Abductions
Hug-Ur-Kids
P.O Box 28
Bentley Western Australia 6982
Phone: 1300
131 662 (Aust)
Email: contactus@hug-ur-kids.org.au
(Aust) Child
Abduction Stories
Australian
Abduction
of children from Australia
International
Child Abduction : Official Australian Website
Hague
Convention countries
Hague Convention
of 25 October 1980 on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction
International
Civil Procedures Section
Attorny-General's
Department Child Abduction Kit
Other
information
Family Court
provides a set of links to information about international child abduction.
USA
A.P.A.R.T.
Organization
American Parental
Abductions Resource & supporT
http://www.parentalabductions.org/
Abducted
Kids
Adults
Attempted
abduction of Brisbane woman
Appeal
for information over attempted Hurstville abduction
'Black
shirts' accused of stalking
20 March 2002
| A Current
Affair Reporter: Mike Munro
Stolen children:
a parent's heartbreak
It's every
parent's worst nightmare — child abduction — and more than 400 hundred
children go missing in Australia each year. Abductions are often a result
of custody battles when desperate parents feel they have no other choice.
The custodial parent is left with the ongoing nightmare of having no idea
where their child is or if they're still alive. A Current Affair reports
on a unique Australian organisation helping these parents to cope and trying
to recover their abducted children.
Hug-Ur-Kids
is a support, action and recovery group and the only child abduction organisation
working in Australia. Geoff and Jane Day are co-founders and active members
of the Hug-Ur-Kids organisation who learned about child abduction the hard
way when their children Alison and Justin were abducted to Malaysia. This
harrowing experience led Geoff to launch Hug-Ur-Kids and so far they have
rescued 10 children in the past year.
"Locally we're
talking about a child a day [that] goes missing in Australia — abducted
by mother, father, grandparents. The number for international abductions
has gone from 150 plus, and those numbers are trebling each year. That's
how serious the action is," says Geoff.
The Chief Justice
of the Family Court, Alastair Nicholson says child abductions are caused
by people taking the law into their own hands. "The very nature of domestic
and family disputes makes people act impulsively without thinking of the
consequences."
.
20 March 2002
| A Current
Affair
Chat transcript:
Geoff Day, co-founder Hug-Ur-Kids Organisation
Laik_9msn:
ninemsn, in association with A Current Affair , presents a live interview
with Geoff Day. Geoff Day is the co-founder and active member of the organisation,
Hug-Ur-Kids Organisation (HUKO).
Laik_9msn:
Welcome Geoff, thanks for giving us some of your time this evening.
Geoff_Day :
Thank you Channel 9 for airing the segment about Hug-Ur-Kids and the work
we do and it's a pleasure to be here tonight.
Laik_9msn:
Geoff, can you tell us a little bit about when your organisation was formed
and what your mission statement might be.
Geoff_Day:
The organisation was formed a little over 11 months ago due to the fact
that my wife and I had our children abducted and we found there were no
resources for left-behind parents to get any support. So sitting in a Malaysian
hotel, my wife and I made a pact that we would help other parents in the
same situation. Basically our mission statement is that we will support
left-behind parents and the real victims — the children of abductions —
in our position as support action and recovery.
Laik_9msn:
Samie says: Geoff, do you have connections with other international organisations
such as your own ?
Geoff_Day:
Yes we do. We're linked with several organisations in the US, Canada, Netherlands
and [are] in the process of gaining more connections with groups in the
UK. [We're] always constantly opening our arms to organisations overseas
that deal with abductions.
Laik_9msn:
Mary says: Geoff, child abduction — is this really that big a problem?
I had no idea this was going on until I saw the story.
Geoff_Day:
Child abduction has always been a very big problem, not only in Australia
but all over the world. The figures that were given tonight on ACA only
represent a small amount of the children. These are the children that have
been reported abducted; there are a great many children that go unreported.
So yes, it is a major problem.
Laik_9msn:
Steven says: Geoff, is there a general profile of a typical abductor as
to whom they take, where they take them and what they do etc?
