Both the on-line and the printed issue of The Economist (February,18th 2017), devote a long and well-argued article to the increasing plague of International Child Abduction. Multi-national families are often facing hard battles to avoid (in the best cases) or to manage (more often) dramatic break up.
Kate Baggott and her two children live in a tiny converted attic in a village near Frankfurt. Ms Baggott, who is Canadian, has a temporary residence permit and cannot work or receive benefits. The trio arrived in Germany in October, after a Canadian court order gave them a dayâs notice to get on the plane. Ms Baggottâs ex-husband, a Canadian living in Germany, had revoked his permission for the childrenâs move to Canada after they had been there nearly a year, alleging âparental child abductionâ. A German court has given Ms Baggott full custody, but she must stay until an appeal is over.
âSome parents do not realise they are committing a crime when they take the children abroadâ says Alison Shalaby of Reunite, a British charity that supports families involved in cross-border custody disputes. 
This phenomenon dramatically affects the lives of all those involved, but more so the minors. For this reason, there is full agreement that rules should put at the forefront the best interests of the child.
Devoting such a large space in a British magazine that normally deals with business and finance shows the relevance of the matter. International child Abduction is increasingly growing and the number of children illegally removed from one parent is no longer negligible.
To read the full text of the article click here.