Author: Paper Boundaries

Parental Child Abduction and Cultural Identity: A Hidden Trauma

Recently, I attended a powerful presentation by an Indigenous Australian who spoke about the trauma of the Stolen Generations. These were children forcibly taken from their families in the name of “assimilation.” Although the practice ended in the 1970s, its legacy persists. Tragically, the trauma of losing one’s cultural identity still exists today — not always through government policy, but through parental child abduction. As a left-behind parent, I’ve come to see disturbing parallels between this historic injustice and the cultural erasure my own daughter has faced. I hope sharing our story sheds light on this often-ignored issue. How...

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AI Usage in Child Abduction Cases

AI tools have gained prominence in recent years, but as a self-proclaimed AI sceptic, I have been slow to explore their capabilities. I trust my own skills and believe that authenticity adds value—especially when providing professional opinions or applying for jobs. However, despite my reluctance, I recently found myself relying on AI during my ongoing custody dispute. The Role of AI in a Custody Battle My journey with AI began when I discovered that Skype was shutting down. While I had protested its use for video chats with my daughter, our court order required all communications to be conducted...

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Preparing to visit

What are the essentials? Visiting Japan every year is fun. I get to see my daughter’s summer holiday and also catch-up with my old friends. As such, I think that a positive attitude is the first essential. From there, it’s a matter of looking after my mental health and planning to make the most of my downtime. Having a positive attitude When I first started visiting my daughter, I was a broken person. I had been through a messy divorce including domestic violence (which I have documented) and was receiving treatment for acquired mental health conditions. I smiled regularly...

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2020 in Review: The State of International Child Abduction

What just happened? 2020 Was a very intense year for many left behind parents and their children. Due to COVID restrictions, I did not get to see my daughter and I probably won’t see her until 2021. This is highly relevant as my daughter is 16 and ‘[Article 4 of] The Convention [states that it] shall cease to apply when the child attains the age of 16 years’. Yep – we’ve all just lost two years of access. Suffice to say, I am devastated. Personally, I’m not looking for loopholes to facilitate access in spite of travel bans. I...

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Women and parental child abduction

Is this now a feminist blog? No, I’m not a feminist. I support diversity and equality 100% in all facets of life. However, my major area of interest is preventing child abduction. Importantly, my ex-wife abducted our daughter. I cannot ignore the fact that a woman chose to abduct a young lady. Our daughter will be forever shaped by this. As a man, I try my best to see things through the eyes of others. This helps me to understand and better respect their challenges. So, why do women abduct their children in that majority of Japanese parental abduction...

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