Legal (based on Dutch law and legislation)

• Contact a lawyer who has experience with international child abduction cases (contact us for details of lawyers in your area)
• Request a counsellor
  -via special access centres
  -by utilising contacts within your own circle of family and friends (the capacity of the access centre is very limited)
• Ask the judge to prevent the child being taken on holiday or taken abroad without your permission
• Ask the judge to request that the other parent surrenders the child’s or their own passport while visitation arrangements are being settled
• Ask the judge to prevent the residence of the child being altered

Sort relationship problems out

• Solve relationship problems and problems concerning access and custody with, if necessary, help from mediation
• Maintain contact with your (ex) partner’s in-laws and acquaintances

Passport/Abroad

• Find out from the council whether a passport for the child has been issued, without your permission or let the council know that this may happen
• Ensure that you are aware of the situation your child may find himself in if he is taken to another country; get information about the country to which your child may be taken. Check the country information for more details

Protection

Direct protection of the child

• Warn the school or crèche that your child cannot be released to anyone other than you, explain the situation to them
• Let your child play outside in a place where you can keep your eye on them or where there is supervision
• Give your child a mobile telephone and programme the important numbers in for them
• Be alert and aware of signals, changed circumstances and preparatory actions taken by your (ex) partner

Telephone (numbers)/address details

• Ensure you have a mobile phone on which you can be reached quickly and programme important numbers into it
• Ensure that important numbers are always at hand
• Ensure that you have the telephone numbers of your in-laws and acquaintances in the Netherlands and abroad

Creating a file

• Create a file for the authorities; for more information go to: creating a file
• Inform the police and let them make an entry in the daily log, for more information go to: The police