Is your child at risk of parental abduction?
1. Get solid advice and retain a solicitor with a demonstrable track record in International Parental Child Abduction – don't waste money on a suburban lawyer who will charge you billable hours to research this specialised field of the law.
2. Obtain Family Court Orders upon marital or relationship separation prohibiting the issuance of new passports for the children and also banning travel outside Australia’s borders for your children without the written consent of both parents.
3. Insist that your solicitors ask for the orders to also include all airlines operating in Australia have these orders served on the international carriers.
4. The orders will also be registered with the AFP on their watchlist and the various immigration controls at Australian exit points.
5. File photographs of you children with the AFP and all airlines.
6. If you fear your children have already been taken, refer to item 1.
7. It is possible to ground an aircraft, have it turned around, or have the child 'boomeranged' back home if the correct court orders are obtained with alacrity. The Family Court of Australia has an out of hours service that can provide a judge to hear urgent applications in the middle of the night. Act fast, speed is of the essence and for this, you need an experience legal representative.
8. Notify the DFAT – see listings below.
9. Notify the AG's department – see listings below.
10. Take detailed notes whenever contact is made with either the abducting parent, Attorney General's office, or DFAT. ALWAYS note the name of the contact and the time and date, inclusive of telephone numbers.
11. Ascertain if your child has been taken to a Hague Convention Country – see listings below.
12. Contact the relevant bodies for the country (if Hague signatory) to which the child has been taken – list your children's details with them and ask for a case number.
13. Provide the Australian Authorities with this overseas case number to expedite the file.
Please note, Jacqueline Pascarl will be retiring from this field of work in August, 2009, after 17 years, which will mean that their will be no credentialed NGO assisting left behind parents in Australia.
82 Countries are now signatories to the Hague Convention. For an up to date list, use the link below.
http://www.ag.gov.au/www/agd/agd.nsf/Page/Internationalchildabduction_CountrieswhicharepartiestotheHagueConvention
For informative information from the USA’s Department of State on International Parental Child Abduction
http://travel.state.gov/family/abduction/hague_issues/hague_issues_1487.html
Relevant explanation on the Hague Convention which explains it is also for use in cases where contact with a non-custodial parent is being denied
http://www.ag.gov.au/www/agd/agd.nsf/Page/Internationalchildabduction_TheHagueConventionontheCivilAspectsofInternationalChildAbduction
Attorney General’s Department
Canberra, Australia
Tel: +61 (0)2 6250 6666
http://www.ag.gov.au
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Canberra, Australia
1300 555 135 (24 hr hotline)
http://www.dfat.gov.au
United Kingdom
Reunite — International Child Abduction Centre
PO Box 7124
Leicester LE1 7 XX,
Advice Line:
Tel: +44 (0) 116 2556 234
General Enquiries:
Tel: +44 (0) 116 2555 345
Fax: +44 (0) 116 2556 370
http://www.reunite.org
E-mail: reunite@dircon.co.uk
United States of America
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
(US Central Authority for Incoming Cases)
Charles B Wang International Children’s Building
699 Prince Street
Alexandria, VA 22314–3175,
24 hour hotline
Tel: +1 703 274 3900
Fax: +1 703 274 2200
http://www.missingkids.com
European Union
Child Focus - European Centre for Missing and Sexually Exploited Children
Tel: +32 2 475 44 99
(24 hr hotline)
http://www.childfocus.org
