The long-term effect of abduction and/or forcible separation on children.

It should not be hard to imagine the turmoil, loss of trust, fear, and anger children must go through when they are taken to another country and told that they will not be returning home. Suddenly removed from the security of a familiar environment, abducted children do not always understand what is happening or why. The only thing they realise is that there is a state of war between the two people they need and love most.

Some parents believe that their actions have an objective justification (for example, to rescue the child from domestic violence). But in all too many cases, the common thread is the sustained effort of the taking parent to deprive the other parent of any contact with the child.

Some abductors lead a fugitive existence. Others, will start to denigrates the left-behind parent, or tell their children that their other parent is dead, or no longer loves them.

Existing research suggests that children are severely affected by these experiences. But, opinions vary on how they should be treated. One of the problems is that there is a lack of rigorous research on this issue.

PACT and ICMEC are looking to fund a study to establish what are the long-term impacts of high conflict custody disputes on children. The research will focus in particular on ways to rebuild these relationships.

Such a study could have serious implications in court proceedings and in the way in which children’s issues are dealt with.

Alienation Study