Geoff_Day:
Unfortunately, no. There is no guaranteed profiling of who will abduct,
where they will take the child/children … but generally, statistics show,
it's more or less a disgruntled spouse or partner or grandparent who have
not agreed with decisions made in the family law court, who then take it
upon themselves to do what they do. As far as where they take the children,
[this] is normally to wherever the abductor feels safe and [where they]
can evade detection. Within Australia, it's very easy to evade the authorities
due to how large our country is. If we're talking about international abductions,
the majority of the time the abductor will take the children back to their
homeland or to a country that's not part of the Hague Convention, which
are basically safe havens for abductors.
Laik_9msn:
henstep57 says: Geoff, are a lot of the overseas abductions from countries
that treat their women as second class citizens — something that frustrates
the males of those countries in Australia?
Geoff_Day:
To a degree yes. What we also have to realise in a lot of these countries
is that women are supposed to obey and serve the male. When a male's authority
or ego is compromised or questioned, then a lot of these times retaliation
is by the male and to reciprocate for having his authority questioned.
They normally abduct the child and keep them hidden for a time as a sense
of revenge or retaliation for being questioned.
Laik_9msn:
Nequitia says: Geoff, is part of the problem with the abductions to overseas
that people get involved without fully examining the cultural beliefs of
their partner?
Geoff_Day:
Yes, when you have a mixed race [relationship], definitely. As with my
wife and I, in an Asian culture it's not acceptable to have a mixed race
relationship, especially a partner outside that race who cannot fully understand
the other's race and culture.
Laik_9msn:
Toni says: Geoff, I have a relative who's ex-husband has extended his overseas
holiday with their children for over three months now. He tells her they
are coming back next week which never seems to arrive. What would be the
best way for her to approach this issue? She is going out of her mind.
Geoff_Day:
Basically, to us and HUKO, that would start to ring alarm bells as many
cases like this have happened where a partner or relative have taken the
child overseas on the pretext of a holiday and doesn't come back.
Geoff_Day:
My best advice at this stage, without knowing the particulars, would be
to contact the Attorney General's department (as it's an international
case) and follow up through legal channels initially, as they have the
resources to track passports and movements overseas. I can, however, discuss
more on this matter if you contact HUKO either by the website: www.hug-ur-kids.org.au
or telephone 1300 131 662.
Laik_9msn:
DK says: Geoff, I find retaliation scary, as I've seen the news where parents
go to the extreme and kill their children — is this a problem too?
Geoff_Day:
Definitely. When a parent feels threatened with the thought of capture
and the thought of having their children taken away from them again after
being abducted, in some extreme cases the abductor has taken the life of
themself along with the life of the child. This is a worrying factor with
any abduction. We really need, as a community, to [attract] the media's
attention as quickly as possible when an abduction takes place … to help
recover those abducted. But this can also have the opposite effect as well,
so it's very careful ground that we have to tread when dealing with abduction.
There have
been some cases in the media in the past few years where an abductor has
killed himself and the children he's abducted and this has a catastrophic
affect on those families left behind.
Laik_9msn:
Nequitia says: Geoff, where do you start to look for missing kids? Surely
the abductor's whole plan is to become invisible. How do you get your leads?
Geoff_Day:
I would love to be able to openly explain in this forum our whole process
but it is lengthy. It does take a lot of time and resources and we're only
able to access those resources from people who donate to our organisation.
I also would like to mention that because we don't know who is accessing
this forum, I do not wish to potentially inform abductors on our methods
on how we do track and recover, but needless to say the media does play
an important role.
Laik_9msn:
henstep57 says: Hello. I think that the non-custodial parent should be
given help in the form of counselling. When I was separated/divorced, my
children were taken from me even though we were awarded equal custody.
The thought of abduction and travelling to another city was high on my
priority. I am not condoning abduction at all, [I'm] only saying that I
think certain people do need some form of help. Do you think this should
be made mandatory?
Geoff_Day:
Definitely. Whilst I'd like it known to all those in this forum that we
do sympathise with non-custodial parents, we also wish to ensure that both
parties get a fair deal when dealing with the courts. Part of the process,
we feel, is the non-custodial parent needs to reach out to resources within
our community and part of that process is definitely therapy. There is
no shame in seeking therapy for anyone out there. It is actually a good
form of acceptance and healing.
