Alfano: “Italy is firmly committed to tackling the issue”

 “We intend to reaffirm both our firm commitment to tackling the issue and our unrelenting closeness to the children taken from their parents,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, on commenting the meeting of the Task Force for Disputed Minors held today at the Farnesina’s Directorate General for Italians Abroad and Migration Policies. The meeting, held with the representatives of the Ministries of the Interior and Justice, REINFORCED the technical and operational coordination on the most urgent cases of international child abduction, especially to Countries of North Africa and East Europe, and outlined the strategic action to be taken in the upcoming months by the diplomatic and consular network of the Foreign Ministry, the Interpol and the Central Authority for the enforcement of the Hague Convention. During this year alone, there were 281 cases of abduction of children and 242 cases of assistance given to disputed children and to their families.