In addition to providing a name for this phenomenon - international
child abduction - the treaty drew up guidelines for what
constituted violations of custodial rights and provided mechanisms by which
children could be returned home, which is defined as the country of «habitual residence.»
The refusal to accede to the Hague Convention or enter into any bilateral arrangements concerning the return of abducted
children constitutes an extremely strong red flag that a country does not consider the
abduction of
children from other countries to be a serious matter, that it does not comply with international norms concerning international
child abduction, and that it is most unlikely to follow a foreign court's orders concerning either custody or visitation.