More than 100 abductions of children reported last year

The number of child abduction cases dealt with by the authorities here last year was the highest on record, with an increase of almost 20 per cent on the previous year, figures published by the Minister for Justice indicate.

Some 111 new cases, involving 160 children, were reported to the department's Central Authority for Child Abduction, compared with 94 in 2005, 70 in 2004 and 66 in 2003.

The authority processed 170 cases last year, 59 of which had been carried forward from 2005 - with the highest proportion (43 per cent) involving abductions to or from Britain.

Another EU state was involved in 33 per cent of cases, 12 per cent involved the United States and 12 per cent other states.

Asked to comment on the figures a spokeswoman said it was not up to the department to explain why children were being abducted and brought out of or into the State.

"Our role here is to comply with Ireland's obligations under international conventions. The figures really have to stand on their own."

Mary Banotti, chairwoman of the Irish Centre for Parentally Abducted Children, described the figures as "disturbing but not surprising". She said the multicultural nature of Irish society was reflected in the variety of countries to which children were being abducted.

"This is a reflection of the increasing globalisation of the world impinging on Ireland . . .

"One aspect of this is mothers coming to Ireland with their children to work and deciding not to go back and fathers then applying to get the children back to their original country."

Not reflected in these figures are abductions to Sharia law countries, mainly in north Africa, she said. They have not signed the international conventions and so are not under the umbrella of the authority's caseload.

A higher proportion (72 per cent) of the new cases involved children who had been abducted outside the State and brought here.

Thirty-one of these were from England and Wales; eight were from the United States; four each from Germany and Latvia; three each from Australia, New Zealand and France; two each from Poland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Hungary and South Africa and one from each of the Czech Republic, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Romania, Lithuania and Estonia.

In eight of these, the High Court ordered their return and in two it refused their return. In nine the children were returned voluntarily.

Sixteen of the applications were withdrawn and one did not qualify for legal aid. Three judicial orders for return by consent were made while 33 cases were awaiting resolution at the end of last year.

Of the 39 cases of children abducted here and brought abroad, 17 were brought to England and Wales; five to the United States; four to Spain; two each to Australia, France and Canada and one each was brought to Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Romania and Sri Lanka.