in mixed nationality marriages, increasing relationship breakdown rates, changes in immigration laws and cheap foreign travel have seen a rise in international child abduction.

One of the first steps is to establish whether your child has been abducted to a country which is a member of the Hague Convention (www.reunite.org). The Hague Convention is an agreement between a number of countries that each country will agree, in simple terms, to act in a certain way, making the legal complexities of child abduction far easier.

If you have a very real fear that the child's other parent may abduct the child then do not allow the child to go with the other parent at least until you have obtained urgent legal advice from us. There may be a number of practical measures and appropriate court applications that can be made to put your mind at rest and reassure you.

If you consider that your child is about to be abducted or has been abducted then you need to make an urgent court application. The Court can order any of the following:

• Delivering up of passports
• Restraining the issue of passports
• Restraining Order preventing the abductor from removing the child
• Interim residence order in your favour
• Bond (a sum of money) to guarantee the return of the child after contact