Laik_9msn:
Tony says: Geoff, would this abduction problem be so bad if the family
law court enforced its access orders?
Geoff_Day:
Without getting into a political situation here, there's a lot of problems
with our system overall. The family law courts are partially to blame,
but not all the blame can be put on the courts. There's also the responsibility
of the parents to come together to get the best welfare for their children
and put aside their differences, whatever they may be, and act in the best
interest of the child. And yes, if the family law court took a harder stance,
then we wouldn't see as many problems with the family law courts as we
do at the moment.
Laik_9msn:
Dean says: Geoff, over five million people — 25 percent — of our population
are affected by divorce and separation from siblings. How can we can the
system change so that it is fair and just in your opinion?
Geoff_Day:
This is a very hard question to answer on the spur of the moment without
giving it the consideration it needs. Yes we do have an unjust system at
times and, if I knew the answer [as to] how we could make the system work
properly, I would certainly put my recommendations across. But seeing as
everyone has different needs and outcomes, it's very hard to answer. Although
I do have my own personal views, I don't think this is the right place
to do that but feel free to contact me through my e-mail address and I'll
have no problem putting my views to you.
We also have
a discussion forum on our website, which is the message board. Feel free
to go in and start a discussion with the people who access the site. As
mentioned, I'm only too willing to give you my own views.
Laik_9msn:
whatcanidoif says: Geoff, does your organisation lobby the Government for
changes in the family law system and how can we become involved as an individual
or as part of a group?
Geoff_Day:
Yes we do lobby the Government; we also put across recommendations to the
world family law forum. But like a lot of politicians in our community,
our suggestions and recommendations often fall on deaf ears. So what we
all need to do for those interested in making a change is to get involved
in organisations like HUKO and others in our community. If we all band
together we can actually make a difference.
Laik_9msn:
Wiz says: Geoff, who does actually have the most rights over a child?
Geoff_Day:
Once again, without getting into a storm here, being that a female does
carry the child for nine months and cares for that child while in the womb
… in our society is recognised as the main caregiver. But there are a lot
of men out there who carry a lot of responsibility as the parent and in
a lot of cases, more so than the mother.
Laik_9msn:
Dad says: Geoff, what are your comments regarding the children that get
abducted within Australia, or "only" abducted for a finite amount of time?
Geoff_Day :
HUKO's point of view, as well as my own point of view, [is that] abduction
is abduction. It doesn't matter how you spread it, it's still an illegal
offence. It doesn't matter if a child is gone illegally for one day, month,
year ... we don't have any sympathy for any abductor — male or female.
It shows the type of character they are...
In any case
of abduction, the children inevitably suffer because of the actions of
this selfish person and that is what HUKO is all about. We support those
left-behind parents and utilise every resource available to us in helping
to recover the abducted child. For any parent out there thinking of abducting
a child, we will bring it to the attention of the media along with submitting
their picture and information about them on our website in order to help
recover the abducted child or children and see that justice is done because
obviously a person who abducts a child has no conscience or thought of
the damage they're leaving behind.
Laik_9msn:
Mum32 says: Geoff, how does the problem of abductions within Australia
fare compared to children abducted and taken outside of Australia? Are
our policing and judicial systems helpful with Australian abductions?
Geoff_Day:
From the information
that we've been gathering over the last year of abduction cases in Australia,
the local and federal police are very restricted with the resources available
to actively and effectively locate a lot of the children. [In the] majority
of cases, police have exhausted their resources and then have turned to
the public for help in locating these children. What I would say to any
parent out there that has any child abducted, contact HUKO and we can help
you go further. Being that media orders obtained from the court are vitally
important in a successful and prompt recovery of your children, this is
one fact that a lot of parents are unaware of and delay in getting these
media orders many, many months after the child has been abducted. What
we must all be aware of is the quicker we act, the quicker the success
in recovering a child or children of abduction.
Laik_9msn:
Bob says: Geoff, does your organisation provide an avenue for children
reported missing to state their wishes not to return home and support them?
If a child is forced to run away from home, where can they turn to without
having the "custodial" parent disrespecting that child's will?
