In a case of first impression,the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has ruled that an internationaltreaty requires every effort to return two abducted children to France,but not to the custody of the father who allegedly abused them.
In Blondin v. Dubois,98-2834, a unanimous appeals court said that under the Hague Conventionon the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, there must be away to avoid a grave risk of harm to the children and, at the same time,meet the requirement that custody issues be settled in France, the children’shome jurisdiction.
