The Hague Child Abduction Convention aims to secure the speedy return of abducted children. Judges can use a limited number of grounds for refusal. They may not make an in-depth assessment of the merits of any custody issue. The Convention on the Rights of the Child provides that the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration in all actions concerning children. This article analyses the use that judges make in their decisions on the concept of “the best interests of the child”. For this purpose it scrutinizes the case law on international child abduction of the Netherlands and England and Wales. By using software designed for qualitative research, the authors are able to make an objective and systematic analysis. This article confirms the hypothesis that the concept of the best interests of the child is often used without substance, and sometimes only to endorse conclusions that would have possibly been reached in any event.

中文翻译：

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国际绑架儿童和儿童的最大利益：两个司法管辖区的司法推理分析

《海牙绑架儿童公约》旨在确保被绑架儿童迅速返回。法官可以使用数量有限的理由予以拒绝。他们可能不会对任何监护权问题的优点进行深入评估。《儿童权利公约》规定，在所有有关儿童的行动中，儿童的最大利益应作为首要考虑。本文分析了法官在决策中对“儿童的最大利益”概念的使用。为此，它审查了关于荷兰，英格兰和威尔士绑架国际儿童的判例法。通过使用专为定性研究而设计的软件，作者能够进行客观和系统的分析。