Geoff_Day:
It depends really, because when a child reaches 15 years of age they are
entitled to live their life as they choose. If they choose not to be located,
they simply contact the police in their state and inform them of their
decision. But if a child is under the age of 15 and has run away from home
and does not wish to be contacted by the custodial parent, there are resources
within the community which are specifically set up for this situation.
You can find this information from your local community aid association
or contact us. We'll be more than willing to find that information out
for you.
Laik_9msn:
Martina says: Geoff, during your 11 months, how many children have you
found to date?
Geoff_Day:
To the month to date, we have a 100 percent recovery rate being that we
are a very small organisation with no government funding. We raise all
funds ourselves. We've had to do it hard and in that we've only been able
to take on specific cases. All in all over the last 10 months we've recovered
10 children as well as had a hand in helping to recover many other children,
as well as helping around 50 families in the last year to date. Without
the community support we won't be able to continue with that work so I
implore you out there who are reading this forum, if you feel our organisation
is worthy in what it does, then please show your support in either by purchasing
our merchandise, making a donation or simply taking up membership, which
has its privileges because without you out there, we will cease to exist.
Being that HUKO is a community-based body, it does rely on your support
to continue achieving the excellent results we've had so far. It is hard
for me as a founder to ask for money or support from people out there,
but as a necessity for this organisation to survive, we have to do so.
We thank you in advance for your support.
Laik_9msn:
David says: Geoff, how do you raise the awareness of this very sad problem
and do you receive much support from the media on this issue?
Geoff_Day:
We raise the awareness by a) going to the media; b) doing seminars in our
local community groups, going onboard with organisations such as Rotary,
doing speeches, which does create a lot of awareness ... but most of all
we approach many media outlets. Sadly a lot do not touch a lot of our stories
simply because there is no glorification in it. Thankfully programs such
as ACA take on community awareness and support with stories such as ours;
the community spirit which is much needed.
What I would
say to a lot of you people out there is approach your local media outlet,
whether it be TV, radio or newspapers/magazines and rally these organisations
by requesting them to report more on abductions in Australia. Once it gets
across to these media outlets that enough is enough, then perhaps a lot
of you people out there will become a lot more aware of just how common
child abduction is in Australia and internationally. We have reported more
than 30 abductions to media outlets in Australia with only a handful of
responsible journalists taking up a few of these stories.
Laik_9msn:
Geoff, congratulations on your success to date. Could you provide us with
your contact details for our chatters please, they have been asking for
them.
Geoff_Day:
You can access our website at www.hug-ur-kids.org.au .You can write to
us at PO Box 28, Bentley, WA, 6982 or phone us on 1300 131 662 or Perth
(08) 9258 6800. We'd welcome your call or e-mail or letter.
Laik_9msn:
Geoff, once again thank you for giving us your time. It has been an enlightening
experience.
Geoff_Day:
Our fundraising efforts in 2002 will be reported quite prominently on our
website and in Victoria we'll be holding a fancy dress ... Hopefully this
will be advertised on your local radio and in coming months afterwards
we'll be organising different events in different cities. Refer to our
website for further information. If you're genuinely interested in helping
our organisation, please do not take a relaxed attitude, as you just never
know when you'll need us or similar services in the future.
I thank you
all for your participation tonight as it's been wonderful answering your
questions. Hopefully some of my answers have made a difference and if you
have any concerns or questions, please contact us as we're always willing
to help. Take care everyone.
Laik_9msn:
Indeed Geoff, once again thank you.
'The
Black Shirts'
What
are they?
Attempted
abduction
Police released
a comfit of a man believed involved in an attempted abduction at Woodridge
yesterday (January 8th 2002)
A woman was
walking along Defiance Road, Woodridge (in Brisbane) at 2.30pm when she
was approached by a man in a cream Holden Commodore sedan. He allegedly
grabbed her by the arm and attempted to drag her into the car. She struggled
and managed to get away. The man is described as Caucasian, 28–30 years,
with short red hair, red goatie beard. He had freckles, a ring in his right
eyebrow and was wearing a blue singlet. Anyone with information on the
identity of the man or who can assist with their investigation should contact
Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Information
Source: Queensland Police Media
Release January 9th, 2002
Do
you know the whereabouts of Hector?
