<p>
	Dr Shannon told a conference on parental child abduction, held in Dublin yesterday, that as well as being a more mobile society, some 15% of marriages are bi-national.</p>
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	&ldquo;So inevitably when marriages break down, the area of abduction comes into sharp focus,&rdquo; said Dr Shannon, adding that a key issue now emerging is the &ldquo;grave risk defence&rdquo; being used to prevent children being returned.</p>
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	A frequently invoked defence used is that returning the child would expose him or her to physical or psychological harm, or would put the child in an intolerable position.</p>
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	&ldquo;The threshold should be high for &lsquo;grave risk&rsquo; because what you don&rsquo;t want is this defence being pleaded as a matter of course,&rdquo; said Dr Shannon.</p>
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	Creating a low threshold for grave risk subverts the law in the member state where the child is taken.</p>
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<p>
	Dr Shannon said: &ldquo;I am in no doubt that when a child is taken from a EU member state without lawful authority, a child should be immediately returned to the state from which the child has been abducted.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
	He said the Brussels 11a Regulation, which specifies procedures regarding international child abduction, is unrealistic in requiring the disposing of such cases within six weeks.</p>
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	&ldquo;If you are going to hear the voice of the child and the parent seeking the return of the child, the six-week period is unrealistic,&rdquo; he said.</p>
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	&ldquo;With the passage of the children&rsquo;s rights referendum, the court has an obligation to hear the views of the child and give them due weight.&rdquo;</p>
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	&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Dr Shannon added that the fact it might be difficult to hear a child does not absolve a court from the responsibility of doing so: &ldquo;That is something we should not lose sight of.&rdquo;</p>
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	&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The conference, held at the European Parliament offices, was organised by Mairead McGuinness, MEP and vice-president of the parliament and its mediator for international parental child abduction.</p>
<p>
	Ms McGuinness said that the conference was held ahead of a European Commission review of the Brussels 11a Regulation in the spring.</p>
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	&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	She said the regulation dealing conflict of law issues between member states, including international child abduction, is not working in the best interest of the child.</p>
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	&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;Making sure an abducted child is returned safely within the correct timeframe is a huge issue,&rdquo; she said.</p>
<p>
	<a href="http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/rise-in-child-parental-abductions-due-to-ease-of-mobility-365371.html">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/rise-in-child-parental-abductions-due-to-ease-of-mobility-365371.html</a></p>
