Best-selling author Peter Senese continues his dedication to help innocent children and their parents that are targeted for international abduction by supporting the I CARE Foundation. Mr. Senese has stated that it is a great honor being able to help by donating 100% of his e-book royalties earned from the sale of Chasing The Cyclone. The I CARE Foundation, an organization dedicated to conducting research and raising social awareness about the serious issue of international child abduction, has also played a major role in creating legislative initiatives that are helping to reduce the rate of abduction.
The critically-acclaimed Chasing The Cyclone has been heralded as a must read by targeted parents that are desperately trying to protect their children from international child abduction. Peter Senese's novel has been recognized by child abduction prevention advocates as a road map on how a parent may either prevent the international abduction of their child or reunite with their child. As international parental child abduction continues to be a grave concern for thousands of parents each year, resource guides that outline child abduction risk factors and preventive measures against abduction are critically important. Chasing The Cyclone provides parents with keen insight on these issues.
Chasing The Cyclone is also being hailed by numerous top book critics and readers alike, as a fast-paced suspense thriller wrapped within the ultimate love story between a father and his son. Peter Senese's novel is one that perhaps few other writers could have written with such intimacy, familiarity and depth of understanding. It is a story of a father doing everything possible to find and reunite with his inernationally abducted child. Chasing The Cyclone is inspired by the best-selling author's own harrowing experience of racing into the dark and dangerous storms of having a child internationally abducted to the other side of the world, and a father's willingness to stop everything in his life to fight incredible odds to find and reunite with him.
Peter Senese commented, "Chasing The Cyclone is the story of the greatest type of love of all: the love and commitment a parent holds for their child. Imagine having a complete life, filled with all the niceties you can imagine, when suddenly your defenseless child is used in the most unthinkable of schemes intended to cause you great hurt, and is criminally abducted to some unknown place on the other side of the world. Now imagine that the only thing that stands between bringing your child home or having your child lost forever, is you and your willingness to face the ultimate sacrifice. Well, that is what happens when a parent finds themselves "Chasing the Cyclone" of international child abduction." He adds "When I was 'Chasing the Cyclone' of child abduction, I made a promise to my God that one day I would come back to this fight, and make a difference for other children and their parents. In donating my royalties to the I CARE Foundation, we were able to help reunite children who were criminally abducted with their families. So in this sense, I suppose, readers of my novels have a direct and measurable way to participate in helping children."
The New York Journal of Books had this to say about Chasing The Cyclone: "Chasing The Cyclone is a well-written thriller . . . Senese shares myriad emotions by writing in the first-person as he weaves through the action in this suspense-filled story . . . This novel might also be considered a treatise on international child abduction. Cyclone, while full of actual strategies and resources to assist parents in international abductions, is above all else a love story about a father and son ... From Los Angeles, to Canada, to New Zealand, and eventually, Macau, a special administrative region of China, Cyclone is rife with international intrigue and suspense. The protagonist, Paul Francesco, orchestrates a master plan that he hopes will reunite him with the love of his life - his son. Along the way he finds himself swamped in red tape and drenched in frustration. Filled with a plethora of powerful characters and puzzling predicaments and dead ends, the story moves quickly . . . Cyclone will leave you informed and satisfied . . . you will be reluctant to put down."
The Examiner stated, "Peter Senese is a gifted storyteller who takes readers on a heart pounding journey around the globe through the eyes of Paul Francesco, a father whose 7-year old son is abducted by his mother. The writing is raw and the emotions are real . . . The story is filled with twists and turns that will leave readers scratching their heads, seething in anger, and hugging their children a little tighter . . . I highly recommend Chasing the Cyclone as a must-read. You will not be able to put it down. It may very well change the way you look at life, child custody, and interactions with your child's other parent. I cannot endorse this book strongly enough."
Amazon Hall of Fame reviewer Daniel Jolley commented, "Chasing The Cyclone isn't just a powerful novel; it's a call to arms against a growing epidemic that is tearing lives apart behind the headlines... Chasing The Cyclone is much more than just a superb, can't-put-down novel, though; it is a book with a purpose... Thomas has become an outspoken advocate on this issue, and Chasing The Cyclone makes for a clear and profoundly effective call to action. I would go so far as to encourage every loving parent to read this book, as the bond between this father and son is one to be emulated..."
Dr. Grady Harp, a highly respected Amazon Hall Of Fame book reviewer said, "Peter Senese now opens the windows on the magnitude of these tragedies in his excellent "Chasing The Cyclone"... As if the fast paced energy of this story weren't enough to satisfy the reader, Peter Senese demonstrates his quality as a writer of distinction on many levels... this impossible to put down book..."
Amazon Top Book Reviewer Shelley Gammon added, "Chasing the Cyclone" is the second book I've read by Peter Senese, and like "The Den of the Assassin," it's a real page turner... This was a book I could not put down. Thomas has a gift in writing a compelling novel that not only keeps the reader engaged, but educates as well."
For more information on international child abduction please visit the following websites:
The I CARE Foundation
Chasing The Cyclone
Peter Senese's Official Website
To purchase a copy of Chasing The Cyclone please visit:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Peter Thomas Senese's Chasing The Cyclone
Chasing The Cyclone is a critically acclaimed international legal thriller. For best-selling author Peter Thomas Senese the novel is a call-to-arms against child abduction. In writing Chasing The Cyclone, Peter’s intent was direct: to stop the global child abduction epidemic. Since the author’s creation of the I CARE Foundation, the U.S. child abduction rate has declined by 38%.The author and I CARE Foundation activism have been praised by global leaders, including the Hague Secretary General.
miércoles, 14 de agosto de 2013
Best-Selling Author Peter Senese: Dedicated To Helping Families Targeted For International Child Abduction
martes, 2 de julio de 2013
Forma Internacional del Consentimiento del Niño del Recorrido Creada Para Parar la Abducción Parental del Niño
Peter Thomas Senese y la I CARE Foundation ha
lanzó hoy “La Forma Internacional del Consentimiento del Recorrido del Niño”
creada para parar abducciones parentales internacionales del niño durante
vacaciones internacionales al exterior con los niños
NUEVA YORK, NY, 13 de Junio de 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- La I CARE
Foundation anunció hoy el lanzamiento de su “Forma Internacional del Consentimiento
del Recorrido del Niño” creada para ayudar a prevenir la abducción parental
internacional del niño debido a la detención ilícita de un niño que viajaba al
extranjero con un padre.
Peter Thomas Senese, El Director de la I CARE
Foundation indicada, ““Se ha creado La Forma Internacional del Consentimiento
del Recorrido del Niño” usando
lurisprudencia substancial de “La
Convención de la Haya Sobre Los Aspectos Civiles de la Abducción Internacional
del Niño”. La atención y el detalle
específicos fueron centrados en las defensas internacionales de la abducción
asociadas a los Artículos 12, 13, y 20 de la convención internacional e
incorporadas en el documento del Consentimiento del Recorrido. Se espera que el trabajo enorme, la
dedicacion del tablero consultivo legal de la I CARE Foundation, muchos que
sucedan ser miembros del Departamento de Los Estados Unidos de la Red de
Abogados de la Convención de la Haya del Estado, al crear esta herramienta
única y de gran alcance de la prevención de la abducción consolide
perceptiblemente la posición legal de cualquier padre apuntado para una vuelta
inmediata de su niño secuestrado en casos ilícito de la detención asociada
comúnmente a las abducciones parentales internacionales del niño por todo el
mundo que ocurren durante el período de las vacaciones de la escuela de
verano. El documento del recorrido no
actúa simplemente mientras que una forma del Consentimiento del Padre
permitiendo a un Niño al Recorrido al exterior pero refuerza la vuelta de un
niño a su país de origen basado sobre los requisitos de la afirmación que
quitan la mayoría de las defensas legales de un abductor para permanecer al
exterior con respecto a la ley de Hague. Esto es un juego-cambiador potencial
no apenas para los niños americanos que secuestran, pero para los niños de
todas las naciones. “
La abducción parental internacional del niño es un problema
mundial que es un acto severo del abuso de niño. Según un informe reciente publicó por el
Ministerio de Justicia, los niños que son secuestrado estan en riesgo elevado
de actos significativos del abuso y de la violencia por el padre que secuestra,
incluyendo asesinato.
Durante el período de las vacaciones del verano, la abducción del
niño es frecuente. A menudo, los niños
nacidos de una relación multinacional son apuntado para la abducción cuando la unión o la
sociedad analiza, o cuando uno de los padres desea terminar la relación y de ese padre desea volver a su
propio país de origen. Pues esos padres
crean un esquema listo bajo modo de vacaciones de la familia para visitar a
parientes de modo que el otro padre consienta al recorrido al exterior. El padre apuntado viaja a menudo con ellos. Una vez que al exterior, el padre que
secuestra destraílle a menudo un esquema cuidadosamente orquestrado previsto,
no sólo para permanecer al exterior con el niño, pero para quitar
permanentemente al otro padre de compartir an la vida del niño.
Las defensas legales usadas por los abductores para permanecer al exterior les han permitido a menudo hacer que una corte sancione su abducción.
Las defensas legales usadas por los abductores para permanecer al exterior les han permitido a menudo hacer que una corte sancione su abducción.
