Dylan Laybourn - abducted New Zealand boy
- by: bruce@destinationsmagazine.com
- recipient: Turkish & New Zealand Governments
Dylan Rennick Laybourn is a 6-year-old New Zealand boy abducted to Turkey by his mother, Nil Cicek.
Dylan was taken from New Zealand by Nil Cicek and her mother, Hatice Cicek, for a supposed 3-week Holiday on May 4, 2007.
This little Kiwi boy, the Great Grandson of a New Zealand Gallipoli soldier, has been trapped in Turkey ever since.
Watch this sad story on 60 Minutes ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO7gWLavB0s
Dylan's dad, Bruce Rennick Laybourn, has shared some precious moments with his only son. Click here to watch the love of a father and son whose bond can never be broken ...
http://www.bringdylanhome.co.nz/?videos&21
Full details on this tragic separation of a little boy and his dad, are available at Dylan's website ..
The story, as told by the 60 Minutes documentary team, can be seen at ...
http://www.3news.co.nz/Video/60Minutes/tabid/371/articleID/81348/cat/46/Default.aspx#video
Of his time with Dylan in Istanbul in February, Bruce writes:
"Dylan and I are bonding closer and closer every day. We don't just look alike but it is very clear that this apple did not fall far from the tree.
"We have an extraordinarily love and connection - not just the overt but the subtle look, the grin, the little touch, squeeze of the hand or longing gaze.
"Dylan calls for 'baba' from his cot, greets me every morning with a smile that melts my heart. We hug, we wrestle, we have water fights in the shower, and I get a morning gym workshop hoisting him skyward until my arms and shoulders ache. We read books quietly, we play with toys noisily and we cuddle with a sincerity that brings tears to my eyes.
"It is inconceivable that I will be flying home a third time since Dylan was abducted in May, 2007, leaving my little Kiwi son behind. As well, Dylan continues to miss out on having daily contact with his own daddy. My wee man is bound to be confused about the absence of his 'baba' in his life.
"I am incredibly disappointed that the new government in New Zealand has so far failed to show any interest in Dylan's case - or to publicly state that it stands behind the initiative of previous Prime Minister, Helen Clark, in directly appealing to the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan."
Sadly, little appears to have changed since United States International Family Law Attorney, Jeremy D. Morley wrote these words in 2005:
"Hague applications for the return of abducted children from Turkey continue to experience the same systemic problems that were cited in the last report. Cases move very slowly through the courts and can take years to resolve. It appears that few judges or lawyers are familiar with the Convention or understand it well enough to implement it effectively. For example, Hague cases are often treated as custody cases and home studies are frequently ordered."
We , the undersigned, seek urgent action in the return of the New Zealand infant boy, Dylan Rennick Laybourn, from Turkey to his homeland of New Zealand.
We believe this is an appalling breach of human rights for a little son and his father, and contravenes all principles of the Hague Convention on Child Abduction, to which both countries are bound to uphold as long-standing signatories.
In a treaty that sets 6 weeks as its benchmark for the return of abducted children, it is unacceptable that this boy has now been kept in Turkey for more than 4 years
.
Justice, in this case, is not being served as intended by the Hague Convention on Child Abduction. As a humanitarian treaty, the convention is supposed to stand as a prompt remedy against child abduction between civilised nations.
To Turkey and New Zealand, we urge that your historic and close bonds be used to urgently return this little boy to his homeland.
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