International child abduction
Internationalisation has led to an increase in people’s mobility, and this development is expected to continue. People’s family situations are also increasingly prone to changes. In the context of separation or divorce, parents may find it difficult to decide on where their children will live. The situation may even escalate into an international child abduction.
Efforts have been made to prevent and resolve international child abductions through international agreements, the most significant of which is the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. In Finland, the Ministry of Justice acts as the Central Authority in accordance with the Convention.
Child abductions include both those from Finland to abroad and from abroad to Finland. This information kit is mostly focused on cases where the child has been wrongfully taken from Finland to a foreign country or has not been returned from a foreign country back to Finland. The information kit has been prepared to provide information and instructions to parents, lawyers working on child abduction cases and the authorities.
Published 21.1.2021