Child abduction cases hit record

A record 141 transnational child abduction cases were dealt with by the authorities here last year, according to new figures published today.

The Department of Justice said some 141 cases involving 183 children were received by the Central Authority for Child Abduction in 2008, an increase of 42 cases on 2007 and the highest annual total since the unit was established in 1991.

Seventy of the files concerned abductions into the State from other countries, while 71 involved abductions from here to other countries.

Of the new cases received by the authority last year, 44 per cent involved the United Kingdom, 40 per cent related to other European countries, 6 per cent involved the United States and 10 per cent involved other states.

Under the aegis of the department, the authority processed a total of 214 cases in 2008, including 73 cases carried forward from 2007.

In 13 of the 117 cases where the abduction occurred in another country, the High Court ordered the return of the children, while in four cases the Court refused to return them. Some 23 cases were resolved when the children were either returned voluntarily or the parties reached an agreement, while 16 applications were withdrawn. Some 48 cases were awaiting resolution at the end of the year.

Some 97 reports of children being abducted from the State and brought to other countries were processed. In 19 of these, foreign courts ordered the return of the children, while courts refused to return children in four cases. In a further 13 cases, the children were either returned voluntarily or the parties reached an agreement. Nineteen applications were withdrawn and a further 35 were awaiting resolution at the end of 2008.

The Central Authority for Child Abduction was established in 1991, when the Hague and Luxembourg Conventions on child abduction were given the force of law in Ireland. These conventions allow for the return of children who have been taken from one contracting state to another against the wishes of a parent with custody rights.