The term
international child abduction is generally synonymous with international
parental kidnapping, child snatching, and
child stealing. However, the more precise legal usage of
international child abduction originates in
private international law and refers to the illegal removal of children from their home by an acquaintance or family member to a foreign country. In this context, "illegal" is normally taken to mean "in breach of
custodial rights" and "home" is defined as the child's
habitual residence. As implied by the "breach of custodial rights," the phenomenon of international child abduction generally involves an illegal removal that creates a jurisdictional
conflict of laws whereby multiple authorities and
jurisdictions could conceivably arrive at seemingly reasonable and conflicting custodial decisions with geographically limited application. Such a result often strongly affects a child's access and connection to half their family and may causes the loss of their former language, culture, name and nationality, it violates numerous
children's rights, and can cause severe psychological and emotional trauma to the child and family left behind.