Australian Government: Attorney-General's Department
Australian Government: Attorney-General's DepartmentAchieving a Just and Secure Society

When your child has been taken away

For those parents whose child has been taken away across international borders, the emotional trauma is obviously unbearable. Following this information carefully will help you under these circumstances.

If you fear that your child has already been abducted to or from Australia, follow these steps:

Step 1: If you do not know where your child is, report your child as missing to your local law enforcement authority.  If you do know that your child has been taken overseas continue to Step 3

Step 2: contact the Australian Federal Police in the nearest capital city to request information on the airport arrival/departure details of the child, and

Step 3: determine whether the overseas country your child has been taken to/from is a “Convention country” or a country in a bilateral agreement with Australia

Step 4: determine whether the child has been abducted:

a) FROM Australia TO another country OVERSEAS, OR

b) FROM another country overseas TO Australia

Step 5: contact 1800 100 480 for further information regarding the operation of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction in Australia.