Parental child abduction reaches ‘global epidemic proportions'

FULL ARTICLE FROM APB GROUP

QUOTE:

The summer holidays – one of the most anticipated times of the year; a time when families come together to enjoy each other’s company and create cherished memories that will last a lifetime.

The summer holidays are also, tragically, the time of the year when parental child abductions soar, according to ABP World Group, a global, intelligence-driven security and risk management firm that specialises in child recovery.

Asbjørn Engum, the vice president of the organisation, which has recently relocated its main administration offices from Norway to the Costa del Sol, tells SUR in English: “The summer is, typically, when parental child abductions peak. This is because it’s often easier at this time because children are out of school and they usually have a greater degree of freedom, as they – and often their guardians – are in holiday mode.

“And, in some cases, the summer is when the estranged parent would, under normal circumstances be with their child, so there’s a greater sense of wanting to take them if they’re not currently with them.”

Whilst now is the season when international child abductions significantly increase, it is in general terms a problem that has in recent years, says Asbjørn, “reached global epidemic proportions.” Why so?

“The ongoing increase in inter-racial and inter-cultural marriages and relationships has led to, and will continue to generate, a significant rise in the number of children born to parents of differing nationalities,” affirms ABP World Group’s vice president.

“Unfortunately, a considerable number of marriages – of any kind – do break down and end in an acrimonious divorce. When this happens with an inter-racial or inter-cultural couple, it is often the case that one of them then moves back to his or her ‘home’ country.

“Sadly, all too often one of the partners will look to punish the other one, and a way to do this is to abduct a child of that relationship – frequently moving them to a country where the child has never lived.”