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Child Care Solicitors

FCO and charity highlight heightened summer risk of international parent-child abduction (4 July 2016)

Date: 04/07/2016
Duncan Lewis, Child Care Solicitors, FCO and charity highlight heightened summer risk of international parent-child abduction

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and UK charity Reunite International are raising awareness of the impact of child abduction, which occurs more frequently during the summer when children may spend time with their non-resident parent.

Every year, the FCO helps hundreds of British people dealing with custody disputes or cases of international parental child abduction, which occurs when a parent takes and keeps their child outside of the UK without the permission of the other parent.

Foreign Office Minister for Consular Policy, James Duddridge, said:

“We see all too often the devastating impact these cases have on the child, parents and families involved – and they can take years to resolve.

“As well as emotional distress, both parents often face severe financial difficulties as they fight for custody of their child through foreign courts.

“By abducting a child, a parent may also be committing a criminal offence and can face a prison sentence.

“We urge all parents to really think through the potentially devastating consequences for themselves, for their family – and, most importantly, for the child left caught in the middle...”

Chief Executive Officer of Reunite, Alison Shalaby, added:

“Parental child abduction fractures the lives of all concerned – and has far reaching consequences, particularly for the child.

“We would urge any parent who fears their child may be removed – or is thinking about removing their child – to contact our advice line, so we can discuss their options and help them find a less damaging resolution.”

In 2014-2015, the FCO dealt with 493 new child custody and international child abduction cases – and in 2015-2016, the FCO dealt with 445 new cases.

The FCO short film “Caught in the Middle” encourages parents to think of the consequences before doing something that could have an effect on their children and wider family.

The FCO says parents should contact the police if they fear their child has been taken by their other parent, as the abducting parent may have committed a criminal offence.

The FCO also advises parents to contact a specialist children lawyer who deals with cases of international child abduction, so that they can find out what their legal rights are.

Duncan Lewis Children Lawyers – Parent-Child Abduction

Duncan Lewis children lawyers can advise on international parent-child abduction – and have an emergency helpline for parents who fear their child might have been abducted.

There are Duncan Lewis offices nationwide and in most major cities – and Duncan Lewis is a leading provider of Legal Aid services.

Our specialist child abduction solicitors frequently work with overseas associates to ensure the swift return of a child who has been abducted – and Duncan Lewis staff speak 70 languages between them, so are able to communicate effectively with overseas agencies about any case involving international child abduction.

For expert legal advice on international child abduction, call Duncan Lewis Child Care Solicitors on 0333 772 0409.

For 24/7 help with a case of suspected child abduction, call the Duncan Lewis Solicitors 24-Hour Emergency Helpline, where a specialist children lawyer is available to advise on court orders and other action available to prevent a child being removed from the UK without parental consent.


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