Primary carer mothers accused of “child abduction” under the Hague Abduction Convention are, in most cases, fleeing domestic abuse and trying to return to the safety of their home country and family.

In 2023, together with our international partners we raised awareness of this issue through our Change.org petition, which gained over 38,000 signatures and led Christophe Bernasconi, head of the HCCH, to host an open forum in South Africa. The outcome was clear: the Hague Convention has a serious problem when it comes to domestic abuse.

As a result, Brazil has proposed a second Forum, focused on solutions, taking place this October. Roz from GlobalARRK has been invited to present on Protective Measures, and will be bringing the voices and lived experiences of survivors directly to policy makers.

We’ve been working hard to gather lived experiences. Now, we need help to cover travel costs. We don’t want to take funding away from our parent support services if we can avoid it — so we’re turning to our community and supporters to ask: will you help us get there?

Every contribution, big or small, makes a real difference. Thank you for standing with us on this mission. We’ll keep you updated every step of the way.