Thursday, August 8, 2013

Child Abduction in Custody Disputes

The number of child abduction cases that involve a child custody dispute has increased from 9% in 2009 to 50% in 2012.  The cases included in these statistics are those where a non-custodial parent takes a child(ren) from the custodial parent against the will of the child(ren) or custodial parent. Sometimes the motivation might be to retaliate against the custodial parent, sometimes it’s an effort to reconcile. Apparently, children under the age of three are at the greatest risk of being taken by a non-custodial parent against their or the custodial parent's will.

Early reporting of an abduction to the proper authorities will minimize the likelihood of harm to the child. If there is a history or domestic violence or threats of taking the child(ren), perhaps restraining orders or restricted and/or monitored visitation is appropriate. There are additional steps to reduce the chance of custodial issues or potential abduction or harm to the child(ren) such as always keeping a copy of the entered order at all times, dropping a copy of it off at all the schools, the local police station, and the day care or any other place the children spend time.


3 comments:

Unknown said...

Wonderful post however I was wondering if you could write a little more on this topic?
I’d be very thankful if you could elaborate a little bit further. Child custody can be one of the most acrimonious, bitterly fought battles in a courtroom, leaving everyone wounded and the victory a pyrrhic one.

Karen Cynn said...
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Karen Cynn said...

Thank you Ellie Alyssa. I am happy to do some additional research on this topic and see if I can come up with updated statistics and/or information. If you have specific questions that you would like addressed on this issue, please contact our offices.

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