India has found itself in the eye of an international storm by refusing to ratify the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (1980). The convention, which has 90 member countries, protects children under the age of 16 from “wrongful removal or retention” by a parent and ensures “their prompt return to the state of their habitual residence.” India’s non-compliance is garnering increasing attention from the global community as more and more Indians go abroad to study or seek better employment opportunities. This migration has also created a surge in children’s abductions by divorced or estranged Indian parents who bring their offspring back to India with them. Caught in the maelstrom of feuding parents, the children are forced to return by one of their parents, usually the mother, in the interest of their safety and security.

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