Peter Thomas Senese: The I CARE Foundation's 2013 Strategic Goals To Fight Child Abduction

The following itemized list are the priorities of the I CARE Foundation as we continue to play our part protecting children and families from international parental child abduction, international child trafficking, and child slavery.

2012 was a very good year for the I CARE Foundation to build upon.  However, the reality is that the fight we fight is similiar to the biblical story of David vs. Goliath. 

Still, where there are hearts of goodness committed to acts of goodness, anything is possible.  This notion is one we believe and is exemplifed by the many miracles that we created this past year - playing key roles in reuniting many kidnapped children.

But the work we need to do . . . we really do believe that if our legislative policy initiatives are passed, we will cripple the mountain of abduction.

The following are the priorities of the I CARE Foundation's outreach and stewardship:


What Needs To Be Done

 

1. Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction inbound member-state signatories need to adhere to the spirit of the international treaty and act to expeditiously decide on litigation concerning the return of the child. The I CARE Foundation will launch a research study on time-related matters connected to international child abduction and use our findings to educate policymakers and administrators around the world.
2. Courts in signatory member-states must act fairly and without bias so the international treaty is upheld. The I CARE Foundation will launch a research study on bias-related matters connected to international child abduction and use our findings to educate policymakers and administrators around the world
3. Judges in courts all over the world who preside over IPCA cases must be well-trained on all matters of IPCA, including the reality that abduction is a severe and abusive crime against a child that enables an abductor to further abuse a child during the time litigation brought by a targeted parent occurs.  Furthermore, courts and their judges must act to counter-balance any stall tactics implemented by an abductor or their legal counsel as such activity is often implemented to strategically financially break the chasing parent due to the extreme cost chasing parents face when trying to reunite with their kidnapped child. Of course, the courts must enforce the universally recognized notion amongst signatory nations that IPCA is extreme abuse, and extreme abuse is not in the best interest of any child. The I CARE Foundation will release our research study on court-education and judge competancy connected to international child abduction and use our findings to educate policymakers and administrators around the world
4. Sanctions by Hague member-nations against non-complying Hague member-nations must simply not be discussed but enacted. The collateral damage of innocent children in lieu of other foreign policy issues should not be acceptable under any circumstance.  The I CARE Foundation will seek to educate lawmakers in the United States about the costs related to collatreal damage, while also creating a grass-roots educational awarenss campaign stating that collateral damage of children due to policy initiatives is not acceptable, particularly when we're talking about over 100,000 American children's lives over the next 10 year.
5. The I CARE Foundation will participate in the production of the upcoming feature documentary film, '150,000 Internationally Kidnapped Children'.
6. New state and federal laws (in Canada, provincial and national laws) geared toward child abduction and child trafficking must be created and upheld by both law enforcement and courts.  This includes the I CARE Foundation's initiatives to have the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative modifed, and, to create a Secondary Prevent Departure Program.  It is the belief of the I CARE Foundation that such initiatives will put a significant stop-gap in abduction.
7. In the United States, the Senate passed SR 543, which resolved that the American government and all agencies charged with a role in preventing or reuniting internationally kidnapped children use all legal remedies available to them under law to help children, including consideration of criminal prosecution of abductors and those who have aided or abetted in a kidnappers activity. It is imperative that individuals who conspire to or actually abduct or aid in an abduction of a child are prosecuted.  The I CARE Foundation will be releasing a study that addresses this matter.
8. IPCA is a criminal act of kidnapping under the International Kidnapping Crimes Act. The act of kidnapping of any form is an inhumane act. Kidnappers who flee to another country must be extradited back to the country where the abduction took place. Thus, it is critical that new agreements are created between many countries that allow for extradition of parents who kidnap, which unfortunately does not exist today.  The I CARE Foundation will work to educate lawmakers and policy administrators about the importance of this issue.
9. Parents everywhere must be aware that IPCA is real, growing, and could potentially impact their lives, particularly in an ever-growing multi-cultural global society where individuals from different nations create relationships that result in the birth of a child, and, the prevalence of divorce in society. Critically, the I CARE Foundation will continue to act as stewards and share the message that IPCA is a real issue that all parents must be aware of.
10. Continued research in the area of IPCA must be conducted.  The I CARE Foundation will continue conducting and publishing an assortment of research in this area.
11. And whenever possible, the I CARE Foundation will attempt to help families in crisis.
12. We will continue to build our attorney network while also continuing our efforts to recruit qualified lawyers to participate in the U.S. Department of State's Hague Attorney Network.
13. We will continue our efforts to share our research on the world stage.
14. We will continue to build strategic NGO partnerships with organizations committed to protecting children and assisting families in crisis.

