An information pack on child abduction published today urges parents fearing abduction of their children to be prepared. A helpline has also been set up for parents who need advice on child abduction by the other parent.
The pack advises parents to prepare birth certificates, hair samples, fingerprints and photographs of their children and possible abductor in case of abduction.
Parents should make sets of such information ready for police and their solicitor.
When reporting an abduction, or the fear of abduction, the pack says parents must convince police of the real danger. "If you find you are speaking to an officer or support staff member who does not take you seriously do not be put off. Ask to speak to a more senior officer," the pack says.
Ms Anne Hennon, executive director of the Irish Centre for Parentally Abducted Children (ICPAC), which brought out the pack, said the pack would help parents process an abduction case more quickly. "It's about the idea of prevention. They can sit down in a calm moment and prepare. They may never need it but if something does happen it's there. In child-abduction cases speed is of the essence."
People contacting the ICPAC through the helpline would receive advice on how to deal with abduction before and after it occurs, she added.
Ms Mary Banotti MEP, the European Parliament's mediator on abduction, said while people who fear an abduction were advised to prepare, parents could be caught unawares. "Some people are in total shock when they realise their child has been taken and they have no upto-date photo."
As Ireland was becoming more cosmopolitan, and international travel more commonplace, there was a potential for the number of child abduction cases to increase, said Ms Banotti.
She said in 1999 118 children were abducted, a high figure in comparison with other European countries. This was largely due to movement of people between the Republic and the UK.
She said, however, that the Republic had one of the best systems of dealing with child abduction. Cases were dealt with only in the High Court by judges who were familiar with the Hague Convention which outlaws a parent taking a child out of the country of their birth without the permission of the other parent.
Ms Hennon said there had also been an increase in the number of parents contacting ICPAC for advice who have travelled to the Republic and who have abducted their children.
"We advise them to respect the law and to return to their own country. We can also give them a list of networks in their own country which might help them."