It is important to examine what is actually going wrong in your situation if you are afraid that your child is going to be taken abroad. We differentiate between worrying about and a real risk of international child abduction. We will explain this difference below and look, in detail, at a serious threat of international child abduction.

Worrying

Worrying that your child may be abducted does not mean that the child will actually be taken. It may happen though. It is important to examine what indications there have been.

When you are worried, the following factors can play a role:

• Problems with the relationship: parents who have relationship problems or split up are often afraid of losing their child.
• Cultural preconceptions: cultural preconceptions can contribute towards creating worry about the child being abducted
• Environment: the situation of both parents can influence the worry of losing a child. The media also play a significant role in this.
• Lack of legal means: when a child is taken abroad, the deserted parent has limited legal means at their disposal.

Continue to: Steps to reduce worry

Real risk

There are a number of reasons for an abduction. These may be a desire to return to the country of origin, having debts or having a bad relationship with your in-laws. It is not always clear whether there is a real risk of abduction. There is a real risk of child abduction if your (ex) partner has threatened to take your child away. Relationship history also plays an important role here. Please contact us to discuss your situation.
Continue to: Steps to take to reduce the chance of abduction.

Serious threat

You have concrete evidence that your child will be abducted and taken to another country. You must take immediate action. There are 2 important steps:

• 1. Contact the police and inform them about your situation.
• 2. Contact a lawyer who has experience with international child abduction cases (contact us for details of lawyers in your area).

You can always contact us to discuss the situation at hand.