Child abduction is an unauthorized removal of a minor child from the parent(s) or guardian(s) of that child. As an Orlando family law firm, we see this most often when one parent removes the child without agreement of the other parent (or against an order of the court) and then often seeks to limit access and contact to the child.
Sometimes this occurs by a parent thinking they are doing the right thing and other times by a parent who is deliberately attempting to restrict time-sharing with the other parent. An abduction can occur within a local community like Orlando, but many times people think of child abduction when a child is unlawfully taken out of the state or country. Unfortunately, child abduction is not uncommon and is a big problem; Wikipedia indicated that there were 200,000 parental child abductions in 2010.
International Abduction
International abduction can be extremely complex and challenging because you must deal not only with local Orlando family law courts, but also with the the laws of country where the child has been taken to. Fortunately, many countries have adopted the Hague Abduction Convention which is an international Treaty that provides rules and methods for returning children from member countries.
However, there are many countries that have not signed the Treaty and quite a few who have signed it but are considered to be non-compliant with the terms of the Treaty.
Threats of Abduction By Parents
You should take threats of parental abduction seriously. If the other parent is making creditable threats to take your child(ren) out of the state, country or anywhere generally out of your lawful custody and control, please contact us, or another Orlando family law attorney immediately to advise you about how to handle the situation legally. It may be important to be proactive and take steps now to minimize the risk of an actual abduction happening.
If Your Child Has Been Abducted
The complexity of getting a child returned after an abduction can vary a great deal. If you are a parent of a child who has been abducted, or where the other parent is threatening to take the child from you, you should contact a Orlando family law attorney immediately! It is often critical that you take swift action to obtain return of your child.