Parent With Custody Taking Child Abroad

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The abduction of a child is a very horrible thing to comprehend. Once the child has been abducted and taken abroad, then you basically have no rights. Each country has a different set of rules and the country that you live in cannot tell the other country how to make their rulings. An even scarier fact is that over 200 cases of parental child abduction happen each day. When you hear the details of an Amber Alert on the radio, which is a child abduction emergency, it usually happens when one of the parents steal the child.

The kidnapping of a child is considered to be the worst form of child abuse. By snatching the child out of it’s natural environment, can do great damage for years to come. Many parents kidnap their children after a custody case has been granted to the other parent. However, before a child custody hearing, both parents have the legal right to take the child. The only downside to this, is when the psychologist conducts the evaluation, they will note the fact that the parent took the child without the other parent’s approval. This could hurt the parent’s child custody case.

The most common form of child abduction is when one parent is of a different nationality from the other. The parent with custody is not considered a kidnapper if they are taking the child abroad. However, if it is time for the parent and child to come back to their country and the parent decides that they will not, then it is kidnapping. If both parents have joint custody, then specific guidelines can be stated that neither parent can take the child out of the country without the other parent’s consent.

If your child is going abroad with his or her other parent, then you need to have a record of all of the relatives they are going to visit. You also need to have a list of the government numbers for the country they are visiting. Make sure to have your child’s description ready such as hair color, height, and the clothes that he may be wearing. If you sense that the other parent may be vulnerable to kidnapping then seek immediate counseling from a professional prior to the visit abroad. It may also be a good idea for you to accompany your child and the other parent if you are both on good terms. Even though your presence cannot prevent the other parent from refusing the child’s access to your country, you can still be there in case a kidnapping were to occur.