Question juridique clé
Whether return of the child had to be refused under Art. 13(1)(b) HC Hague Convention because return would expose the child to a grave risk of physical or psychological harm or an intolerable situation.
Solution extraite
No grave-risk exception was established. The child was old enough not to be a mere infant, both parents had been capable caregivers, and the alleged harm from separation did not outweigh the Convention’s return principle.
Motifs extraits
Art. 13(1)(b) must be construed narrowly; only real and unavoidable dangers bar return. The facts showed a prior shared family life in Burkina Faso, good parental care, and available support for the father. The mother’s refusal to return and her separation from the child did not make the child’s return itself intolerable.