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Fifteen years ago, a group of international experts came together to address the complex issue of international child relocation. Their aim was to better understand how these cases are handled across different legal systems and to develop a set of guiding principles. The result was the Washington Declaration on International Family Relocation, which you can read here: Washington Declaration (HCCH) In April 2025, over 100 experts—including GlobalARRK—returned to Washington to revisit this important document and assess what has (or hasn’t) changed over the past 15 years. We were proud to contribute to the discussions. Our volunteer researcher, Nishat Hyder-Rahman, presented findings from our most recent survey, which gathered responses from 165 service users—parents who are “stuck” abroad with their children and unable to return home. The full report is available here: GlobalARRK Research Our CEO, Roz Osborne, also shared insights into the impact of being “stuck” abroad—particularly on parents who have fled domestic abuse and are struggling to navigate complex legal systems in unfamiliar countries. The conference highlighted wide disparities in how different countries handle relocation cases. For example: While most countries claim that decisions are based on the best interests of the child, it became clear that this principle is interpreted very differently around the world. Key questions—such as whether it’s better for a child to live in safety with one parent or maintain contact with both parents even if safety is compromised—remain unresolved. Other recurring themes included: These findings underscore what we at GlobalARRK see every day: for many parents—particularly those fleeing abuse—current relocation systems are failing. It is perhaps unsurprising that, when faced with impossible choices and unsafe circumstances, some parents relocate without formal permission. Our article for the Judges Newsletter can be found here We are committed to continuing this vital conversation and advocating for fairer, clearer, and more compassionate relocation processes across the globe.

Dear Friends, As 2024 draws to a close, we at GlobalARRK want to take a moment to reflect on the incredible journey we’ve had this year. Thanks to your support, we’ve been able to make a real difference for stuck parents during their darkest times. Together, we’ve also made strides in raising awareness and advocating for fairer, more compassionate treatment of families caught in international relocation and Hague Convention challenges. It’s been a busy year at GlobalARRK! In 2024, we’ve supported over 500 new parents needing help with international relocation and 1980 Hague Convention matters — a 46% increase! Through our helpline, email support, peer groups, and partnerships, we’ve been able to guide families toward hope and solutions. Check out our Impact report, here Here’s how we’ve grown and expanded our services this year, thanks to funding from The National Lottery:New Information Guides: With help from our Legal Network partners, we’ve updated and expanded our guides to provide legal and wellbeing information for families. There are also more on the way! Check them out here Domestic Abuse Recovery Toolkit Group: This 12-week online program supports survivors of domestic abuse by offering a safe space for trauma-informed exercises, resilience building, and long-term wellbeing. Monthly Legal Clinic: Together with our Legal Network, we’ve launched a monthly clinic where families in England can receive free advice on their complex Hague or relocation cases. Lived Experience Group: Focus groups now offer parents a voice, enabling them to safely share their experiences with decision-makers to support positive system change. Workshops and Webinars: From legal advice to mental health, online safety, and therapeutic writing, we’ve hosted monthly sessions to equip families with valuable knowledge and skills. Shaping the FutureBeyond supporting parents, we’ve been championing system change. This year, we had the honour of sitting on the Steering Committee and representing our community at the HCCH Forum on Domestic Violence and the Hague Convention, where survivors were heard on an international stage for the first time. The outcome? A commitment to finding practical solutions to the issues raised. We look forward to continuing this critical work at the next Forum in the  Autumn, 2025, in Brazil.Looking ahead to April 2025, we’ll be presenting at an international meeting to reflect on 15 years of the Washington Declaration on International Family Relocation. We’ll share our findings on family relocation systems and advocate for best practices. If you’d like to contribute to our relocation survey, we’d be grateful for your input — take part here.To attend these two vital events in person, we need to raise £3,000 to cover travel expenses to Washington and Brazil. If you are in a position to help with these significant costs, please donate via our website or contact us directly. Christmas AppealThis holiday season, we’re continuing our tradition of raising funds for families who are stuck far from home and facing financial hardship. Your donations help us provide essential support throughout the year. To make a contribution, please visit this link. Thank You!It’s been an incredible year, and we couldn’t have done it without the dedication of our volunteers, parents, trustees, staff, and funders. Your support has touched countless lives, and […]

We are pleased to announce that the report on the historic Forum on Domestic Violence and the Hague Abduction Convention is out!  GlobalARRK was involved right from the start, continued as a member of the diverse steering group and then gave three presentations. We are grateful to Dr. Christophe Bernasconi, the Secretary General, for his unwavering support of the Forum and for the voice of lived experience to be heard. We also wish to thank our community of stuck parents who supported the project throughout by offering their lived experiences and in helping inform and shape our requests for system change.  We look forward to meeting again next year in Brazil to continue the work.  If you would like to read the full report, here is the link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MmGnz1ZXWwXrSXhyKVvAE-CGm8ahPPEr/view?usp=drive_link

GlobalARRK is delighted to announce that this month we launched our first pilot Remote Legal Clinic session! This month the clinic benefited from legal advice from MSB / Katie Camozzi. We are grateful to all of our Network partners who have signed up so far including Carolina Marin Pedreno, Marianna Michaelides, Sarah Inchley, Forum Shah, Kirsty Leedam, Simon Craddock, Kim Lehal, Joanna Farrands, Alison Leviesley, Gemma Kelsey,Amy Rowe and Maria Wright. The Legal Clinic enables Stuck Parents who are without legal representation to speak with an experienced and knowledgeable solicitor regarding a 1980 Hague Convention International Parental Abduction or International Relocation matter in England and Wales. This project is funded by The National Lottery Grant we received earlier this year and seeks to: We are delighted to announce we will be rolling this out as a monthly service from Autumn 2024 for our service users. MSB https://www.msbsolicitors.co.uk/our-people/katie-camozzi/

This week sees the HCCH’s Forum on Domestic Violence and the Operation of Article 13(1)(b) of the 1980 Child Abduction Convention begins, with GlobalARRK CEO Roz and Trustee Ruth speaking in a number of sessions to highlight the key issues facing stuck parents impacted by the Hague Convention 1980. In response to the Forum, we are delighted to announce we have launched four new reports in which highlight the key issues : Report 1: Models for monitoring the impact of the 1980 Abduction ConventionReport 2: Relocation ReportReport 3: The aftermath of Hague Convention decisions:Report 4: International Child Law: the mental health effects on ‘Stuck’ parents Check them out here: https://www.globalarrk.org/research/ If you are interested in following the Forum, follow us over on X / Twitter for our live tweets. @GlobalARRK

In June our CEO Roz spoke alongside international family law experts Mr Justice Williams, Sirin Yuce, Stephen Cullen and Damien Greer on the subject of the effectiveness of Protective Measures under the Hague 1980 Abduction Convention. Many thanks to legal network partners Amy Rowe, Dawson Cornwell and Dr Maria Wright of Hunters Law for organising and chairing the event.