Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction
The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction or Hague Abduction Convention is a multilateral treaty that provides an expeditious method to return a child who was wrongfully taken by a parent from one country to another country. In order for the Convention to apply, both countries (the one the child was removed from, and the one the child has been brought to) must be Contracting States; i.e. both must have adopted the Convention.
| Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction | |
|---|---|
State parties to the convention
states that signed and ratified the convention states that acceded to the convention state that ratified, but convention has not entered into force | |
| Signed | 25 October 1980 |
| Location | The Hague, Netherlands |
| Effective | 1 December 1983 |
| Condition | 3 ratifications |
| Parties | 103 (November 2022) |
| Depositary | Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands |
| Languages | French and English |
| Full text | |
| Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction at Wikisource | |
The Convention seeks to address international child abduction arising when a child is removed by one parent, when both parents have custody rights, or custody has yet to be determined. It was drafted to ensure the prompt return of children wrongfully abducted from their country of habitual residence, or wrongfully retained in a country that is not their country of habitual residence.
The Convention was developed by the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH). The convention was concluded 25 October 1980 and entered into force between the signatories on 1 December 1983.
As 2022, there are 103 parties to the convention; Botswana and Cape Verde being the most recent countries to accede, in 2022.