There are a couple of steps you can take to try and prevent your child from being abducted by the other parent if you suspect this might happen. One safeguard is obtaining an agreement from the other parent, prior to allowing your child to travel internationally, that the child’s habitual residence is the United States or another country where you reside.
The importance of establishing habitual residence is that if a problem arises and the child is retained in another country, you would already have the other parent’s acknowledgment that the child’s habitual residence is where you reside. Habitual residence is crucial because it is the key factor considered under the Hague Convention when a court decides whether to return your child.
For more information about the Hague Convention, please see our video explaining it further.