While proceedings under the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction are designed to be quick and efficient as possible, ensuring the necessary due process involved in these returns takes both time and money. This expense can be a burden on parents petitioning for a return of their child or defending against such a petition.
Some parents may feel that, rather than a contentious and emotionally charged Hague proceeding, an amicable return of the child might be a better situation for both parents and the child. Voluntarily returning a child to his or her home country is also often cheaper than engaging in a drawn out and difficult legal battle.
Having the abducting parent voluntarily return the child is also much cheaper for the two governments involved in the return since it avoids the expense of arraigning a case under the Hague Convention. Therefore, some central authorities have instituted programs to promote voluntary return of children undergoing a Hague proceeding. For example, the central authorities in Australia, Canada and New Zealand will pay for the return airfare of children who are voluntarily returned before a Hague Convention case is completed.