Private charity helped reunite Calgary mother with son abducted overseas, as father faces charges

A Calgary mother has finally been reunited with her abducted seven-year-old child after more than two years apart.

A Calgary mother, who spent more than two years searching for her abducted son, says a private, registered charity played a decisive role in bringing her child home.

Calgary police announced this week that a 62-year-old man has been charged with parental child abduction, nearly two years after investigators say he fled Canada with his five-year-old son and cut off all contact with the child’s mother.

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Police allege Muhammad Zia-Ur Rahman took the boy from Calgary on Dec. 2, 2023, travelling first to Montreal before boarding a flight to Turkiye.

Investigators say the move was extensively planned, involving forged documents, newly acquired passports and property purchased overseas.

After a multi-national investigation spanning several countries, police say Rahman was arrested on Dec. 16, 2025, at the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport in Mauritius.

The child was recovered, and four days later was reunited with his mother before returning to Calgary.

New details show the reunification itself relied heavily on the intervention, funding and coordination of End Violence Everywhere (EVE), a private charitable organization that advocates for survivors of violence and families navigating complex cross-border cases.

The child’s mother, who CTV News is not naming to protect her privacy and safety, says the organization’s actions were critical.

“Only truth and compassion brought my child home,” she said in a statement to CTV News.

“The world can be full of fear and violence, but End Violence Everywhere’s kindness and action made the difference for me and my children.”

EVE steps in to bring child home

End Violence Everywhere became aware of the international parental abduction in April 2025, roughly 16 months after the child was taken out of Canada.

According to information provided by the organization, it spent months attempting to engage federal authorities and explore consular and victim-support pathways while the child remained overseas.

Founder and CEO Cait Alexander said those efforts exposed what she described as a troubling absence of meaningful federal action once the child’s whereabouts became clearer.

“We were reaching out, trying to understand who was actually responsible for bringing this child home — and there was no one stepping up,” Alexander said.

When the boy’s location was confirmed in mid-December 2025, EVE assumed operational responsibility for the reunification, coordinating international travel, safety planning, legal logistics and emergency funding for the mother and child.

“On or about Dec. 16, we received a call about the location of this missing Canadian child,” Alexander said.

“The big question is how does this child come home? And I looked at my team and I said, ‘Let’s bring them home.’”

Alexander said EVE paid for international flights, accommodation, ground transportation and security considerations, allowing the mother to travel urgently across multiple countries to reunite with her son at the airport in Mauritius.

“We completely orchestrated and coordinated the reunification of this mother and child,” she said.

“We spent over $10,000 on it in a very short period of time and happy to do it. This is not about money. This is about expeditious treatment and the urgency of a missing Canadian child.”

Alexander said she was particularly struck by the reality that a private charity — rather than a federal department such as Global Affairs Canada — ultimately bore responsibility for bringing a Canadian child home.

“When children are located, there should already be a plan in place,” she said.

“Instead, we were left asking why no one was acting.”

Alexander described the process as emotionally intense and logistically fragile, with concern that delays could allow the child to be moved again.

“Time was of the essence in every single minute of every single hour during these processes,” she said.

“If that were to happen, we would lose the kid, or the father would move the child again.”

Once the mother and child boarded their flight back to Canada, Alexander said the organization coordinated door-to-door travel to ensure the family returned home safely.

The mother said the support went far beyond logistics.

“When time was critical and silence surrounded us, EVE listened and acted,” she said. “That saved my family.”

CTV News has contacted Global Affairs Canada seeking an explanation as to why a private organization was required to fund and coordinate the reunification of a Canadian child and is awaiting a response.

Mother reflects on bringing her son home

The mother said she followed every official step available to her over more than two years, but progress stalled until EVE intervened.

“I did everything I was told to do, gathered every document, followed every rule — but EVE was the deciding factor,” she said.

“They acted when it mattered most.”

She said the organization continued to support her family after the reunion, helping them begin the long process of healing.

“I cry often — not from sadness anymore, but from the generosity and humanity that was shown to us by EVE,” she said.

“Because of their courage and compassion, my son is home, safe, and healing.”

Alexander added the reunification marked a turning point but not an end to the family’s trauma.

“It’s a beautiful thing, but it’s also not perfect,” she said.

“There’s still a long way to go because of the damage that has been done to this family.”

She added that EVE continues to provide wrap-around services to the mother and her children as they navigate the legal and emotional aftermath.

“This is not over by any means,” Alexander said.

“It’s a new beginning, but it’s not the end.”

Case stayed out of public view during international search

Calgary police say the case was not made public when the child was first reported missing in 2023, a decision they say was based on investigative strategy rather than secrecy.

“The Calgary Police Service does not share all missing persons cases publicly,” police said in a statement.

“The decision is based on investigative strategies, and whether public attention can help a specific case.

“In this case, we knew they were not in Canada and focused our efforts on international organizations that could assist with the search.”

Police say assistance from the RCMP, Global Affairs Canada, the Canadian Central Authority and Interpol eventually helped locate the father and child overseas.

Rahman was extradited back to Calgary on Jan. 16 and is expected to appear in court on Jan. 22.

Rahman remains in custody at the Calgary Remand Centre.

His defence lawyer, Himmat Shergill, appeared on his behalf during a recent court appearance and said he plans to seek his client’s release.

“At the moment I will not comment about this case in the public domain as the court hearing is tomorrow,” Shergill told the court.

A familiar pattern in Calgary abduction cases

The case adds to a troubling pattern of international parental abductions involving Calgary families, where recoveries often take years and require intervention beyond traditional policing.

In 2022, a Calgary father was convicted after taking his daughter to Iraq under the guise of a vacation, leaving her there for years.

Despite court rulings and an extended sentence on appeal, the girl has yet to return to Canada.

In another case, a Calgary father spent months searching for his daughter after her grandparents took her to Turkiye, before a negotiated resolution allowed for a tearful reunion overseas.

One of the most high-profile cases involved Calgary mother, Melissa Hawach, whose two daughters were abducted and taken to Lebanon in 2006.

The story later became the subject of a book and a film, highlighting gaps in international enforcement and border safeguards.

Advocates say such cases reveal systemic challenges, particularly when children are taken to countries without extradition treaties or where custody orders are difficult to enforce.

“All of these child abductions are preventable,” Alexander said.

“If we had a functioning justice system, if we had resources to act when children are located, these situations would not drag on for years.”

For the mother at the centre of the most recent case, the outcome remains deeply personal.

“My child is home today because someone chose to help instead of looking away,” she said.

“This was not about politics or process — it was about a child’s safety. EVE understood that immediately and put their resources where it mattered.”

As Rahman’s case proceeds through the courts, the mother says she hopes her story sheds light on the realities families face when children are taken across borders and the critical role played by those willing to act when time is running out.

“I will always be thankful to those who treated my child’s life as urgent and sacred,” she said.