Poland’s shocking stance on international parental child abduction
Poland is the top country for international parental abduction of British children. This is not only because many Poles live in the UK. The other factor is support for child abductors of Polish origin by the Polish government. Poland’s government has introduced measures that systemically breach its international obligations
to resolve child abduction cases. Politicians also intervene directly in Poland’s politicised court system to influence its decisions.
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Map to the Polish Embassy in London
The unbearable human cost
Hundreds of UK families report parental child abduction each year. The largest number are to Poland. Typically a Polish parent abducts the child to Poland without legal permission and eliminates the UK parents from the child’s life overnight. Can you imagine the harm to the child and the UK family members who lose all contact? Under international law most countries, including the UK, return children reported abducted within weeks. Poland is an exception, very rarely returning children at all. The European Commission is prosecuting Poland for its general failure to fulfil its obligations. More needs to be done from the UK side to tackle the specific UK-Poland abduction crisis.
Watch Tom Toolan interviewed on Talk TV on 13 April 2023, sharing his own family’s appalling experience of unresolved child abduction.
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