The I CARE Foundation has come a long way from the seedling of a book - Chasing The Cyclone.  There is a great deal of work to be done, and we are committed to continuing to play our part in assisting families in crisis.  Truth is, child abduction does impact too many lives. 

Our work continues.

And to those of you who have shown your spirited support, we thank you for your kind gestures and words.  They do matter and make a difference in all of our lives.

Kindest regards to all,

Peter Thomas Senese
Founding Director
The I CARE Foundation

Peter Thomas Senese Confirms Production of New Film On Child Abduction and Trafficking

I am very pleased to have announced this week on behalf of my colleagues and fellow child advocates of the I CARE Foundation the upcoming feature documentary filming of 150,000 Internationally Kidnapped Children.

 

The film will focus on the worldwide epidemic of international parental child abduction and the impact this criminal act of kidnapping has on targeted victims. 

 

There is no question we intend to create a very unique film, one that has not been created in this area because up until now, there has been no organization that has unilaterally conducted the extensive type of research on this subject the way the I CARE Foundation has, which will rudder and guide the scope and scale of the film. 

 

In addition to our unique ability to share a true picture of what the barren landscape of child abduction is, we have high expectations for the actual aesthetic production quality of the film as we will be shooting using RED Camera technology, and incorporating a host of special effects and other film making technology intended to give viscosity to the story we will tell.

 

On a personal level, I remain committed to doing all that I can to help society understand the malignant aspects of parental child abduction.  Till this day, one of the most alarming issues I see is just how wide-spread a lack of knowledge exists concerning international child kidnapping, even though each family is only three degrees of separation from knowing someone who has had a child targeted or stolen.  Tragically, by the I CARE Foundation's calculations, roughly 10% of all children internationally abducted only come home.

 

Glaringly - what we fight for - what we really fight for  . . . is to protect child murder and post-abduction suicide by adults who were once child victims.   I know: nobody wants to talk about it, especially since abduction in itself is a severe act of child abuse.  But truth is, filicide and post-abduction suicide are real. 

 

In the case of filicide, parental child murder occurs more often than anyone cares to think.  And I too shudder at such thoughts.  But we're talking about hundreds of child murders in the United States and Canada alone each year.  This is more than concerning.

 

And suicide. 

 

You see, children of abduction, during the 'taking period', which could last a lifetime, essentially have their identity brutally stripped from them.  Their lives of 'Who I Am' not only are denied, but altered into one big lie because of a sociopath abductor's need to rationalize their criminal act to the child, nearly always using parental alienation and isolation tactics into creating a demonizing myth about the targeted parent. In the end, the guilt, anger, and acknowledgement of a life of lies become overwhelming, and sadly, there is no place to go.  Suicide.

 

With hundreds of thousands of children around the world targeted for abduction each year, each nation needs new laws.  In order to have new laws created that will be impactful, correct data must be shared, thus the need for research on a host of critical topics.  The I CARE Foundation has and continues to lead in this area.  And of course, research and data alone do not protect children - but creating a swallow of public opinion that legislators hear, does.  And that is what 150,000 Internationally Kidnapped Children intends to do - increase awareness at every level, while offering solutions in the best interest of children.

 

I remain committed to helping rescue children who have been abducted, trafficked, abused, or in crisis.  This includes using my ongoing book royalties, including 100% of those generated from the critically acclaimed 'Chasing The Cyclone'  along with all of my other novels for use by the I CARE Foundation. It is my honor to be able to help others, as I take seriously my responsibility to help those in need.  With 100% of the necessary funding in place, it is my aspiration that 150,000 Internationally Kidnapped Children will become a tremendous tool that will save innocent lives.  After all, that is exactly what we're trying to do: save lives.

 

I invite you to read more information about 150,000 Internationally Kidnapped Children.

 

Kindest regards and best wishes for a healthy, happy, and fulfilling 2013 New Year.

 

Peter Thomas Senese