The number of children taken out of the Netherlands by a parent or other relative illegally fell last year for the first time in four years, according to monitoring centre IKO.

In total, 260 children were taken from the Netherlands illegally last year, compared with 292 in 2022, when coronavirus travel restrictions were wound down.

In over three-quarters of the cases the mother took the child abroad and in around half of the cases, the child was under the age of six.

The IKO said the drop in cases may be down to an increased focus on prevention. In total the agency was approached for help nearly 13,000 times last year, an increase of 8% on 2022.