"I don't know what size my son wears, what size my son wears, what his favorite design is, what he likes to eat. It's as if my motherhood has been ripped away." The phrase by Brazilian Karin Rachel Aranha Toledo translates the dimension of the loss she has experienced since September 2022, when her son Adam, then 4 years old, was taken by his father to Egypt without his authorization.
Four years later, even after obtaining favorable decisions from the Brazilian and Egyptian courts, Karin continues to not recover her son and, exhausted, says that she cannot see what paths remain to recover the boy.
On the eve of the boy's 8th birthday, the resident of Campinas (SP) states that the most painful part of the separation is not just the physical distance, but everything that she stopped monitoring during her son's childhood.
"Next month, Adam will be eight years old. Four years are not four days, they are four wasted years", he says.
Karin reports that she has lost simple references to the child's daily life and fears that time is erasing a bond that she has fought to preserve since the beginning of the international dispute.
"I hope that one day Adam knows that he has a mother. And that he had a mother who fought every moment to be with him."
The feeling of impotence adds to the wear and tear accumulated in four years of trying to recover her son. "I tried everything, I did everything and I achieved everything. And, deep down, I achieved nothing", he states.
In addition to the emotional impact, Karin estimates that she spent more than R$500,000 trying to recover her son. The amount includes expenses with lawyers, travel and procedures necessary to follow the legal processes.
Brazilian Karin Rachel Aranha Toledo, from Campinas (SP), is trying to recover her son, Adam, who was taken without authorization by his father to Egypt since 2022.
The case began in September 2022, when the father took the boy, then 4 years old, from Brazil to Egypt. Since then, Karin has not seen her son again and has started an international dispute to try to get him back.
In Brazil, the Federal Court of Campinas (SP) ordered the father's preventive arrest in 2023 and he was included on Interpol's wanted list. Karin moved to Egypt to follow the process and, in November 2025, the Egyptian court granted custody of the boy to his mother.
The Egyptian court also ordered the arrest of her father and paternal grandmother for seven days for failing to comply with the order, and Karin's defense requested an increase in the sentence to six months. At least three attempts were made to comply with the court decision to locate Adam, without success.
In June, Karin said she was taken by an institution to Belgium after receiving threats. Back in Brazil, she currently states that she does not feel safe returning to Egypt without support.
"I can't go to Egypt and go through the danger I went through last time, alone. I'm alone, I'm on my own. I don't see any kind of way out, other than waiting for time to pass and asking God so that, one day, he can give my son the opportunity to see me again", she said.
g1 contacted the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, the Federal Central Administrative Authority (Acaf) and the government of Egypt, but did not receive a response until the publication of this report.
Acaf is the body responsible, in Brazil, for adopting measures related to compliance with international agreements aimed at the international abduction of children, the international restitution of minors and international adoption.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that it has been following the case since 2022, through the Brazilian Embassy in Cairo. According to the ministry, the diplomatic representation provides consular assistance to the child and family, including dialogue with local authorities, consular visits, legal guidance and facilitation of psychological support.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Brazilian Embassy in Cairo, has been following the case since it was notified in 2022. The Embassy provides consular assistance to the national minor and his family - including in the form of assistance in dialogue with local authorities, consular visits, legal advice and facilitation of psychological support - and remains in contact with the Egyptian authorities.
Itamaraty's role in the case involved high-level conversations held by the Brazilian Ambassador in Cairo, Paulino de Carvalho, and by Minister Mauro Vieira himself with his local counterpart.
Brazil's consular activities are guided by international and national legislation.
In compliance with the right to privacy and in compliance with the provisions of the Access to Information Law and decree 7,724/2012, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not disclose personal information of citizens who request consular services nor does it provide details about the assistance provided to Brazilians."
