by Gianluca Mattei
TIO - 04.12.2022
Every year there are dozens of incidents of child abduction by one of the parents. And it's mothers who do it the most.
LAUSANNE – Child abductions have been steadily increasing for at least ten years (the latest incident occurred just ten days ago in Thônex). Data from the Federal Office of Justice leaves no room for doubt: every year, dozens of incidents of child abduction by one of the parents occur.
But the investigation itself reveals which of the two commits the crime more frequently: it is the mothers.
In Switzerland, in 2021, 68 requests for the repatriation of children were sent to states that are co-signatories of the Hague Convention (a convention that provides for a rapid repatriation procedure).
"Increasing mobility is increasingly leading to families being founded between people from different countries, and in the event of family conflicts and divorces, people often wish to return to their country of origin and bring their joint children with them," Ingrid Ryser, spokesperson for the UFG, told Le Matin.
And the UFG's findings show that " it is mothers who leave with their children in 75% of cases ." This is consistent with the statement by the Vaud police: "seven of the eleven accused of kidnapping minors in 2021 were women."
"Often, it is the mother who takes care of the child after the separation and in most cases she returns to her country, where she usually has a family network that supports her," Ingrid Ryser added to the Lausanne newspaper.
However, there is a sensitive issue—as many associations working in this field maintain—that this issue raises: violence. The root of these forced removals—the most common justification given—is "the desire to protect one's children from abuse or violence.".
But what legislative instruments are in place in this regard? "When a child is taken abroad, the parent remaining in Switzerland can contact the International Social Services (ISS), in parallel with the legal proceedings," explains Operations Manager Élodie Antony.
Present in 120 countries, it conducts searches primarily when the country in question is not a member of the Hague Convention. "In this case, we use a mediation-based approach to establish contact with the abductor parent," explains Élodie Antony, operations manager of the ISS.
This is their only method of intervention, "since there is no direct legal way to request restitution." The organization's mission is to re-establish ties between the child and his family in Switzerland, "so that the family can obtain information." The next step is to reach an agreement "that would allow the child's return, in the most favorable cases.".
Lebanon, Algeria, and Iraq are some of the non-treaty countries where the ISS is most active. To prevent kidnappings, the Geneva-based association ScopalE tries to engage in prevention by convening parents "so they can better understand the meaning of separation," said co-president Camille Maulini.
There may be tensions, but the child's needs must be put first from the start. Otherwise, it can take years to overcome the trauma of the parents' deep conflict, as can happen after a kidnapping.
