Article 24 of the Law on the Protection of Minors (revised in 2020)
stipulates that it is not allowed to compete for custody rights by snatching or
hiding minor children. “Snatching and hiding children” refers to the behavior of
one spouse who uses non-violent means to transfer minor children and conceal
their traces during the divorce proceedings in order to fight for custody and
the joint property of the husband and wife. Although the law clearly prohibits
the behavior of “robbing and hiding children”, it is only a general provision.
The time point of the “competition for custody” is not clear. In current judicial
practice, only Article 111 of the Civil Procedure Law can be passed. Clause 6
punishes the behavior of “hiding children” after the custody judgment. Many
hiders prefer to be detained and fined rather than disclose the whereabouts of
their children. As in the past, the prohibition of “hiding children” will gradually
become an “empty shell”. In summary, by comparing relevant judicial judgments
and local regulations, the nature of the behavior of “hiding children” after the
custody judgment is clarified, and the current judicial dilemma is clarified.
Combined with the Civil Code, the Law on the Protection of Minors, and local
regulations, the analysis of “custody rights” The possibility of three punishment
methods, such as “Change of custody”, “compensation for mental damage”,
and “The possibility of using criminal law to regulate”, provides new ideas for
solving the case of “hidden children after custody judgment”.