When a child has been abducted
It is important that parents clearly understand their situation. A parent’s course of action will depend upon whether the child has been abducted to or retained within an overseas country. An 'overseas country' is:
a) a ‘Convention country’
b) a party to a bilateral agreement with Australia, OR
c) none of the above.
a) ‘Convention country’
To be a ‘Convention Country’, the ‘overseas country’ must be found on the list provided by the Hague Convention:
If the country is NOT listed here, then it is not a Convention country
If you have any further inquiries regarding signatories to the Convention, contact the Hague Conference via its website.
b) ‘Bilateral’ agreement with Australia
Currently, the only existing ‘bilateral’ agreement is with Egypt. To find out what to do if your child has been abducted to Egypt, please call the International Child Abduction Hotline on 1800 100 480
c) None of the above
If you cannot find your country in either of the two categories above, then your country is not covered by The Hague Convention or a bilateral agreement with Australia.
To be certain that your country is NOT included in the categories above, contact the International Child Abduction Hotline on 1800 100 480.