Last year, the Ministry of Justice opened and processed 111 new cases of international child abduction, down from 153 in 2022.
These cases relate to cross-border demands for the return of unlawfully moved or retained children and for the enforcement of visitation rights. There were 111 new files opened in 2023 – a drop from 2022’s figure with no immediate explanation provided by the ministry.
Of these cases, 100 involved requests for the return of children from illegal cross-border shifts, whereas 11 pertained to the enforcement of cross-border visitation rights. In 62% of cases Belgium was the requesting state with France being the main country concerned, followed by the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, and Romania.
Conversely, Belgium was the requested state in 38% of circumstances, receiving the highest number of applications from France, the UK, Ukraine, Italy, and Spain.
Out of the opened files, 53 were closed within the year, with outcomes including 13 voluntary returns, 6 court-ordered returns, and 6 non-returns due to agreements or judicial rulings. In a further 13 files, the applicant ceased cooperation with the Belgian Central Authority.
By the end of last year, the Ministry of Justice confirmed that there were still 109 ongoing cases.
