Who foots the bill in an international child abduction ?

In 2003 there was a Hague Convention hearing regarding my daughter Emily that took place in London - my American ex-partner who had already removed Emily from the UK was provided with a solicitor and barrister at the cost of the British taxpayer - a condition of The Hague Convention BUT British parents using The Hague Convention in the United States have to pay their own costs - why ?

In the light of the refusal by the Legal Aid Board to fund Louise Campbell's legal fight for Molly/Misbah to be returned to Scotland for proceedings to determine her future, is the Pakistani taxpayer paying her legal bills and if the reverse was true, say Misbah wanted to come to Scotland and become Molly, would the British taxpayer pick up the legal bill for the Pakistani parent ?

I wrote the letter below to Sam Sprague at the Royal Courts of Justice to find out and emailed it today.


24th January 2007

Mr S Sprague
The Family Division Lawyer,
President's Chambers,
Royal Courts of Justice,
Strand,
London WC2A 2LL

Dear Mr Sprague,

International Child Abduction Legal Costs

With regards to the operation of the UK/Pakistan Judicial Protocol (the "Protocol") would you be so kind to answer the following two questions:

1. If a child is wrongfully removed or retained under the Protocol in Pakistan, will the left behind British parents' legal costs in utilising the Protocol be met by the Pakistani taxpayer ?

2. If a child is wrongfully removed or retained under the Protocol in the UK, will the left behind Pakistani parents' legal costs in utilising the Protocol be met by the British taxpayer ?

With regards to The Hague Covention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction ("The Hague Convention") would you be so kind as to answer the following two questions:

1. If a child is wrongfully removed or retained from the US under The Hague Convention in the United Kingdom, will the left behind US parents' legal costs in utilising The Hague Convention be met by the British taxpayer ?

2. If a child is wrongfully removed or retained from the UK under The Hague Convention in the United States, will the left behind UK parents legal costs in utilising The Hague Convention be met by the US taxpayer ?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

Karl Hindle

Tech Tags: Hague+Convention international+child+abduction UK/Pakistan Judicial Protocol Karl+Hindle