What will the Dutch police do for me?

by | May 10, 2022

The Netherlands: Is child abduction a criminal offence?

When the other parent blocks access without good reason and in violation of the children’s and the father’s rights to see each other, a legitimate question is: what will the Dutch police do for me?

If you have a Dutch court decision that says you have a visitation arrangement with your child, the police can help you to get access to your child. The police can be reluctant. If there is for instance a child protection decision that the Child Protection Service has (part of) the custody, they might refuse to enforce the decision and refer to the social workers.

You can consider making a report of a criminal offence by the other parent. In the Netherlands emotional abuse (coercive control) is not a criminal act. (In the United Kingdom, Wale, Schotland, Ireland, Australia, New Sealand and the United States it is a criminal act.)

You can report:
– Keeping the child from your custody / withholding you access to your child
– Keeping the child from school without reason
– Defamation or slander

Reporting the criminal offence can lead to new information, through the assistance of the police. Your lawyer can also ask for a copy of all police registrations involving your child. And off course the Dutch prosecutor will make a request for international legal aid when necessary.

Blocking access between the child and the other parent is a regular occurrence in international child abduction cases. Read more about international child abduction.

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