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The Hague Convention and International Child Abduction: An Overview

BY Jeremy D. Morley
December 01, 2003

The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (Oct. 25, 1980, T.I.A.S. No. 11670) is not a vehicle for deciding child access questions. Instead, its main purpose is to ensure that abducted children are returned to their country of habitual residence. It presumes that custody and visitation disputes are properly resolved in the country where the child habitually resides. The Convention applies in cases where: 1) both the country of the child's habitual residence and the country to which the child was taken have acceded to the Convention; 2) the child in question is younger than 16 years of age; and 3) the child has been “wrongfully removed or retained” in breach of rights of custody under the law of the state of the child's habitually residence.

The Convention provides both an administrative and a judicial avenue for parties seeking relief. These two remedies are not mutually exclusive; the aggrieved party may pursue one or both of them. Administrative assistance in securing a child's return can be obtained by making an application to the designated Central Authority in the nation where the child habitually resides, or in any other nation that is a party to the Convention. The United States has designated the State Department's Office of Children's Issues in the Bureau of Consular Affairs as its Central Authority.

A party may also initiate judicial proceedings in the nation where the child is located. In the United States, federal and state courts have concurrent jurisdiction over Hague Convention cases. A U.S. state or federal court must give full faith and credit to the judgment of any other U.S. state or federal court entered in an action brought under the Convention. In contrast, one federal appeals court has held that decisions of the courts of foreign nations under the Convention are not entitled to full faith and credit; they are, however, entitled to deference under principles of international comity. Diorinou v Mezitis, 237 F2d 133, 142-143 (CA 2, 2001).

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