La “Forma Internacional del
Consentimiento del Recorrido del Niño” estará disponible en Español, Francés,
Alemán, e Italiano en los días que vienen.
Para más información sobre la “Forma del Consentimiento Internacional del Recorrido del Niño” y la abducción parental internacional del niño, por favor visita la pajina official de la I CARE FOUNDATION (www.stopchildabduciton.org)
Para los abogados interesados en obtener un escrito y de un marco
legales completos de la Forma del Consentimiento del Recorrido, por
favor contáctese con mediarelations@stopchildabduction.org.
domingo, 30 de junio de 2013
Risk Factors During Divorce - Child Custody And Letting Your Child Leave The Country
Divorce and child custody disputes create serious concern when a foreign born parent wants to take their child and travel to a foreign country. As the terminology 'International Parental Child Abduction' becomes more mainstream, parents involved born in two different countries now involved in divorce or separation proceedings must be aware of the warning signs and risk factors of international parental child abduction.
Summer is the time of year when children are targeted for international parental child abduction.
Parental abduction is a serious crime that often can place the child in serious danger. In fact, a special report by the U.S. Government confirmed that children who are parentally abducted are often in great risk of being severly injured and even murdered by their abducting parent.
So, parents who have or are presently going through a divorce, particularley with a person who was born in a foreign country, must be extremely aware of the risk factors associated with allowing a child to travel to a foreign counry once divorce proceedings have commenced.
Know the warning signs and risk factors of international parental child abduction.
Any parent who is considering to allow a child to travel abrouad with the other parent, or any parnet who has had a court grant the other parent permission to travel outside of the country with their other parent should strongly consider using the I CARE Foundation's International Travel Child Consent Form. The consent form was designed to assist parents prevent child abduction.
Today is July 1st, 2013. The summer is now here. So too is the fact that the summer season is international parental child abduction season.
Parents need to educate themselves and stop child abduction.
For more information, please visit the I CARE Foundation.
Summer is the time of year when children are targeted for international parental child abduction.
Parental abduction is a serious crime that often can place the child in serious danger. In fact, a special report by the U.S. Government confirmed that children who are parentally abducted are often in great risk of being severly injured and even murdered by their abducting parent.
So, parents who have or are presently going through a divorce, particularley with a person who was born in a foreign country, must be extremely aware of the risk factors associated with allowing a child to travel to a foreign counry once divorce proceedings have commenced.
Know the warning signs and risk factors of international parental child abduction.
Any parent who is considering to allow a child to travel abrouad with the other parent, or any parnet who has had a court grant the other parent permission to travel outside of the country with their other parent should strongly consider using the I CARE Foundation's International Travel Child Consent Form. The consent form was designed to assist parents prevent child abduction.
Today is July 1st, 2013. The summer is now here. So too is the fact that the summer season is international parental child abduction season.
Parents need to educate themselves and stop child abduction.
For more information, please visit the I CARE Foundation.
domingo, 23 de junio de 2013
International Parental Child Abduction: A Look At A World Of Fraud, Scams, Abuse, Violence, and Murder
International Parental Child Abduction To Multiple Countries: Fraud, Scams, Abuse, Violence, and Murder.
This is Peter Thomas Senese writing to share a very important message about the high-risks abducted children face at the hands of their kidnapping parent.
Several weeks ago, I shared how the international abduction of the young Colorado child, Luke Turner, kidnapped from Colorado to Canada raised serious concerns about how countries everywhere attempt to protect their children. In the Turner case, despite their being an AMBER Alert issued for the child, the parental abductor was able to initally escape into Canada, where there were airline tickets for the parental abductor and child to travel to a Middle-Eastern country. Once there, they could have disappeared anywhere.
All of this after the abductor brutally beat the child's other parent back in Colorado.
International parental child abduction is a very dangerous world for children.
Not only are they forced to live a life of a fugitive, but as recently reported by the U.S. Department of Justice, they are in grave risk of being the recipient of extreme violence and even murder at the hands of their kidnapping parent
AMBER ALERT FAILS: INTERNATIONAL CHILD ABDUCTION TAKES PLACE
The fact is each law enforcement organization that issues an AMBER Alert does so within a certain radius. AMBER Alerts do not automatically get transmitted nationwide or to all border crossing points.
In the case of Luke Turner's abduction, the fact is that the AMBER Alert did not cover the distance the child's father, Mony Ray Turner, had traveled to.
Equally concering is the fact that according to a high-ranking U.S. Government official, Monty Ray Turner appears to have had airline tickets for him and his son to travel from Canada to Isreal.
THERE WAS SEVERAL COUNTRIES INVOLVED IN THE ABDUCTION PLANS
As I previoulsy stated on CBC News in Manitoba prior to this confirmation, it did not make sense that the abductor was going to remain in Canada, but instead, Canada had to be the launching country but not the final destination. And though there appears to have been tickets to Isreal, there is no certaintity that Isreal was the final destination the abducting parent was going to.
Nevertheless, the young child was about to live a life of a fugitive.
Often, parents who abduct a child between the United States and Canada, or the United States and Mexico often use the adjoining border country as the point of initial abduction because of the ease to travel between countries with a child. In many international abduction cases, the abductor then departs with the kidnapped child to another country.
This happens often. And it is extremely concering.
As exemplified in the abduction of Canada's Stephen Watkins' children, the abducting mother illegally crossed into the United States using invalid Canadian passports. Then she traveled to Poland with the two abducted children, where she then went underground. After an extensive search, Mr. Watkins found his children. However, Poland - a member of the Hague Convention in name only - decided that despite Canada demanding the return of the children, despite arrest warrants being issued against the mother, despite a clear-cut violation of many laws and extensive fraud committed by the mother - Poland decided that the children had acclimated to life in Poland and refused to return the Canadian children to their custodial father! And in case you are wondering - Mr. Watkins was not an abusive man. Poland just thumbed its resonsibillities to the Hague.
With cases like the Turner child or the Watkins children in mind, courts around the world must be mindful that in many cases of abduction - and this includes the wrongful removal of a child or the wrongful detention of a child abroad - the 'inbound' landing country of abduction often is not the final point a child is going to be taken to.
Often there is a third country.
Many of these countries are either not members of the Hague Convention (think Asia, the Middle East, or Africa), or if they are, they are not in compliance with the convention (think for example Brazil, Mexico, Germany, and Poland).
Once a child gets into a non-Hague country or a non-complying country, it is near impossible to bring them home.
SUMMER IS WHEN PARENTS INTERNATIONALLY ABDUCT CHILDREN
As summer takes place many children traveling abroad will be internationally abducted under the Hague Convention because they will not be returned home to their country of original jurisdiciton.
This is international child abduction.
Parents considering to allow a child to travel to another country with their other parent, especially if that parent has strong ties to that country, should strongly consider signing the I CARE Foundation's International Travel Child Consent Form - regardless if you are happily married or divorced. And if you are divorced and a court granted the other parent to travel abroad with your child, you should really consider requesting the court to have both parties sign the I CARE Foundation travel consent form as it was designed to help protect children from abduction.
I CARE FOUNDATION TRAVEL CONSENT FORM DESIGNED TO STOP INTERNATIONAL PARENTAL CHILDABDUCTION
In other cases of abduction that will occur this summer, an abducting parent will wrongfully remove a child from their home country despite a court order or in secret because they possess dual citzenship and a secondary passport for that child unknown to the other parent.
The bottom line: society must be mindful of every abduction tactic and act to stop international child kidnappings.
As the case of Luke Turner demonstrates, international parental child abduciton can leasd to severe violent acts. And once a child is taken, it is nearly impossible to bring them home.
Luke Turner is a very fortunate child. He was located in Canada before the alleged plans to remove him to Isreal and perhaps another country unfolded.
The article below I had written on May 28th, 2013 concerning the abduction of Brandy Turner's three year old son.
To learn more about international child abduction please visit the I CARE Foundation and the U.S. Department of State.
* * * * * * * *
May 28th, 2013
A Longmont, Colorado mother who was assaulted this past Saturday by her separated husband after he broke into her home, where he is alleged to have pepper-sprayed her before using a stun gun on her before he kidnapped their three-year old child to Canada despite an Amber Alert being issued for the abducted child is hopeful that she will be reunited with her son over the coming days. The child's father was arrested in Manitoba, Canada on Sunday, and thankfully, the child has been reported to be doing okay.
Brandy Turner Holding Her Son Luke Prior To Abduction |
As the school summer vacation months approach, it is anticipated that the majority of criminal international parental child abductions will take place. How to prevent these kidnappings is at the core of concern for tens of thousands of abduction prevention stakeholders, including targeted parents of abduction, law enforcement, courts of local jurisdiction, and respective government agencies around the world charged with protecting children.
According to the Longmont Daily Times-Call, the defenseless child's mother, Brandy Turner told police she stepped outside her home to smoke a cigarette and saw her husband in the backyard as Luke was having breakfast, Mrs. Turner, who had a restraining order issued against her husband, said she went inside, closed and locked the door, and tried to call 911, but Monty Turner forced his way inside and threw the phone to the floor. During a scuffle, Mr. Turner used pepper spray, shooting it into her face before she felt an electric shock, which she believes to be from a stun gun, she told the newspaper.
