SOURCE: Australian Women Online
29/12/2007
The holiday season sees a sharp rise in the number of parental abductions in Australia. With emotions running high between separated and divorced parents during the Christmas/New Year period, a small number of parents will take the drastic step of abducting their own children. Most of these children are eventually recovered, but a small number of parents will experience the agony of never seeing their children again.
The holiday season sees a sharp rise in the number of parental abductions in Australia. With emotions running high between separated and divorced parents during the Christmas/New Year period, a small number of parents will take the drastic step of abducting their own children. Most of these children are eventually recovered, but a small number of parents will experience the agony of never seeing their children again.
According to an article published today by the Daily Telegraph one single father’s group has actually advised their members that due to court closures over the Christmas/New Year period, now would be the ideal time to abduct a child from a custodial parent. Although the article did not name the group, there are several men’s groups in Australia who have deliberately flouted Family Court rulings in the past. However, it must be acknowledged that almost half of all parental abductions are perpetrated by women.
HUKO International advises parents to be alert to the threat of parental child abduction over the holiday period. Statisically, half of all threatened parental child abductions are acted upon, with children aged between 2 and 11 making up the bulk of those affected. HUKO International assists those whose children have been abducted by the other parent. You can contact HUKO via their website.
This is an issue close to my heart. I personally experienced the agony of parental child abduction back in November 1992. My youngest son was taken by force from my arms when he was just 13 months old. My then estranged husband (now ex-husband) and his parents were British citizens and I knew they wanted to return to England. So my greatest fear was that they would take my young son overseas. Because his father and I had recently separated and there weren’t any custody orders in place at the time, I was told by both the Local Court and the Police that there was nothing they could do. Thankfully, his father did return about a week later, but for that period of time I didn’t know whether I would ever see my child again.
I cannot adequately describe in words just how it feels to be the parent left behind when your child is abducted. What I can tell you is that the incident did leave a permanent emotional scar on both myself and my older child who was only 4½ at the time. I thank God my youngest child was too young to remember the incident.
Statistics of Parental Child Abduction
- Every year 650+ children are abducted by a parent or other family member in Australia.
- 15% of abductions involve the use of physical force or violence.
- 75-85% involve interstate transportation of the child.
- 50% involve failure of a parent to return a child/children after an authorised visit or stay.
- 25% occur before the relationship between the parents ends.
- 50% occur more than 2 years after the relationship between the parents has ended.
- Most (but not all) abductors have a history of violent behaviour, substance abuse, or emotional disturbance. 46% abductors have a criminal record.
source: HUKO International
http://www.australianwomenonline.com/?p=105
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