I am saddened but not surprised to hear that the Foreign and Commonwealth office (FCO)  dealt with 553 international child parental abduction and child custody cases across the last 12 months – and that Reunite witnessed a 30% increase in the number of children abducted to non-Hague Convention countries.

As the FCO and Reunite call on parents considering abducting their child to think through the devastating consequences for all involved in the countdown to the Christmas holidays, as specialists in this area, we are all too aware that this is a worldwide issue – and that the public’s understanding of parental child abduction is alarmingly low.

It is extremely difficult to return a child from a country such as China, Pakistan or Somalia   that has not signed the Hague Convention. The challenges a parent faces in such circumstances can be overwhelming and desperately frightening as they struggle to get their child back.

Even when the country is a signatory, the process is extremely traumatic for the parent left behind – invariably placing the child in the middle of an ugly dispute where the stakes are high – and where secretive actions often involve a myriad of deceptions.

It is also important to remember that whilst such situations are extremely traumatic for any parent, all cases are abusive for the child or children involved as they are subjected to significant emotional harm.

While most clients I speak to believe that the government can intervene to order and help with the return of a child to England and Wales – the reality is that although support is available, parental child abduction cases can take years to resolve.

The need to step up information campaigns is further reflected in a 37% increase in the volume of calls to Reunite’s advice line this year.

If you are concerned that your child may be at risk, here are some preventative steps to consider:

• Apply to the Court for a Prohibited Steps Order (PSO); this prevents either parent from taking their children to any specific events or any trips without the express permission of the other parent.
• Ensure that contact is supervised and, in extreme cases, you may wish to stop contact altogether.
• Keep passports safe and consider depositing them with a solicitor.
• Contact the Passport Agency and ask them to block the other parent from applying for a new passport.
• Notify the school about who is allowed to collect your child from school.

If you receive a threat of child abduction or if your child has been abducted:

• Contact the police immediately who can issue a port alert to airports and ferry terminals. Recent photos of your child and the other parent, together with details of the airport or destination you think they may be heading, will help the police to focus their search
• Contact Reunite, the UK’s International Child Abduction Charity which operates a 24 hour emergency helpline.
• Seek legal advice immediately.

For more information please e-mail us or call us on 0113 246 0055. You can also follow us on Twitter @helpwithdivorce

The post Why child abduction figures reinforce urgency for greater parental awareness appeared first on Jones Myers.

Naomi’s plight has hit the headlines following a High Court ruling that her estranged husband Tamer Salama will remain behind bars for failing to disclose where his daughter is hidden. The judge also gave the go ahead for global publicity in the hope that Elsa will be returned to Naomi who lives in Bramley, Leeds.

In the countdown to Elsa’s 6thbirthday on 2 February, Naomi has launched a social networking campaign comprising a dedicated Facebook Page and Twitter account – @BringElsaHome – in the hope that someone, somewhere may come forward with information be able to ascertain her whereabouts.

Length and breadth of support

Our grateful thanks go out to the public and media who are supporting Naomi’s campaign to Bring Elsa Home.

Naomi’s appeal is receiving widespread coverage across TV channels including BBC Breakfast, Sky News, Channel 4, Channel 5, ITV and BBC News 24 and national press including The Telegraph and The Independent. Our local press and radio / TV stations ITV Calendar, Yorkshire Post, Yorkshire Evening Post, BBC Look North, Radio Aire and BBC Radio Leeds are behind the appeal and are running stories about Elsa’s abduction. We must also give huge thanks to local news agency for their key role in spreading Naomi’s story to newspaper readers across the UK.

As a result of this tremendous coverage and support we are receiving e-mails offering help which we deeply appreciate.

Sadly, cases of parental child abduction are on the increase. The Foreign Office’s Child Abduction Section is receiving an average of four calls per day and at Jones Myers, we are receiving an average of one enquiry per week.

Below is Naomi’s story, which will resonate with parents everywhere. It is followed by tips and advice from our children’s department for anyone concerned that their child could be at risk.

Who to contact

Anyone with information about Elsa should ring the following numbers: within the UK dial 101 and ask to speak to Leeds District Safeguarding Unit at West Yorkshire Police and if dialling from outside the UK the number is 00 44 192 437 5222.

