The MacLean Family Law Group handles BC international and national child custody abduction cases and we provide a recent case that shows how difficult these child custody abduction cases can be and why it is important to know how the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and our BC Family Relations Act work.
A recent case involving an American father with sole custody in the US who was arrested in Japan while trying to retreive his children from his wife, hilights the problems parents face when a child is abducted and why a convention signed by several countries seeks to stop this disturbing practice:
American arrested in Japan for kidnapping own kids
By SHINO YUASA (AP) – 1 day agoTOKYO — An American father on a mission to reclaim his young children in Japan was arrested over their alleged abduction while they were walking to school with his ex-wife, officials said Wednesday.
Christopher John Savoie snatched his two children — an 8-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl — by force Monday in the southern city of Fukuoka, shoved them into a car and drove away, said Akira Naraki, a police spokesman in the city.
He was arrested by Japanese police as he tried to enter the U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka with the children, said Tracy Taylor, a spokeswoman at the consulate.
The number of such cases is growing in Japan — mostly with Japanese mothers bringing their children back to the country and refusing to let their foreign ex-husbands visit them. The United States, Canada, Britain and France issued a joint statement in May urging Japan to address the problem.
In Canada who is a signatory to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction the federal government has created a handbook for parents involved in this distressing situation. Here is the link:
http://www.voyage.gc.ca/publications/child-abductions_enlevements-enfants-eng.asp
Tags: BC child custody, Bc Child Custody Abduction, BC family law, BC family lawyers, Bc Hague Convention, BC shared custody, non-custodial parent