GENEVA (16 June 2022) – UN Child Rights Committee decides first-ever international child abduction case.
The Committee issued its landmark decision after considering a complaint filed by a Chilean mother who had travelled from Spain to Chile with her child and alleged that the child was particularly vulnerable because he was under treatment for his autism with her support. She alleged that the Supreme Court’s decision to return him to Spain would cause severe and irreparable harm to his mental health.
The 6-year-old J.M. was born in Chile to a Chilean mother and a Spanish father in January 2016. When J.M. was 15 months old and living in Spain, his paediatrician suspected that he had a language delay and a form of autism. In July 2017, the father signed an authorization for the mother to travel with J.M. to Chile, where the mother arranged treatment and support for J.M.’s autism and they decided to stay in the country for at least two years.
Read the UN’s full press release: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/06/chile-un-child-rights-committee-decides-first-ever-international-child
El comuicado completo disponible en ESPAÑOL: https://www.ohchr.org/es/press-releases/2022/06/chile-un-child-rights-committee-decides-first-ever-international-child