The number of children abducted abroad by one of their parents fell in 2024, according to new figures from the Centre for International Child Abduction (IKO). A total of 200 children were taken to or from the Netherlands last year, down from 260 in 2023.

These cases involved 148 separate abductions, as some incidents included more than one child. The decline continues a downward trend that began last year, the IKO said on Friday.

IKO director Coşkun Çörüz attributes the drop to greater awareness among parents and long-running training efforts for border officials, magistrates, lawyers and social workers.

“Every child abduction is still one too many,” said Çörüz said. “The impact on a child is significant and often long-lasting. These figures highlight the importance of continued efforts in support, prevention and raising awareness.”

In 2024, most children abducted from the Netherlands were taken to Poland, Germany or the United States. Children brought into the Netherlands without consent most often came from Poland, Belgium or Spain. Over half of those taken from the Netherlands were aged five or younger.

In three-quarters of the cases last year, it was the mother who took the child or children abroad. “People sometimes don’t realise it’s abduction,” Çörüz told broadcaster NOS. “But once a parent crosses a border with a minor over whom the other parent has custody, it is.”

Çörüz estimates that around a quarter of the children taken abroad by a parent are never brought back. “Some are found within a week, others after a month, a year — even after ten or fifteen years,” he said.