What to do in an acute case of abduction
Are you worried that your child is being abducted at the moment, or about to be? You will find below an overview of initial courses of action in acute situations such as this.
What has happened?
Has a child
- moved abroad with the other parent
- or not returned home after an outing, holiday or weekend visit with the other parent?
The child now is staying in another country, and parental custody was granted either
- jointly to both parents or
- solely to the parent left behind?
There is neither consent from the other parent nor a corresponding court order?
Possible next steps
By calling the police on 110 or contacting any police station, it is possible to bring a criminal charge so that the police can conduct a search.
It will help if you provide the following information:
- Name, date of birth and nationality of the missing child and the other parent
- Physical description (hair colour, eye colour and height) and any distinguishing features as well as a recent photo if possible
- Details of the clothing worn by the missing child
- Particular identifying markers, such as earrings, braces, glasses
- Likewise, a description of the other parent
The “Vermisste Kinder” initiative is a missing children hotline that can also be contacted. They can possibly raise public awareness and initiate a search for the child. The 116 000 number is a universal European telephone hotline which is available round the clock.
It is also possible in certain circumstances to apply to the competent family court for a border alert to be issued for countries in the Schengen Area. The Schengen Area comprises Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Czech Republic and Hungary.
The local court where the child is domiciled is responsible for ordering a border alert.
The Federal Police Headquarters in Potsdam can then issue the alert for the abducting parent and the child in the Schengen Information System (SIS), so that a search can be instigated.