We recently blogged about the case of Paul Eksteen, a New Jersey father fighting for the return of his 11-year-old son from Paraguay. Eksteen’s son left the U.S. with his mother in late 2013, despite a court order demanding the mother relinquish the son’s passport. Eksteen recently filed international kidnapping charges against his ex-wife and is attempting to have his son returned to New Jersey to settle the child custody dispute.

Cases such as Paul Eksteen’s highlight the dire consequences and legal charges that can result when serious child custody disputes go unresolved. If you believe your former spouse has plans to flee the state or country with your child, or if other problems have cropped up with your parenting arrangement, including tense relations, failure to comply with the existing order, or even parental alienation, you may be wondering how you can safeguard yourself and your children from possible worst case scenarios, including parental abduction.

What can you do to keep your kids safe? Here are five actions to consider: Read more