Introduction and key themes

This chapter acts as the introduction to the Research Handbook which sets out the differing contributions of the many professionals and key agencies involved in the international child abduction field, as well as the critically important perspective of victims/survivors who have personally experienced parental abduction as children. By addressing the effect and consequences of international child abduction, the Handbook sets in context the purpose, role and impact of the 1980 Hague Convention, which has become the principal global instrument for dealing with international child abduction. The chapter discusses the strengths and successes of the Convention, and reviews the contribution made by research to the evidence base on international child abduction. An overview is provided of Parts II to VIII of the Handbook and the 25 chapters written by many of the world’s leading figures in the field. The chapter concludes by identifying the four key themes emanating from the Handbook, which are more fully traversed in Chapter 26.