After snatching the child, Mr. Turner drove 1,500 kilometers east, leaving Colorado and entering Canada at some point while driving across the northern plains shared between the United States and Canada.
The brutality of the assault and abduction is indicative of sociopathic behavior exhibited by many parental child abductors.
Brandy Turner told The Associated Press on Monday that she had spoken with Luke on the phone and he knows he’s coming home. She said she couldn’t travel to Canada to get him because she has no passport. The child is presently under the supervision of Canada's Child and Family Services.
Failure Of The Amber Alert
The Canadian Border Services Agency is presently investigating how the child was able to enter Canada despite an Amber Alert issuance.
The Canadian Border Services Agency is presently investigating how the child was able to enter Canada despite an Amber Alert issuance.
How Monty Ray Turner Entered Canada Despite An Amber Alert Is Unknown At This Time |
Immediate questions as to why Mr. Turner fled to Canada are troubling.
In the world of international parental child abduction, an abductor may initially enter into an adjacent country that shares a border with the child's country of habitual residency due to ease of departure, only to use the first landing country as a launching point to disappear with the child to another country and into a sea of seven billion faces. It is presently unknown if Mr. Turner was intending to leave Canada for another country. Nevertheless, one thing appears clear: the abductor seemingly knew where he was going, which means he may have previously canvassed an exit route out of the United States traveling along the remote northern plains that have limited border security.
In a previously well-publicized international parental child abduction case that remains active, Mr. Stephen Watkins of Canada had his two young sons illegally removed from Canada to the United States by his former wife Edyta ( Ustaszewski / Ustaszewska ) with the assistance of the abductor's father, Tadeusz Ustaszewski. Once in the United States, Edyta Watkins disappeared, and was able to enter Poland. Despite Poland being a signatory of the Hague Convention of the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, and arrest warrants for kidnapping issued against her, Edyta Watkins has remained at-large, and Mr. Watkins children have not been returned home. Mr. Watkins children traveled into the United States without valid passports.
Targeted parents around the world who have their children abducted often do not reunite with their children. Rarely, are abducting parents prosecuted, as courts often fail to hold accountable an abductor for their act of kidnapping, often wrongfully citing 'best interest of the child'.
However, recently, parental child abductors are starting to be held accountable, which may be one of the reasons why the reported cases of outbound international parental child abduction originating from the United States has declined by 15% over the each of the last two fiscal years (2011 and 2012) after nearly 30 years of continued growth. It should be noted with great exception that Canada has failed to publicly report the number of Canadian children abducted from Canada since 2008.
In the world of international parental child abduction, an abductor may initially enter into an adjacent country that shares a border with the child's country of habitual residency due to ease of departure, only to use the first landing country as a launching point to disappear with the child to another country and into a sea of seven billion faces. It is presently unknown if Mr. Turner was intending to leave Canada for another country. Nevertheless, one thing appears clear: the abductor seemingly knew where he was going, which means he may have previously canvassed an exit route out of the United States traveling along the remote northern plains that have limited border security.
In a previously well-publicized international parental child abduction case that remains active, Mr. Stephen Watkins of Canada had his two young sons illegally removed from Canada to the United States by his former wife Edyta ( Ustaszewski / Ustaszewska ) with the assistance of the abductor's father, Tadeusz Ustaszewski. Once in the United States, Edyta Watkins disappeared, and was able to enter Poland. Despite Poland being a signatory of the Hague Convention of the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, and arrest warrants for kidnapping issued against her, Edyta Watkins has remained at-large, and Mr. Watkins children have not been returned home. Mr. Watkins children traveled into the United States without valid passports.
Targeted parents around the world who have their children abducted often do not reunite with their children. Rarely, are abducting parents prosecuted, as courts often fail to hold accountable an abductor for their act of kidnapping, often wrongfully citing 'best interest of the child'.
However, recently, parental child abductors are starting to be held accountable, which may be one of the reasons why the reported cases of outbound international parental child abduction originating from the United States has declined by 15% over the each of the last two fiscal years (2011 and 2012) after nearly 30 years of continued growth. It should be noted with great exception that Canada has failed to publicly report the number of Canadian children abducted from Canada since 2008.
Monty Ray Turner and Luke Turner |
The boy’s grandfather, Ronald Turner, 72, was pulled over in Missouri on Sunday on a warrant for second-degree kidnapping. He was driving a vehicle with a licence plate number listed on an Amber Alert that had been issued after Luke was taken.
A Looming Cloud
As prosecutors in the state of Colorado are working to take custody of Monty Ray Turner, 51, who was being held on numerous charges, including kidnapping, a looming cloud covers Canada, the United States, Mexico, and island-nations located in the Caribbean due to existing international travel document requirements for minors under 16 years old need to cross a border that were established under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). Specifically, a child traveling by land or by sea across adjacent borders who is under 16 years of age does not need to present a passport at the time of deparute. Instead, all that is required is a photocopy of the child's naturalization papers, such as a photo copy of a birth certificate.
As prosecutors in the state of Colorado are working to take custody of Monty Ray Turner, 51, who was being held on numerous charges, including kidnapping, a looming cloud covers Canada, the United States, Mexico, and island-nations located in the Caribbean due to existing international travel document requirements for minors under 16 years old need to cross a border that were established under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). Specifically, a child traveling by land or by sea across adjacent borders who is under 16 years of age does not need to present a passport at the time of deparute. Instead, all that is required is a photocopy of the child's naturalization papers, such as a photo copy of a birth certificate.
Peter Thomas Senese's Critically Acclaimed Novel On International Parental Child Abduction CHASING THE CYCLONE |
It should be of great concern that the ability to falsify travel documentation for children is appears to be relatively easy. The capability to easily present travel documentation without another parent's consent or to falsify travel documents for children in cases where a passport is not required appears relatively easy. The fact that simply a birth certificate or worse, a “copy” of a birth certificate and a letter of permission with no documentation to verify its validity, is sufficient to cross international borders is a serious security concern. And although it is is required that a parent or guardian traveling with the child without the other parent possess a letter of consent from the absent parent(s) we must strongly consider that there is no way to verify the validity of a parental consent letter.
Under the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, the WHTI was designed to strengthen border security and is a joint Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of State (DOS) plan that is carried out in part by the U.S. Customs Border Protection Agency (CBP). The intent of the initiative is to further protect and strengthen our nation’s borders by requiring all travelers to and from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda to present a WHTI compliant document that establishes identity and citizenship.
So where do we go from here?
Clearly, the summer seaon is upon us, and with the school summer break now here, this is a time of year when thousands of children living in North America will become crime victims of abduction.
As the Turner case unfolds, we must not only ask ourselves how did Mr. Turner exit the United States despite an Amber Watch, but how did he do this. Furthermore, as the Watkins case resoundly demonstrated, not only should there be a mandatory requirement for all individuals regardless of age and type of travel (land, sea, or air) to present a valid passport at the time of departure. Note how I said 'Valid Passport'?
Clearly, children like Luke Turner and every other child deserve to be safe from kidnapping.
So where do we go from here?
Clearly, the summer seaon is upon us, and with the school summer break now here, this is a time of year when thousands of children living in North America will become crime victims of abduction.
As the Turner case unfolds, we must not only ask ourselves how did Mr. Turner exit the United States despite an Amber Watch, but how did he do this. Furthermore, as the Watkins case resoundly demonstrated, not only should there be a mandatory requirement for all individuals regardless of age and type of travel (land, sea, or air) to present a valid passport at the time of departure. Note how I said 'Valid Passport'?
Clearly, children like Luke Turner and every other child deserve to be safe from kidnapping.
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
And International Parental Child Abduction
How Are Children Internationally Abducted By Their Parent
Which leads us to the question, "How Are Children Illegally Abducted Into And Out Of The
United States or Canada?"
Security flaws that can lead to our children becoming
victimized include, but are not limited to the following:
1. Failures by
courts and judges to properly assess abduction risk and attach court orders
that would preempt international child stealing; and,
2. Failure to
create or uphold present child abduction prevention laws or other laws created
to protect our children’s safety; and,
3. Identity and
travel documentation fraud; and,
4. A lack of
uniform requirements for travel documentation when departing or entering the
U.S.; and,
5. The ability
under present law to easily illegally transport children under age 16 across
borders during land and sea travel; and,
6. Human error
during verification of travel documents by CBP at a point-of-entry or
departure; and,
7. Failures by law
enforcement to act expeditiously to a potential abduction threat; and,
8. Inefficient
communication and data sharing between government agencies responsible to
assist in preventing or resolving an international child abduction case; and,
9. The deficiency
by our federal government to create and interlink a children's travel alert,
travel restriction data base consisting of real-time family court decisions at
the state level with all U.S. border control agencies and transport companies
similar to capabilities available through the Prevent Departure Program; and,
The I CARE Foundation |
For more information about international parental child abduction please visit The I CARE Foundation or Chasing The Cyclone.
For more information about international parental child abduction in Canada, please visit I CHAPEAU.
