I have noticed that there are quite a few new users on the site and I must appologise for me not keeping up to date. Our case was a very long one and it affected more than I had realised.

So after a long break I'm ready to get back to work and fight for the Hague Convention to be ammended so that it deals with issues of child welfare.

You can contact me via email at staceyferguson_9@hotmail.com or you can post your story on the site but it will have to be approved as we have had problems with spam in the past.

I will help in whichever way that I can but do remember that I am only like you, a parent who chose to fight.

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Although theres not a lot of activity at the moment we are still here to help however we can. To those who I've lost contact with I hope your all ok and wish you all the best. staceyferguson_9@hotmail.com or staceyferguson30@yahoo.co.uk

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Whatever side of the Hague Convention you are sitting, these situations are tremendously traumatic.
That is why I feel mediation is so important in finding a solution and it is never too late to start. Ask Reunite or your solicitor about this.

However, it does take two sides to agree to use mediation. If it is not possible; remember to stay positive and determined for the right reasons - the welfare of your children.
It is very easy to lose focus and act out of panic. Please don't panic! There is always a solution. Staying positive and focussed will help your children in the end.
From my personal experiences, staying positive is hard work in these situations but it is vital to beat the anxiety.

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I had the pleasure of attending the Belmont Hotel yesterday for what must be one of the most informative events in the Hague Convention Calendar. With people available from the FCO (Foreign Commonwealth Office)the Ministry of Justice and The Child Abduction Team to answer many of those questions which arrise from the complexity of the H/C.

I was suprised by the ammount of left behind parents who attended and also saddened by the fact that they would do everything in their power to get their kids back or just to see them, my daughter never had that. Unfortunatley her father new where she was and made no attempt to visit her. It was the H/C that allowed him the control that we had fled from.

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I found this interesting when looking up definitions. It compares Habitual Residence and Domicile. My attention was taken to the part the part that says "The Hague Conference on Private International Law has deliberately refrained from offering a definition so that the concept may be flexible and adaptable to practical requirements. Thus, habitual residence may be interpreted differently in different Conflict situations"

So our childrens destiny is left to point scoring judges?

To establish a domicile of choice, it is necessary to have a clear factual base in one state and that must be accompanied by an animus semper manendi, an intention to reside there indefinitely.

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Just a bit a quick background information for the new people coming to the site.
The website is based around my daughters case which began in Decembr 06 and ended in July 07. I found myself in a desperate place not knowing where to turn.

My mum and I trawled the internet for hours not really understanding what was really happening and how it could be, that we were being forced to flee our own country where myself and my daughter were born. The UK in the meantime opening the doors for thousands of europeans to enter as they wished. It was inconceivable.

I made an appointment as soon as I could with what I thought were the best family law firm in my town and so they were but the Hague Convention is so little spoken about even amongst Lawyers, that it was way above their heads. I had absoloutley no idea of the complexity of what I was faced with.

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Hi there, for those of you that may be wandering how things are going in Spain everything is fine. Jessicas having great fun, she´s a little quiet around the spanish family but I suppose it´s only to be expected. It will take time for her to trust her father again I just hope that he realises that and doesn´t put preassure on her.

It´s hard to look back now at everything that has happened and see a future in their relationship but as a mother it´s my responsibility to provide my daughter with what she has a right to, in this case her father. Whatever he may be.

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Hi everyone, hopefully our case has come to a close never to rear it's ugly head again but there are still lots of you out there that find themselves in this awful situation. I'm contacted on a weekly bases by desperate people not knowing where to turn. My fist advice is always to contact Reunite as they are the people that know about the Hague Convention, however the amount of people contacting me shows the lack of awareness that people have of the Hague Convention.

I'm in Spain for the next two weeks and hope to be able to find some support over there that will help increase awareness. People seem to be under the illusion that the grass is greener, which it may well be until things go wrong and relationships break down.

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I'd like to formerly thank Robert for his on with the case and of course the website. Unfortunatley things didn't work out with Robert and I due to the imense pressure from the case. Still we had some great times and hopefully we will carry on to be great friends in the future.

Hopefully Robert will still continue to support the site.

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We are hoping to do a press release early next week. Just need a little time over the weekend to allow things to sink in. Jessica is very happy as is her father and of course I am over the moon. Thanks again to everyone who helped out,it was your support that got us through the bad days........you know who you all are!

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