Naomi’s story – the abduction

As Naomi Button faces a second year without her daughter, Elsa Salama affectionately nicknamed as a “mummy’s girl”, her estranged husband – Egyptian born Tamer Salama, 35, – remains behind bars in England for refusing to comply with court orders to return Elsa to her mother.

Naomi, 39 from Bramley, Leeds, has not seen or heard from Elsa since she was abducted by Salama from the seaside resort of Sharm El Sheikh on 27 December 2011 while on a holiday to visit her paternal family in Egypt.

Naomi has a custody order in Egypt, the support of the Child Abduction Section of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and is backed by her MP Rachel Reeves.

High Court judge labels abduction as ‘gross act’

Only last week Naomi’s plight was reinforced in the High Court in London.

On sentencing Tamer Salama to a further 12 months in jail for his continuing failure to comply with court orders to return his daughter to her mother, His Honour Mr Justice Cobb said that Elsa was being deprived of the “love and care” of her mother “in circumstances where I am satisfied that her father has it in his power to achieve the restoration of her relationship”.

Mr Justice Cobb told the court that Salama had failed to return Elsa to the jurisdiction of England and Wales – as well as failing to give any information about the child’s whereabouts or provide any form of contact between the girl and her mother.

The Judge added that when Tamer Salama deprived Elsa of the love of her mother and arranged for her to be in the care of his own family that was a gross act that undoubtedly justified the most serious punishment available to the court.

Salama has been behind bars since early January 2012, having returned to the UK to launch a smear campaign against Naomi following the abduction.

At the initial sentencing handed down to Salama in March 2012 His Honour Mr Justice Mitchell said it was beyond his comprehension that as a human being and a father who loved his child Salama could place Elsa outside the reach of any form of communication. He continued, “It is unspeakably harmful to the emotional welfare of your daughter. It shows me that you are a man with a hard heart, determined only to get your own way.”

The plea from Naomi and her lawyers

Naomi has no information about Elsa’s whereabouts and does not have any proof that she is alive and well. Salama says that Elsa was moved from Sharm El Sheikh to Cairo by Elsa’s grandmother (who speaks no English) but neither Salama nor his extended family has provided any information as to her exact whereabouts.

Kate Banerjee says: “Elsa was abducted by her father in Egypt on 27 December 2011. He has consistently refused to reveal her whereabouts, although we believe she is still in Egypt.

“Elsa is without the love and care of either a mother or father in a country where she doesn’t speak the language or understand the culture. We appeal to anyone who knows Elsa’s whereabouts to just pick up the phone and help us return this little girl to her mother.”

Naomi says: “To snatch Elsa away from me was the cruellest thing anyone could do. For the family to hide her and prevent her from having any contact with me and prevent any information being released is devastating and I appeal from the bottom of my heart to Tamer’s family to please give her back to me. All they need to do is to make one phone call to the British Embassy.

“I know that Elsa will be desperately missing her mum, her friends and her home – not to mention her pet cats Buzz and Junior. I cannot imagine what she must be going through. Elsa could never bear being apart from me for even a moment; she is very much a mummy’s girl. The anguish I have suffered over the last thirteen months has been almost unbearable at times.”

Advice from our children’s department

Understanding of parental child abduction is alarmingly low and cases can take years to resolve. The situation is made more difficult if a child is taken to a country that has not signed the Hague Convention, an international agreement between certain countries which aims to ensure the return of a child who has been abducted by a parent.

If you are concerned that your child may be at risk, here are some preventative steps to consider:

• Apply to the Court for a Prohibited Steps Order (PSO); this prevents either parent from taking their children to any specific events or any trips without the express permission of the other parent.
• Ensure that contact is supervised and in extreme cases, you may wish to stop contact altogether.
• Keep passports safe and consider depositing them with a solicitor.
• Contact the Passport Agency and ask them to block the other parent from applying for a new passport.
• Notify the school about who is allowed to collect your child from school.

If you receive a threat of child abduction or if your child has been abducted:

• Contact the police immediately who can issue a port alert to airports and ferry terminals. Recent photos of your child and the other parent, together with details of the airport or destination you think they may be heading, will help the police to focus their search
• Contact Reunite, the UK’s International Child Abduction Charity which operates a 24 hour emergency helpline.
• Seek legal advice immediately.

The post Media coverage intensifies in global search for abducted Elsa appeared first on Jones Myers.