Police at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport have stopped 11 people from illegally taking their children out of the country so far this year.

In 2013 as a whole, just 10 people were stopped from leaving the Netherlands with their children via the airport, the Telegraaf said on Monday.

Parents who try to leave the Netherlands without their partner have to prove to border officials that they have permission to take their children away. The police recommend parents carry a special letter saying their partner gives consent.

Those who don’t risk being held up for several hours while officials try to verify if the departure is okay.

Mothers

In 2013, 271 children were taken away by a parent or other relative, compared with 286 in 2012, the child abduction monitoring organisation said in its annual report earlier this year.

In 108 cases, children were taken from the Netherlands to a foreign country. In the other cases, the children were either brought to the Netherlands or the case is listed by IKO because one or both parents were Dutch.

In 70% of cases, the mother was the abductor.