For more information about international parental child abduction in Canada, please visit I CHAPEAU.
jueves, 20 de junio de 2013
Detener Secuestro Internacional De Niños Este Verano
El Convenio Internacional del Niño consentimiento de viaje está diseñado para detener la sustracción internacional de menores por sus padres.
Los padres involucrados en disputas de custodia de menores o de divorcio que se permite un niño viaje con el otro padre este verano deben considerar seriamente la firma de Acuerdo de Consentimiento Niños Viajes Internacional de la Fundación CARE I.
La forma de viaje niño fue diseñado para ayudar a proteger a los niños contra el secuestro.
Esta puede ser la herramienta de prevención de la sustracción de menores más importante creada.
Por favor, visite el sitio web de la Fundación CUIDADO I para más información. Gracias.
www.stopchildabduction.org
Los padres involucrados en disputas de custodia de menores o de divorcio que se permite un niño viaje con el otro padre este verano deben considerar seriamente la firma de Acuerdo de Consentimiento Niños Viajes Internacional de la Fundación CARE I.
La forma de viaje niño fue diseñado para ayudar a proteger a los niños contra el secuestro.
Esta puede ser la herramienta de prevención de la sustracción de menores más importante creada.
Por favor, visite el sitio web de la Fundación CUIDADO I para más información. Gracias.
www.stopchildabduction.org
martes, 21 de mayo de 2013
Strained Marriages, Divorce, School Summer Vacations And International Parental Child Abduction Warning Signs
As the summer vacation draws near, thousands of children will be victims of international parental child abduction - Peter Thomas Senese
Hi, I’m Peter Thomas Senese, the Founding Director of the I CARE Foundation and as the summer school vacation period approaches, I would like to share with you the assortment of warning signs and risk factors associated international parental child abduction that targets thousands upon thousands of unsuspecting parents and defenseless children each year primarily who are a product of a multi-national relationship or marriage that is or has ended. In sharing some key warning signs today, it is my hope that children will be protected from kidnapping and overwhelming abuse.
Now if you’re like hundreds of thousands of parents around the world the term international parental child abduction may be one you are not familiar with. . . . . . until a child you know is kidnapped and illegally detained in a foreign country by the child’s other parent.
Before I go any further, let me say this: the vast majority of children abducted abroad never come home. Tragically, some can’t – they are gone forever.
According to United States Federal Law, the illegal removal of a child from the country without consent of a court or the child’s other parent is a criminal act of kidnapping. The conspiracy that leads up to the child snatching is generally filled with a host of illegal activities, including false allegations toward the targeted parent of abuse toward the child or other parent. This is something I will touch upon later. However, one thing more than anything else should be clear: parental child abduction is not just an act of kidnapping against an innocent child, but inherently, an abducted child becomes a prisoner of the kidnapper forced to follow and obey the predators instruction under the deplorable acts of parental alienation that the kidnapper deploys as they need to rationalize their behavior toward the child-victim.
Generally, the vast majority of abductions are well-planned and are orchestrated so that the other parent is off-guard when the abduction occurs. Blindsided by the act of international parental child abduction – that tragically is treated very differently than a stranger abduction by law enforcement despite the act being a federal crime of kidnapping - parents who attempt to reunite with their child often enter a dark and dangerous world that will change their world forever.
But what are we fighting for?
Lives.
We’re fighting for a child’s life.
Filicide – a term you may not know - is the act of child murder by a parent. In the United States, hundreds of children are murdered by their parents each year. This is not a phenomenon – parental child murder is a reality that knows no borders.
In cases of parental child abduction the kidnapper uses the child as a pawn to cause hurt and suffering toward the other parent. Denying that parent access to the child is a common theme and often the reason why abduction occurs.
The fear is – the reality is – that many abductors exhibiting sociopath behavior often believe that if they can’t have sole custody of a child – nobody will. Additionally, there appears to be a strong correlation of adult suicides connected to child abduction victims.
None of its easy to discuss yet we’re all only three degrees of separation from knowing someone who may be a target of abduction.
In the course of events leading up to the actual abduction or attempted abduction there are clear warning signs that may allow a parent to protect themselves and their children. And with the summer months upon us – the time of year when most child kidnappings take place – I hope that some insight I will share may be of use to you.
On behalf of my colleagues at the I CARE Foundation, one thing is certain: raising awareness and stewarding the message about the warning signs of international parental child abduction has played a role in reducing the number of reported outbound child kidnapping cases originating in the United States by 15% during the last two consecutive years after nearly 30 years of continued growth.
Make no mistake; the reality is that tens of thousands of children living in cities and on farms across our nation are targeted for kidnapping each year. It is carefully estimated that only 10% of these children will ever come home when we consider the ‘reported’ and ‘unreported’ cases of abduction.
Do you really want to play those odds?
Now before I get into a list of warning signs of international abduction you may ask yourself why is international parental child abduction affecting tens of thousands of families?
The answer is complex, but in general terms, we are seeing a substantial increase in multi-national relationships, which personally I think is great; however, with the notion of ‘global citizenship’ comes some challenges.
You see, as our world becomes a closer, more connected society, individuals from different nations develop relationships with one another, some leading to the birth of a child. Unfortunately, some of these relationships end, and when they do, the foreign-born national parent often desires to return to their home country – and when they do – they usually have a desire to take the child with them.
Except they have one problem: the other parent does not want their child to live abroad after being born and raised in their home country.
Knowing that the likelihood of a court granting them permission to live abroad with their child more than likely will not occur, the parent seeking to relocate to a foreign country often creates a clever, well thought-out plan to either abduct the child from the child’s country of original jurisdiction, or, they will create a deceitful scheme that will enable them to legally remove the child from the country they live in – such as plans to travel on a family vacation with intentions of permanent removal.
Once they are abroad, the scheming parent will often lay a host of criminal charges against the other parent, including domestic physical and mental abuse, threats of murder, and outlandish acts of child abuse and neglect – all for one purpose: to sever the other parent’s relationship with the child and to gain legal actions to the foreign courts they are now physically located in by having the targeted parent arrested and prevented from seeing either them or the child.
Now what most individuals do not realize is that once that child steps foot on foreign soil, that child’s temporary welfare becomes the responsibility of the rules of law and courts of the country they are located in.
Which means this: the police and courts must follow the procedures established under their law: the targeted parent more than likely will be arrested, issued restraining orders against them, and have their access to their child denied until an investigation is done. In the meanwhile, the scheming taking parent files a host of legal motions in the country that will further restrain the targeted parent.
Welcome to a scheming kidnappers idea of a vacation.
Sometimes - and I have seen this happen many times – but a kidnapper will say that the other parent actually consented to have the child relocate . . . so that they can litigate ‘what’s in the child’s best interest’ abroad – in their country of origin – and at a tremendous disadvantage to the child’s other parent.
I want to make this very clear: the scheme of a parental child abductor does not discriminate by gender. Men and women generally abduct equally and often cite abuse and mistreatment as the reason why they abducted. They make the claim that they are not abductors but liberators fleeing abuse. The majority of these claims are false. They are lies created to defend against Federal kidnapping charges. They are lies created in hope a court would sanction the abduction under Article 13 of the Hague Convention – a rule that allows an abductor the ability to relocate if they can prove it is not in the child’s best interest to return to their home country. These lies are intended to cruelly cause the targeted parent suffering, including arrest in hope to make any litigation they may bring to reunite with their child difficult or impossible.
So if you think that since you may have a U.S. custody order, and that THAT order will allow you to simply go and bring your child home, you should know this: that once your child is in a foreign country, the pragmatic reality of the custody order you are in possession of may mean very little, especially if the abductor has made a criminal complaint against you and/or filed a civil action for custody. Usually, they happen at the same time.
And so here’s your reality: should you attempt to remove your child and take them home with you, you may be violating laws in the country you and your child are located in and you may be arrested . . . . Your custody order is at least temporarily, useless. Welcome to the world of parental child abduction.
But like Dante’ descending into the Inferno, your nightmare as a targeted chasing parent has only just begun. For example, as an American citizen, do you know that even though the abduction was a criminal act toward you and your child, you are responsible for 100% of all costs associated with finding, monitoring, and litigating your case, including the costs to bring your child home unless you become dead-broke – which often occurs for many targeted parents because the cost to reunite with a child often costs parents hundreds of thousands of dollars. So if you don’t have a large amount of money available, chances are you’re not going to bring your child home. But that’s not it: you still have to deal with the false charges and claims, and litigate abroad. If you don’t think foreign courts have prejudice, you are sadly mistaken.
And if you think you’ll simply be able to get an arrest warrant issued and seek extradition proceedings against the kidnapping parent, you’re in line for some serious disappointment because numerous countries that the United States has extradition agreements with do not have agreements in place regarding parental abduction. In fact, in certain countries, this is not even a crime!
Do you get the sense of hopelessness? If you do – welcome to the world of many chasing parents.
Add to it that while your child is gone, he or she is taught by the abductor to think you are a bad mother or father out to hurt them and their taking parent. Yes, parental alienation and parental isolation are alive and well – and in its abuse, it destroys the innocence and very fabric of your child.
So as the summer approaches, this is the time of year when parents need to be aware of the warning signs of parental child abduction.
I have often heard from parents who tragically stuck their head in the sand and didn’t pay attention to the warning signs that ‘Their partner was not that clever’, to find out just how cunning and deceitful they really were only after their child or children were gone.
The key to stopping child abduction is to prevent it from happening.
The MOST IMPORTANT WARNING sign of abduction is to understand the present relationship you have with the child's other parent and ask yourself 'May that parent have the intent, desire, ability, and means to take your child to another country without your permission, or possible intent to keep your child in a foreign country should you grant permission for your child to travel abroad with you, the other parent, or both of you?
Abduction often occurs as a prelude to parents separating or beginning divorce proceedings, though there are a significant number of abductions that occur post-divorce commencement litigation. In many cases, the abduction is a planned scheme, which means that generally, the parent intending to abduct a child will try to create an atmosphere that is opposite of their intent: meaning that they will try lull the other parent to thinking that they are committed to the relationship, when in fact they are not. This is a critical issue because it is easier to abduct a child when the targeted parent is not seeking to prevent abduction. So having the targeted parent think that there is a loving, committed relationship is critical for the abductor.
So - if you have been in a difficult, strained relationship with a person who has deep ties to a foreign country, and suddenly that person is demonstrating a new-found love or new-found commitment . . . and they eventually pose the idea of traveling abroad with the child so the child could visit that person's family, THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS WARNING SIGN that abduction may be planned.
Remember, even if you are invited to travel with the other parent and child, this does not mean you or your child are safe. I know many parents who traveled abroad with the other parent and child who were in possession of custody orders - only to have false claims of abuse, neglect, or acts of violence made against them within days of touching down in the foreign country. Once that happens, the legal nightmare begins - despite possessing joint custody, there is very little that the targeted parent can do to remove the child from the inbound country because the abducting parent usually has filed legal documents seeking court relief to remain abroad - typically in their country of origin.
So here we are - the school summer vacation season is upon us. Parents need to ask themselves this question: Has my relationship with my child's other parent been strained, and all of a sudden there is a new-found love or commitment by that parent - and is there a trip abroad being suggested or planned? Because if so - you should be very concerned.
As touched upon earlier, if you believe the other parent may remove or retain the child abroad in order to gain an advantage in expected or pending child-custody proceedings by seeking the jurisdiction of the courts located in their country of origin, you should be very concerned.
For example, if a child is taken to a nation in the Middle East, there is a high probability that that nation will allow the abductor to keep the child abroad since the legal environment or cultural traditions may provide the abductor the safe harbor they seek.
In fact, there are many nations who simply do not return internationally kidnapped children, and this includes the majority of countries found in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, who outrageously, are not signatory members of international treaties on abduction. And before I let you think that having a child abducted to European or South American countries is any better you better think again. For example, I have a good friend who is a highly decorated police officer in New York who had his daughter abducted to Germany. For nearly 4 years this loving, honest, compassionate father has fought to reunite with his child. Yet she remains in Germany and he is as close as bringing her home today as he was when the kidnapping first occurred.
Unfortunately, there are countries, particularly in the Middle East, that have cultural environments that make it very difficult for a woman to recover their child. Cultural norms in Asia make it equally difficult for a man to recover their child. But child recovery and reunification is rare. In fact, there are many cases when the international courts order for a child to be returned to their country of original jurisdiction, and the kidnapping parent does not follow the court orders and does so without fear of retribution or arrest . . . . its a common theme.
Now back to the WARNING SIGNS - If the other parent threatens you that they will take your child abroad and you will never see them, don't take this threat as a non-event. Many abductors who have successfully kept a child abroad did in fact make at least one threat that they were returning to their own country of origin.
Another WARNING SIGN is if the other parent presses you to sign a passport application for your child to obtain a passport from their country of their origin. Remember - your child has a right to dual citizenship if their other parent is a foreign born national.
BEWARE that many nations do not require a second parent's signature in order to obtain travel documents for a dual national child. . . for example France - so you very well may not know if the other parent has a secondary passport issued from another country. THIS IS SO IMPORTANT because even though the U.S. courts may obtain or even cancel your child's American passports, they have no control on passports issued by another country. The fact is that even though a U.S. court order may restrict international travel for the child - passports issued by a foreign country are accepted without question at points of departure from the U.S. "
So if abduction is going to occur - there is a high probability that foreign issued passports will be used to leave the United States.
NEEDLESS TO SAY, if you discover a foreign passport for your child issued from another country that you were not aware of, you have a serious problem on your hand.
Often the scheming parent will use a sudden illness of a family member abroad as a scheme to play on the targeted parent's heart, often seeking to have their child, 'See their grandmother or grandfather before they pass away.' I can't even begin to tell you how many scenarios like that I am aware of - when the targeted parent who let their child travel with the other parent - soon finds out that there was no family emergency, but instead - an abduction scheme.
A CRITICAL WARNING SIGN is if you soon realize that the other parent is sending large sums of money or other personal belongings abroad - or if they are removing all financial ties to the country they presently live in . . . such as selling their home, quitting their job, selling their car. You get the idea.
There is one other VERY IMPORTANT WARNING SIGN that I would like to touch upon here: if there is a false police complaint and incident report filed by your child's other parent against you, there is a likelihood that they are establishing a case against you based upon domestic violence and abuse which will be very beneficial to them in court should they abduct your child.
Disgracefully, both men and women abductors are known to make false claims of abuse toward the other parent when planning to abduct . . . if you think it can’t happen to you – you better think again.
With false police complaints in mind, there is something every parent should be aware of: generally, a parent seeking to abduct a child will often make a false police report against the other parent on Thursday afternoons thru Friday afternoon in hope to have their targeted parent arrested and detained by law enforcement over the weekend so that while the child's other parent is in jail, they have an unimpeded path to depart the country.
When the abductor arrives in the inbound country where they had schemed to abduct the child to - they have established a paper trail of domestic abuse or violence reports that may provide the court in the foreign country with all the evidence they need to allow the abductor the right to keep the child there, thus becoming a 'liberator' as opposed to an 'abductor' because they created the false appearance that they had to run to protect their lives.
Remember, children under 16 years of age living in the United States, Canada, or Mexico are not required to present a valid passport when traveling within North America so long as they travel by land or sea under policies established by the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative . . . . which means that a closed circuit cruise ship that starts and ends in the same port, but that may travel to foreign ports, is in fact a vehicle for abductors to use.
Hopefully the I CARE Foundation's efforts will cause our government to modify this policy and mandate that children traveling abroad, regardless of age must present a valid passport.
The Truth is that there are a substantial amount of warning signs of abduction, and parents need to pay attention to them TODAY.
Should you believe that your child is at risk of abduction, please contact a qualified attorney who has true experience litigating international child abduction prevention cases.
If child abduction is in process, please contact law enforcement immediately as well as a qualified attorney familiar with abduction. You should also immediately contact the United States Department of State's OFFICE OF CHILDREN'S ISSUES.
As the summer approaches, the reality is that thousands of children will be targeted for abduction. It is anticipated that several thousand children will be kidnapped abroad when combining reported and unreported cases of abduction.
Of these children taken, only a small number will ever return home . . . ever see their targeted parent again . . . ever return to the community they were raised in . . . ever see their family now left behind.
In the process, their identity will be stolen . . . who they are will be denied . . . they will learn to know hatred because that is what an abductor will preach to them in order to have that child hate their left behind parent . . . and they will live a life as a fugitive.
Most of all they will become prisoners illegally detained by a vengeful abductor who is using that child to cause harm and destruction to the other parent.
Tragically, these children will lose their innocence. As I said earlier, many will never come home . . . some simply will never have the opportunity to . . . . they can't.
For more information I urge you to visit the I CARE Foundation's website. You may also visit the official website for Chasing The Cyclone, which is the website of my deeply inspired novel about international child abduction that contains an extensive amount of resources. And of course, you should visit the United States Department Of States Official Website, particularly if abduction is in progress.
Protect yourself and your child. Educate yourself.
sábado, 11 de mayo de 2013
2011 and 2012 U.S. International Parental Child Abduction Rate Drops By 15 Percent
The United States government has stated that the number of reported cases of international parental child abduction has dropped by over 15% during fiscal year 2012, marking the second year in a row that the number of reported cases of outbound child abductions have declined by over 15%. This current trend contradicts the previous 30 years, where outbound abductions continued to signifcantly increase.
Report on
International Parental Child Abduction Growth
International Parental Child Abduction Today - 2013
Written By
Carolyn Ann Vlk and Peter Thomas Senese
Issued On February 25th, 2013
INTRODUCTION
United States child-citizens
continue to be criminally kidnapped, illegally removed overseas, and wrongfully
detained in foreign countries in shocking numbers by their non-custodial parent.
The global plague of international parental child abduction significantly continues
in America in a similar capacity as it does in the majority of nations abroad.
For the first time since the United States signed The Hague Convention in 1981,
the U.S. Department of State has reported in two consecutive years that the
number of reported outbound cases of American child-citizen abductions has declined.
Specifically, during
2012 there were 799 reported international parental child abduction cases filed
with the United States Central Authority representing a total of 1,144
children. Previously, in 2011 there were
a total of 941 reported international parental child abduction cases filed with
the United States Central Authority, representing a total of 1,367 children.
Thus, the reduction by
142 filed cases represents a decline of 15% of reported abduction cases from
2012 from 2011. During the same
reporting period, there were 223 fewer children internationally kidnapped in
2012 from 2011, representing a 16.3% decrease of total children abducted.
Comparatively, there
were 1022 reported international parental child abduction cases in 2010
representing 1,492 children. Thus, there
has been a reduction of 223 reported abduction cases from 2010 to 2012,
representing a total decline of 348 children between the two years. This
represents a two year decline from 2010 to 2012 in reported cases by 21.8%, and
a 23.3% reduction over the same two year period in the number of children
kidnapped.
The decline in the
reported number of international parental child abductions of American citizens
represents a significant development and bespeaks of the tremendous educational
outreach effort by the United States Department of State’s Office of Children’sIssues as well as non-government organizations such as but not limited to the I CARE Foundation
and the National Center For Missing And Exploited Children to raise awareness
of parental abduction amongst lawyers, judges, law enforcement, and targeted parents
to that children may be protected. However,
it is important to note that despite a groundbreaking shift in child abduction
statistical growth trends previously realized, we strongly affirm that criminal
international parental child abduction continues to be a destructive epidemic
in the United States and abroad that must be met with new abduction prevention laws
and government policies, while significant efforts to educate courts, law
enforcement, social workers, and at-risk parents of the many issues of child
kidnapping diligently continue.
It is important to
note that while the number of ‘reported cases’ of international parental child
abduction have declined, the number of ‘unreported cases’ of abduction remains
a significant concern for both government agencies and non-government
organizations dedicated to preventing abduction. Previously, the I CARE Foundation issued a
report that the number of yearly unreported cases of abduction is believed to
equal between 100% and 125% of all reported abduction cases. We have no reason to change this
forecast. Thus, though there are no
measurable statistics on unreported abduction cases, it would be reasonable,
though not conclusive, to anticipate that the number of unreported cases of international
child abduction have also declined.
While there is much to
be pleased about regarding the significant decline in the reported
international parental child abduction rate and forecasted decline in
unreported cases of abduction, a great concern critically worth noting is that
the number of children actually legally returned home after they are kidnapped
remains to be estimated at only 10% when considering the total number of
reported and unreported cases.
The reality is that
children who are internationally abducted do not come home. Sadly, many are lost forever.
One of the major facets
of abduction prevention is education, and raising awareness of abduction
threats to at-risk parents clearly has demonstrated a clear and measurable impact
on the number of reported abduction cases.
Clearly and
unquestionably, educational outreach programs directed toward raising international
parental child abduction awareness are working!
Still, there is a long way to go.
The I CARE Foundation
and the organization’s leadership have been actively involved in increasing
awareness of child abduction while assisting a large number of parents protect
their at-risk children.
One of the I CARE
Foundation’s most dynamic and significant educational outreach programs that have
had measurable results is the ‘Parent Blogger Educational Outreach Program’. Under the program, highly influential
parenting bloggers with a large global readership of followers have written a
series of informative educational articles concerning the pandemic of
international parental child abduction, including warning signs, risk factors,
and actionable steps an at-risk parent may take to prevent abduction. This grassroots effort led primarily by
mothers who write and blog to raise awareness has been a tremendous success and
has resulted in a significant number of successful child abduction prevention cases
to occur. Collectively, the extraordinary participants
of the ‘Parent Blogger Educational Outreach Program’ have reached millions of
parents, some who may have been directly at risk, or who may have known another
parent and child at risk of abduction. In
addition, the reach of these incredible parents willing to help protect
children at risk of abduction has had a global impact on the prevention of
child abduction as blogger participants were located on every continent and the
millions of their readers blanketed the globe.
Clearly, the effort of these parent writers has made a significant
difference in protecting lives, both in the United States, Canada, and
elsewhere!
With the recent
success of efforts put forth by child advocates everywhere to stop abduction,
we are reminded that child abduction is a cruel and dangerous act against a
child.
With grave concern we
acknowledge that hundreds of young children each year are murdered by theirparents in the United States, and that there is a clear statistical correlation
of filicide in nations abroad and abduction similar to reported United States
and Canadian government statistics of parental child murder.
As this report cites
in detail, international parental child abduction is a severe criminal act of
kidnapping committed by a parent against a child and the targeted left behind
parent. International parental child abductors commit grave crimes against
their child, including the act of abduction as well as the acts of child abuse
and neglect.
According to numerous
studies and reports including those issued by the United States Department of
Justice and Canada's Royal Canadian Mounted Police, an abductor exhibits
significant sociopathic tendencies, and generally does not act in the best
interest of a child, but conversely, the act of abduction and the acts after
the child-snatching cause both serious short-term and long-term damage that
may, on many occasions, be irreversible. Sadly, acts of identity stripping,
parental isolation, and removal of the bond between the abducted child and
targeted parent speak nothing of the fact that filicide: the act of parental
child murder is real. So too, tragically, is the reality that children who have
been abducted and who have had their identity stripped during an abduction
exhibit an alarming number of characteristics that are exhibited in individuals
who commit suicide.
For the majority of
child advocates who work tirelessly to protect children, especially advocates
who are not in the business of profiting due to the tragedy of a child being
kidnapped, what we fight for are lives - children's lives.
In our capacity as
directors of the not-for-profit I CARE Foundation, which has
successfully assisted reunited numerous internationally kidnapped children with
their targeted left-behind parents taken from around the world, while also preventing
an exponentially larger number of children from international parental child
abduction, we and our colleagues have worked tirelessly at conducting extensive
research in the area of child abduction.
The I CARE Foundation’s
volunteer activity has included playing key roles in legally reuniting many
abducted children, writing and working diligently in the passing of abduction
prevention laws and leading in lobbying efforts to have existing policies
modified so that the capacity to protect children from kidnapping would be
increased, in our creation of a national attorney network of educated lawyers
willing and ready to assist at-risk children and their families, in our capacity as researchers and educators
to study the global issues of international parental child abduction and publish
our findings in a way that may drive policy, and in our efforts to create a
grassroots educational awareness movement by working with leading parent
bloggers and writers with large followers, who have shared with their audiences
the grave issues of abduction.
Though great strides have been made over the past two years, and we hope
that the child abduction trend will continue to decline, we do have reason for
concern. Our apprehension is due in part
due to the reality that though abduction rates have declined in the last known
reporting fiscal year of 2012, there remains a glaring failure by the courts
and law enforcement to punish international parental child abductors even
though the act itself is a federal criminal act that is a known form of child
abuse. Without concern to be held
accountable for their actions, parents who contemplate or carry out abduction will
do so with a sense of immunity. Without
holding kidnappers accountable, children at-risk of abduction remain vulnerable.
In addition, it is critical to recognize that chasing parents who attempt
to legally reunite with their kidnapped child face incredible difficulties in
doing so. The challenges faces are discussed in this report in detail; however,
they include but are not limited to failures by nations to uphold international
treaties such as the Hague Convention on
the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, the outright failure of
nations to enter into any international treaty, receiving-country prejudice at
the trial court level on legal action taken by a left-behind parent, grave
financial challenges faced by a targeted chasing parent, and direct physical
dangers faced by a targeted parent if they should attempt to reunite with their
abducted child.
Clearly, child abduction prevention advocates
are making an impact through an assortment of outreach programs that are
raising awareness at the at-risk parent level, the trial lawyer level, and
within the courts, as demonstrated by the second consecutive year of abduction
rate declines. However, for parents
presently attempting to reunite with their kidnapped children, the challenges
they face are grave as explained herein.
REPORTED CASES OF
INTERNATIONAL PARENTAL CHILD ABDUCTION
Indisputable, are the
actual number of ‘reported’ abduction cases. Estimating the incalculable total
number of ‘unreported’ cases is difficult to assess. Despite this inability to
concisely determine the total number of cases each year, it appears America and
our nation’s children-citizens are plagued by a dangerous criminal epidemic
known as ‘International Parental Child Abduction’ that is silently sweeping
through our nation. At risk are tens if not hundreds of thousands of our
defenseless children who are targeted for abduction each year.
In April of 2009, the
annual Report on Compliance with the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects
of International Child Abduction was released. In that publication, Janice
L. Jacobs, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs writes,
"Unfortunately, current trends reflect a steady increase in the number of
international parental child abduction cases and highlight the urgency of
redoubling efforts to promote compliance with Convention obligations and encourage
additional nations to join the Convention." She also writes, "Very
few options exist for parents and children who are victims of parental child
abduction." In the 2010 annual report Ms. Jacobs continues to voice
concerns over the increasing numbers of our child-citizens who have been
wrongfully removed or wrongfully detained.
Similar sentiment has
been shared in reports issued by the U.S. Department of State since this time. There is no question that the challenges that
parents and children of abduction face are significant.
However, during 2012
there were 799 reported international parental child abduction cases filed with
the United States Central Authority representing a total of 1,144
children. Previously, in 2011 there were
a total of 941 reported international parental child abduction cases filed with
the United States Central Authority, representing a total of 1,367
children. Thus, the reduction by 142
filed cases represents a decline of 15% of reported abduction cases from 2012
from 2011. During the same reporting
period, there were 223 fewer children internationally kidnapped in 2012 from
2011, representing a 16.3% decrease of total children abducted. Comparatively, there were 1022 reported
international parental child abduction cases in 2010 representing 1,492
children. Thus, there has been a
reduction of 223 reported abduction cases from 2010 to 2012, representing a
total decline of 348 children between the two years. This represents a two year
decline from 2010 to 2012 in reported cases by 21.8%, and a 23.3% reduction
over the same two year period in the number of children kidnapped.
UNREPORTED CASES OF INTERNATIONAL
PARENTAL CHILD ABDUCTION
Peter Thomas Senese
commented, “The anticipated number of international abductions used as a
benchmark and often referred to is inconclusive because the published data does
not take into consideration ‘unreported’ cases of international child
abduction, population growth, increases in multi-cultural marriages,
immigration migration increases to the United States, and economic difficulties
many families are facing, which inevitably leads to a break-up of the family unit.
More concerning is how the widely distributed and cited surveys used what I
believe to be an inadequate number of telephone interviews and appear not to
include any law enforcement records. In my view, we as a nation have a serious
problem on our hands.”
Carolyn Ann Vlk
stated, "Admittedly, something is seriously amiss in our ability to
accurately estimate the number of children victimized by the crime of child
abduction. In my opinion, utilizing only a random telephone survey, to
determine the number of affected children is a process flawed by numerous,
serious methodological problems. Additionally, the cooperation and compliance
rate in obtaining the return of our citizen children who have been criminally
internationally abducted must be drastically improved. The recovery of so few
of these children during an entire fiscal year is not and should not be
acceptable".
Unfortunately, many
internationally abducted children are never returned because their abductions
are not reported to authorities. The likelihood is that the vast majority of
these types of cases never end with a child’s return. It would be reasonable to
conclude that if a targeted parent did not report their child’s abduction, then
in all likelihood, that U.S. child-citizen will not be returned to the United
States. Due to the number of ‘unreported’ international abduction cases, it is
difficult to determine a reasonable return-rate percentage. We recognize the
difficulty in attempting to accurately estimate the ‘unreported’ case numbers and
believe that it is probable that the number of returns of ‘unreported’ cases is
extremely low and essentially immeasurable.
Reasons for
‘unreported’ cases include the financial inability of a Chasing Parent to take
legal action since they are responsible to pay for all costs associated with
their child’s recovery – even though a child’s international abduction violates
state and federal laws such as the International Parental Kidnapping Crimes
Act (IPKCA). Furthermore, many parents experience a sense of hopelessness
that any recovery efforts will be futile since there are great difficulties
associated with bringing a child home, including the possibility of first
trying to determine where your child is. Also, the fact is that many nations
are not a party of or do not uphold the Hague Convention. Furthermore, there
exist substantial prejudices in foreign courts.
The NISMART I study
reported that there were a total of 354,000 parental child abductions annually.
The NISMART II study stated the total number of parental child
abductions decreased to approximately 203,900 children. The truth of the matter
is that we really do not know how accurate any of the data is or how large of a
problem we actually have on our hands. What we do know is that hundreds of
thousands of children are targeted for parental abduction each year, and out of
this group, tens of thousands of these instances include planned international
parental abductions.
PARENTAL CHILD
ABDUCTION IS A SEVERE FORM OF CHILD ABUSE
According to leading
experts who specialize in international parental child abduction, conclusive
and unilateral opinion and fact demonstrates that parental child abduction of a
targeted child is a cruel, criminal, and severe form of abuse and mistreatment
regardless if the child is with one of their (abducting) parents. This includes
the illegal act of international abduction, whereas, the child is unexpectedly
uprooted from their home, their community, their immediate and extended family,
and their country. Sadly, severe short and long-term psychological problems are
prevalent for many abduction victims who survive their kidnapping experience. It
is commonplace for a child to be emotionally sabotaged, whereas, the abducting
parent will try to remove all bonds and attachments the child has with the
other parent, thus, removing the child’s right to know the love of the other
parent, and keep in tact their own identity. Too many children simply never
come home and in certain cases a child’s abduction overseas has led to the
death of the abducted child.
A leader in the field
of parental child abduction issues, Dr. Dorothy Huntington wrote an article
titled Parental Kidnapping: A New Form of Child Abuse. Huntington
contends that from the point of view of the child, "child stealing is
child abuse." According to Huntington, "in child stealing the
children are used as both objects and weapons in the struggle between the
parents which leads to the brutalization of the children psychologically,
specifically destroying their sense of trust in the world around them."
“Because of the
harmful effects on children, parental kidnapping has been characterized as a
form of “child abuse" reports Patricia Hoff, Legal Director for the
Parental Abduction Training and Dissemination Project, American Bar Association
on Children and the Law. Hoff explains, "Abducted children suffer
emotionally and sometimes physically at the hands of abductor-parents. Many
children are told the other parent is dead or no longer loves them. Uprooted
from family and friends, abducted children often are given new names by their
abductor-parents and instructed not to reveal their real names or where they
lived before." (Hoff, 1997)
Consider that today in
Japan, there are approximately 230 American children-citizens who were
illegally abducted from United States soil to Japan by one of their parents in
violation of U.S. court orders. To date, and for what is believed to be nearly
fifty years, Japan – America’s strong ally – has never returned 1 American
child who was parentally kidnapped and illegally detained in accordance to
United States law. And tragically, the vast majority of the chasing parents
left-behind in the wake of their child’s abduction are not permitted to have
contact with their child.
EXTREME DIFFICULITES
IN RECOVERING AN ABDUCTED CHILD
There are abundant
reasons why it is very difficult to have an illegally stolen child returned
despite the United States being a signatory of The Hague Convention on the
Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. They include, but are not
limited to the following:
1. Lack of action in
reporting a child’s abduction by a targeted parent left behind; and,
2. Many nations do not
comply with or uphold the spirit of the convention (ex, Brazil, Mexico,
Germany); and,
3. Many countries have
not signed the convention (ex. Japan, China, Russia, and many countries located
in the Middle East); and,
4. Chasing Parents may
not have an idea what country their child was taken to; and,
5. Chasing Parents are
responsible to carry the enormous financial burden associated with their
child’s recovery. Many simply do not have the substantial resources needed;
and,
6. Many Chasing
Parents do not have the knowledge necessary to navigate the difficult and
complex legal system of international law, nor do they often know who to turn
to and what to do; and,
7. Nationalistic
prejudices of court systems located in the ‘inbound’ country, whereas, a court
may try to protect the abducting parent if that parent is a citizen of the
country where they abducted the child to; and,
8. Cultural
differences; and,
9. A Chasing Parent’s
fear to attempt to recover their child due to threats from the abducting parent
or individuals associated with the abducting parent; and,
10. Lack of
cooperation from law enforcement; and,
11. Limited power of
the Office of Children’s Issues to intervene on behalf of a U.S.
citizen.
REASONS WHY ONE PARENT
CRIMINALLY ABDUCTS A CHILD
Studies have
demonstrated that an unprecedented number of abductions have occurred where one
parent took unilateral action to deprive the other parent of contact with their
child. The majority of abducting parents will typically use the child as a tool
to cause the targeted parent great pain and suffering. Their intent is simple:
to make the other parent suffer as much as possible by depriving that targeted
parent with the love and connection to their own child. Nearly every published
study on this subject has concluded that an abducting parent has significant,
and typically, long-term psychological problems and may in fact be a danger to
their child.
We take the time to
acknowledge that in certain cases of parental child abduction, a parent claims
to have no other choice but to flee the other parent due to serious, grave, and
ongoing forms of abuse. We acknowledge that in many abduction defenses found under
Article 13 of The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of
International Child Abduction, an abducting parent will often claim mental,
emotional, and physical abuse by the other parent as part of their defense to
sanction their criminal behavior of abduction. However, we must also
acknowledge that domestic violence is a very real, measurable, and in many
cases, an ongoing crime that has limited law enforcement safety controls. We
acknowledge that there are parents who must flee for their and their child’s
safety due to failures by law enforcement and courts to protect their safety,
combined with a habitual abuser who aims to cause grave hurt to the targeted
parent.
In addition, and
understandably, family abductions occur at a higher rate during times of
heightened stress such as separation or divorce and often involve custody
issues and visitation problems. The sad fact is that a large number of
marriages, estimated to be between 40% and 50%, in the U.S. end in divorce.
One of the many
considerations that factor into the increase in total abductions indicates that
economic difficulties in the United States and elsewhere are a measurable
factor in the number of increases in separations and divorces. This added
stress can lead to a parental cross-border abduction, particularly since we
live in a global society, and the number of international relationships has
increased dramatically.
While all children can
be potential targets of a family abduction, the likelihood increases when that
child has a parent with ties to a foreign country. According to the Juvenile
and Family Court Journal Vol. 48, No. 2 titled Jurisdiction In Child
Custody and Abduction Cases, “Parents who are citizens of another country
(or who have dual citizenship with the U.S.) and also have strong ties to their
extended family in their country of origin have long been recognized as
abduction risks.” This increase in cultural diversity within the U.S.
population has created challenges for our existing laws. Many U.S. born
children-citizens fall victim to parental abduction when a parents’ union ends.
