The Criminalisation of Cross-Border Parental Child Abduction

Start date: 1 February 2026
End date: 31 January 2027
Funding: ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA)
Value: £15,000
Partners and collaborators: European Commission (DG JUST), European Parliament (Policy Department C), national Central Authorities, NGOs working in international child abduction and family justice
Primary investigator: Dr Nazia Yaqub
Project advisories: Professor Jonathan Herring (University of Oxford), Professor Katarina Trimmings (University of Aberdeen)

This project examines the increasing use of criminal law in cases of cross-border parental child abduction and its consequences for children, families, and justice systems. In many jurisdictions, parents face criminal prosecution for removing or retaining a child across borders, while parallel family-law proceedings simultaneously address child return and welfare. The lack of coordination between criminal and family justice systems can expose children and families to repeated harm, uncertainty, and disproportionate outcomes.

Building on Dr Yaqub’s socio-legal research on international parental child abduction the projects core outputs are an open-access database and a co-produced policy report examining how criminal and family law intersect in cross-border abduction cases across jurisdictions.

A key innovation lies in making visible lower-court criminal proceedings, which are rarely reported yet decisive in practice. By collating verified case summaries and presenting them in an accessible, comparative format, the project addresses a significant evidence gap for judges, lawyers, policymakers, and organisations advising families. The database will be hosted by the University of Leeds and designed for long-term sustainability.

The project is delivered through partnership with European and international institutions, including the European Commission, the European Parliament alongside Central Authorities and NGOs. A hybrid workshop and interdisciplinary network will guide co-production and ensure that outputs respond directly to professional and policy needs.

Overall, the project strengthens child-centred justice, promotes proportionality in the use of criminal law, and supports more coherent cross-border cooperation in family justice.

Further Information

Hybrid international workshop hosted by the University of Leeds (2026), bringing together policymakers, practitioners, NGOs, and academics. Establishment of the Child, Family and Criminal Law Intersection Network (CaFCLIN). Development of a sustainable, Leeds-hosted open-access database and policy report.

Project aims

To improve understanding of how criminal and family law interact in cross-border parental child abduction cases.
To enhance transparency by making lower-court criminal cases accessible to professional and policy audiences.
To support child-centred, proportionate, and coordinated justice responses across jurisdictions.
To strengthen international collaboration between policymakers, courts, and practitioners.

Impact

Societal and policy impact through improved access to evidence, enhanced coordination between criminal and family justice systems, and clearer guidance for practitioners and decision-makers. The project supports fairer, child-centred outcomes and contributes to international policy discussion on the criminalisation of family law matters.

Publications and outputs

Open-access international database (University of Leeds hosted); co-produced policy report; workshop outputs and briefing materials circulated through partner institutions and professional networks.

Conferences

Project workshop and dissemination event hosted by the University of Leeds (hybrid). Outputs disseminated through European Commission, European Parliament and professional judicial and practitioner networks.