When a so-called parental abduction occurs, the family situation is not ideal. Often one parent knows in advance that the other parent wants to move abroad with the child but does not know how to deal with the situation. The Office is also aware of cases where a parent is only briefly informed in advance of the removal of his/her child and is not given the opportunity to participate in the decision on such an important matter in the child's life.

As preventive steps, the following may be considered:

• applying to the court to initiate proceedings to determine the child's place of residence or applying for an interdict in the form of an interim measure
• informing the Office of International Child Protection of the fear of parental abduction
• hand over the child's passport to a neutral person (more on passports here).
• file a petition with the court for a modification of the contact