Fleeing family violence to another country and taking your child is not ‘abduction’, but that’s how the law sees it

Fiona (not her real name) came to Australia from New Zealand as a 19-year-old backpacker.

• Gina Masterton
• The Conversation

Here, she met a man, got married and had two boys.

The domestic violence began after her first son’s birth, and Fiona endured it for several years.

In 2017, when her children were eight and ten, Fiona summoned the strength to leave her husband.

Not being an Australian citizen, she found she wasn’t eligible for government assistance, so Fiona fled back to New Zealand seeking protection and support.

Her husband immediately acted to have the…

• Fleeing family violence…