Lorraine Williamson
When four Valencian children vanished at the end of July, it seemed at first an act of compassion — a trip to see their dying grandmother in Algeria. Their mother, Sara, saw return tickets, trusted her former partner, and said yes. Within days, all communication stopped. What followed exposed a painful truth about how easily parental abductions can still occur — even across international borders.
In Spain, informal custody arrangements remain common, particularly among separated couples without a court ruling in place. That trust can become a loophole. For Sara, it was devastating. She had lived apart from her former partner, Mourad S. K., for more than a decade. Their relationship had been marked by control and aggression, but she never filed a complaint. The absence of a formal custody order meant no legal barrier stood in the way when he asked to take the children abroad.
From excuse to abduction
On 30 July, Mourad took their four youngest children — aged between nine and fourteen — on what he described as a farewell visit to his ill mother in Algiers. Within five days, Sara’s messages went unanswered. Then came a chilling WhatsApp voice note from one of the children: “He said he will kill mum and tear up her passport.”
The children later described being beaten, threatened with knives, and left without food. They were trapped in their father’s house for weeks, unable to contact anyone except in secret.
Bureaucracy meets desperation
Once the truth became clear, Sara turned to the police. She filed a report for parental abduction and domestic abuse, submitting the recordings as proof. But retrieving her children required diplomacy, not just legal procedure. Algeria, outside the European Union, is not bound by EU family law or the Hague Convention on child abduction in the same way as EU states. That meant Spanish officials had to negotiate directly, case by case.
For months, the children were left to fend for themselves. Their father had hidden their passports. It was only when the eldest boy discovered the younger siblings’ documents that the Spanish consulate in Algiers could act. A temporary travel pass was issued for him at the last minute — a lifeline that made the reunion possible.
The long road home
Sara flew to Algeria herself to collect them. Even then, the situation teetered on collapse. Permission to take all four children was granted only hours before their flight. “I thought I would have to leave my eldest behind,” she recalled. “I couldn’t breathe.”
On Sunday, they finally landed in Alicante and travelled to Valencia by taxi. “They were sick, hungry, and terrified,” Sara said. “But we’re together again. That’s what matters.”
A pattern too familiar
Cases like this are far from rare. Spain records dozens of parental abductions every year, most involving cross-border relationships. When one parent holds dual nationality, the risk rises sharply, particularly when the destination country is beyond EU jurisdiction. Without formal custody rulings, the law struggles to act until after the abduction has taken place.
The Valencian case underscores how swiftly emotional manipulation, informal trust, and legal gaps can converge — leaving children at the centre of an international tug of war.
Woman and children freed after kidnapping
Lessons still to be learned
The father, arrested in Valencia on 16 October, is now in pre-trial detention. Authorities are investigating allegations of abuse and threats, while social services work to support the children’s recovery. But the case has already reignited debate over Spain’s patchy enforcement of custody agreements and the urgent need for preventive measures when one parent plans to travel abroad.
As Sara’s ordeal shows, it takes more than love to protect a family. It takes vigilance, documentation — and laws that move faster than the people willing to exploit them.
Sources: Levante-EMV, El Confidencial, Telecinco