The Convention of 25 October 1980 on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (HCCH 1980 Child Abduction Convention) is a multilateral treaty, which seeks to protect children from the harmful effects of wrongful removal and retention across international boundaries by providing a procedure to bring about their prompt return and ensuring the protection of rights of access. The "Child Abduction Section" provides information about the operation of the Convention and the work of the Hague Conference in monitoring its implementation and promoting international co-operation in the area of child abduction.
Please note that the Permanent Bureau of the HCCH has no mandate to assist in individual abduction cases. If you have a question relating to international child abduction and your country is a Party to the HCCH 1980 Child Abduction Convention, please contact the Central Authority designated by your country.
Explanatory documents:
- Explanatory Report drawn up by Ms E. Pérez Vera
- Preparatory work, published in the Actes et documents de la Quatorzième session (1980), tome III, Child abduction
Guides to Good Practice:
- Part I: Central Authority Practice
- Part II: Implementing Measures
- Part III: Preventive Measures
- Part IV: Enforcement
- Part V: Mediation
- Part VI: Article 13(1)(b)
- Transfrontier Contact Concerning Children – General Principles and Guide to Good Practice
- Practitioners’ Tool: Cross-Border Recognition and Enforcement of Agreements Reached in the Course of Family Matters Involving Children
Special Commission meetings on the practical operation of the Convention:
- 8th Special Commission meeting (2023)
- Previous Special Commission meetings (1989-2012)
Forum on Domestic Violence and the Operation of Article 13(1)(b):
Country Profiles:
Questionnaires and responses:
- Standard Questionnaire for newly acceding States | Responses from States having acceded | Responses from other States
- Other Questionnaires and Responses (2000-2015)
The International Hague Network of Judges:
Judicial Communications:
- Direct Judicial Communications - Emerging Guidance regarding the development of the International Hague Network of Judges and General Principles for Judicial Communications, including commonly accepted safeguards for Direct Judicial Communications in specific cases, within the context of the International Hague Network of Judges
- Prel. Doc. No 3D of December 2011 - Note on the desirability and feasibility of a potential legal instrument providing a basis for direct judicial communications
- Prel. Doc. No 3C of July 2011 - Collection of responses on the draft General Principles for Judicial Communications
- Prel. Doc. No 3B of April 2011 - Report on judicial communications in relation to international child protection (+ Annexes)
- Prel. Doc. No 3A Revised of July 2012 - Emerging guidance regarding the development of the International Hague Network of Judges and general principles for judicial communications
- Conclusions and Recommendations of the Joint EC-HCCH Conference on Direct Judicial Communications on Family Law Matters and the Development of Judicial Networks, Brussels 15-16 January 2009
- Prel. Doc. No 8 of October 2006 - Report on judicial communications in relation to international child protection + Appendices
- Prel. Doc. No 6 of August 2002 - Practical Mechanisms for Facilitating Direct International Judicial Communications in the context of the Hague Child Abduction Convention (Preliminary Report + Annexes)
Cross-border family mediation:
- Guide to Good Practice under the Child Abduction Convention: Mediation (available in English, French and Spanish, other official languages of the European Union, Arabic, Mandarin and Russian)
- Working Party on Mediation in the context of the "Malta Process":
- Central Contact Points for international family mediation
- Principles for the Establishment of Mediation Structures in the context of the Malta Process [Arabic]
- Explanatory Memorandum on the Principles for the Establishment of Mediation Structures in the context of the Malta Process [Arabic]
- Questionnaire II | Responses
- Questionnaire I | Responses
- First Regional Seminar of the Working Party on Mediation in Southeast Asia, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) (28-29 November 2014):
- International Seminar "Islamic legal perspectives on cross-border family disputes involving children" (7 April 2014):
- Brief summary [English] [Arabic]
- Brief summary including keynote presentations
Judicial and other Seminars on the International Protection of Children:
- The "Malta process" and the Working Party on Cross-border family mediation
- Africa
- Asia-Pacific
- Latin America and the Caribbean
- Judicial and Other Seminars
The Judges' Newsletter on International Child Protection:
HCCH International Family Law Briefings:
INCADAT - the International Child Abduction Database:
- The Database
- Non-Hague Convention Child Abduction Home Page
- Inter-American Child Abduction Home Page
- INCADAT Correspondent Guide
- INCADAT Correspondent meeting - Report and Recommendations
iChild: the Electronic Case Management System for the Child Abduction Convention:
INCASTAT: International Child Abduction Statistics:
The Latin America and Caribbean Section:
Non-Hague Convention child abductions:
- Bilateral Agreements
- Child Abduction and Transfrontier Access: Bilateral Conventions and Islamic States - a Research Paper (Prel. Doc. No 7 of August 2002)
- INCADAT – Non-Hague Convention Abduction Section
- The "Malta Process"
- Volume VIII (Autumn 2004) of the Judges' Newsletter on International Child Protection [Arabic]
- Transfrontier Contact Concerning Children - General Principles and Guide to Good Practice
- Guide to Good Practice Part III: Preventive Measures
Other sources of information:
