Close to 10,000 kids banned from flying amid abduction fears

Almost 10,000 children of estranged couples have been banned from leaving the country in a bid to prevent abductions by a disgruntled parent, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.

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Almost 10,000 children of estranged couples have been banned from leaving the country in a bid to prevent abductions by a disgruntled parent.

The children, whose parents are separated or embroiled in divorce proceedings, have been placed on the Family Law Watch list, previously called the Airport Watch List.

The Australian Federal Police make the names available at international departure points so children can be stopped if an attempt is made to move them out of the country.

There were 9884 children under the age of 18 on the list as of April 30 this year.

However, many others not on the list are still being smuggled overseas.

Currently there are close to 10,000 kids under the age of 18 who have been banned from leaving the country. Picture: iStock

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The latest statistics from The Hague Convention, set-up to ensure stolen children are brought home quickly, show there were 80 applications lodged in the past year for 143 abducted children. Of those, 66 have been returned.

However, family lawyers said children were also taken to countries that are not signatories to the convention, including a recent case in which children were taken to Syria.

In these cases it is up to the parent back in Australia to seek help from the overseas jurisdiction.

The large number of children on the no-fly list reflects an increasing number of multicultural marriages.

Lawyer Peter Magee, a partner at Armstrong Legal, said the risk of abduction had increased because of the ease with which people travel.

The kids most at risk, whose parents have separated or in the middle of divorce proceedings, have been placed on a watch list

He said his firm had been involved in child recovery cases where a parent had taken children overseas without the other parent’s consent.

He said there was an increasing number of migrants from countries that were not signatories to The Hague Convention.

Parents and guardians from countries that have signed up to the convention were able to seek the return of their child through a legal process.

“The Hague Convention makes a world of difference, although some countries are better at complying than others,” he said.

“The countries that we are seeing as a problem are those that are not signatories.

“I am aware of a case where people expressed an intention to go to Lebanon, but then got a bus to Syria.

“If you fear that children may be taken, it is better to get their names added to the list,” Mr Magee said.

Originally published as Close to 10,000 kids banned from flying amid abduction fears