Bangladesh – Begum-case
An international child recovery from Bangladesh to The Netherlands.
To the visitor of this website,
In 2002, my son was abducted by my ex-wife and taken to Bangladesh. For many months the local and international authorities tried to get my son back, but to no avail.
After receiving a couple of very dramatic letters from my son in Bangladesh in which he begged me to come and get him, I decided to call in an expert who was recommended by various (inter)national organisations. This was the IECC. I got in contact with Mr Hoogkamer, who turned out to be a very special person from the beginning.
Mr Hoogkamer, who himself had become a victim of an international child abduction (he retrieved his own children and then started helping other parents in the same situation) turned out to be a person you could turn to literally day and night. He always had time to listen to my deepest emotions and grief.
He managed to find the right balance between emotional support and a “cool business-like approach” to retrieve my son. Mr Hoogkamer remained in Bangladesh for many weeks as my case was a very complicated one. To my surprise, he personally negotiated with the highest local authorities in Bangladesh, cooperated with the Dutch embassy and despite the many problems he encountered, (my ex-wife fought against the process in all sorts of ways) he ensured that my son was returned to me again.
My son is now doing well at school and we will never forget what happened in Bangladesh, how this all came to a good end thanks to Mr Hoogkamer. I am firmly convinced that without the help of the IECC and his worldwide contacts my son would never have been returned to me as there are no treaties between Bangladesh and the Netherlands!
Since these events, Mr Hoogkamer and I have become friends for life. I can highly recommend the services and the expertise of the IECC, all the more so because the IECC is prepared to continue until your target has been reached. Even if things don’t go at all smoothly.
Best regards,
A happy parent!