Across the U.S.,
states are struggling to address their archaic and outdated laws, and establish
additional precautions to better protect their child-citizen population.
Unquestionably, it is critical that child abduction prevention laws are passed
in each state and upheld by the judiciary and law enforcement. Failure to do so
will likely lead to the looming disaster that is already upon us.
Peter Thomas Senese
stated, “As a nation, the United States must fight back this sweeping plague by
passing child abduction prevention laws and by increasing our judiciary’s level
of competency in overseeing and enforcing laws associated with these complex
cases of potential or actual international parental child abductions. Critical
to judges and lawmakers’ ability to protect our children is the need for
immediate research on this subject. The present available information is
archaic, and more than likely inaccurate particularly due to the inability to
measure 'unreported' cases. The community of child abduction prevention
advocates has pointed this out for some time now. What we also need is for the
creation and enforcement of well thought out and researched laws along with the
upholding of the intent, spirit, and law of the international treaties such as
The Hague Convention so we can protect our children and put an end to the
spread of this malignant pandemic that has reached our shores.
Florida state
representative Darryl Rouson is the lawmaker who championed and sponsored
Florida’s landmark Child Abduction Prevention Act (HB 787). The bill was
unanimously approved in the Senate and House of Representatives and signed into
law by Governor Charlie Crist. Florida's new preventative legislation will take
effect on January 1, 2011. Representative Rouson commented, “It is critical for
each state to implement laws that will protect the rights of our
children-citizens who may face parental child abduction. The misconception that
when one parent steals a child from the other parent, that the child is safe,
is undeniably inaccurate. It is through prevention laws such as Florida’s Child
Abduction Prevention Act that we will be able to prevent this serious crime
against our nation’s children from occurring.”
Carolyn Ann Vlk, the
child abduction prevention advocate, commented, "Early on in my research
on this critical issue I recognized the urgent need for preventative
legislation. Thankfully, Florida's legislative body wholeheartedly agreed as
evidenced by the unanimous votes. I am thrilled for the added measure of safety
this new law will have in protecting the children of my great state. However, I
will not be satisfied until all states have child abduction prevention
legislation enacted."
IMMIGRATION MIGRATION
AND ITS AFFECT ON CHILD ABDUCTION CASES
A report compiled by
the renowned Washington based Pew Hispanic Center reports that most
immigrant groups are comprised of young families. The likelihood that a child
will be born while the parents are present in the U.S. is high. Prior to 2007,
data collected on parents of children under 18 only identified one parent, and a
second parent could only be identified if they were married to the first
parent. Currently, a second parent identifier is considered whether or not the
parents are married to each other. The new data more accurately reflects the
number of children living in the U.S. with at least one foreign born parent.
In 2008 that meant
that 22% of all children in the United States had at least one foreign-born
parent. In fact, consider the following statistics compiled by the Center
for Immigration Studies in its March 2007 analysis. Immigrants and their
U.S. born children under age 18, as a share of population: California - 37.9%,
Los Angles County - 50%, New York State - 27.9%, New York City - 46.7% and
Florida - 27.9%.
It must be noted that
although 31.3% of all immigrants originate from Mexico, other countries have
significant entry numbers as well. Included in the March 2007 Current
Population Survey (CPS) were statistics indicating that 17.6% of all
immigrants were from East/Southeast Asia, 12.5% from Europe, 5.5% from South
Asia, 3.5% from the Middle East, and Canada at 1.9%.
Traditionally, states
such as California, New York, Florida, Texas, Illinois and Arizona have had
large numbers of immigrants in their population. What is surprising is the trends
in migration toward new centers of immigrant growth. The CPS prepared an
analysis of states with statistically significant growth in immigrant
population between 2000 and 2007. Most notably, Wyoming, which experienced a
percentage increase of 180%, Tennessee at 160%, Georgia at 152.1%, and Alabama
at 143.6%. The impact of unprecedented increases in immigrant migration is
likely to create multiple challenges as states struggle to keep pace with their
newest segment of population and their children.
“As a nation of
immigrants, it is important to note that as our nation’s population increases
due to immigrant migration, so too does the likelihood of increased
cross-border child abduction,” Peter Thomas Senese added.
Additionally, it has
been well established that illegal aliens do not respond to surveys such as the
US Census or the CPS. Because the U.S. government does not have
accurate records of arrival and departures for individuals present illegally in
the country, their numbers must be estimated, as there is no hard data to draw
from. However, indirect means for establishing these figures are used, and they
must be viewed with a considerable amount of uncertainty. In 2007 CPS,
it was estimated that of the approximately 37.9 million immigrants present in
the U.S., nearly 1 in 3 immigrants were present illegally.
It is important to
note this segment of our population when discussing child abduction because
when a child is born in the U.S. that child automatically is a U.S. citizen.
While the available data gives us fairly accurate figures regarding the number
of children born in the U.S. as well as those immigrants who are present
legally, a number is impossible to compile accurately in relation to the
unauthorized resident population.
In regards to children
born to illegal immigrants, in the five-year period from 2003 to 2008, that
number rose from 2.7 million to 4 million. The report published by the Pew
Hispanic Centers reported that nationally the children of illegal
immigrants now comprise 1 in 15 elementary and secondary students in the U.S.
Additionally, in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and Texas more than 1 in
every 10 students in those states are the children of illegal immigrants.
Carolyn Ann Vlk, the
writer of Florida’s Child Abduction Prevention Act stated, “The ability
of state governments to prevent the abduction of children by family members
could be drastically improved by comprehensive legislation. While aiming to
protect all children, special consideration must be given to those children who
may be at increased risk simply by virtue of their parentage. According to the U.S.
Bureau of the Census, the resident population of the U.S. projected up to
April 22, 2010 estimated that one international migrant enters the U.S. every
36 seconds. International travel has become commonplace and as more
cross-cultural relationships develop children are born. A number of these
relationships will end and may result in an increased risk of international
abduction of the child. Attempting to retrieve a child who has been abducted
and possibly hidden internationally is a near impossibility as a multitude of
problems surface in cases such as these. Unfortunately, studies have proved 4
of 5 Americans drastically underestimate the threat of a family abduction.
Statistically, it is a sobering thought when you become aware of the vast
numbers of children that are criminally abducted each year. Preventative laws
are a necessity as an immediate remedy to this unconscionable crime.”
DEPARTMENT OF STATE’S OFFICE OF CHILDRENS ISSUES
The Office of
Children's Issues has worked diligently to educate at-risk parents of
abduction via an assortment of outreach programs. The leadership at OCI has placed a particular
emphasis on abduction prevention, which in turn has demonstrated remarkable and
measurable results including two consecutive years of significant abduction
rate declines.
The Department of
State was established to assist parents whose children have been unlawfully
removed from the country. The OCI assists the remaining parent and
strives to protect those children who have been victimized in these types of
cases. Considering thousands of child custody cases are fought across national
borders each year, the assistance of the OCI can be invaluable.
Litigating custody,
especially across international borders where conflicting orders may exist can
be difficult if not impossible. The OCI aims to assist in these cases by
enhancing an understanding of the many complex laws, both domestic and
international that may be applicable to a particular case.
However, OCI
has significant limitations, including the fact that they cannot represent your
abducted child in a foreign court. OCI does provide a list of lawyers in
foreign countries who at times have worked pro bono on abduction cases.
However, there are no obligations by any of these lawyers to take a case, and
it is up to each Chasing Parent to work out all arrangements. The reality is
that ‘pro bono’ sounds like a nice idea, but it is an unrealistic
expectation.
Immediate suggestions
that could allow the dedicated staff at OCI to be more helpful include the
following:
1. Creating and
distributing useful, concise information for chasing parents, law enforcement,
and court personnel regarding all areas of IPCA. The use of digital media
combined and supported by printed content is critical.
2. The development of
an independent website outside of the Department of State’s website. This
website must be easy to navigate, include audio and digital feeds, and must be
accessible to individuals in various languages.
3. OCI must actively
support advocates and lawmakers who are seeking to pass child abduction
prevention laws. Support by OCI in this area can increase the visibility of the
issues of child abduction while also increasing lawmaker and judiciary
awareness.
4. Dissemination of
information on the Children's Passport Issuance Alert Program.
5. Dissemination of
information on the ‘Prevent Departure Program’, and dedicated resources
established to assist lawyers and Chasing Parents seeking assistance under this
program.
6. Increases in
outreach toward documented and un-documented aliens about OCI, and the rights
of their U.S. child-citizen.
7. Increase in
personnel to support the tremendous workload of the OCI staff.
About the Authors:
Peter Thomas Senese is the
Founding Director of the I CARE
Foundation, a highly respected child abduction prevention advocate and a
successful chasing parent in accordance to the rules of international parental
child abduction law established under the Hague Convention. Under Peter’s leadership, the I CARE
Foundation has assisted reunite many children who have been internationally
kidnapped with their left-behind parents while also working tirelessly to
prevent the abduction of an exponentially larger number of children. Peter
advocated for the passage of the State of Florida’s ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ (CAPA), heavily contributed to
raising public awareness of the previously widely underutilized federal child
abduction prevention program; specifically, the ‘Prevent Departure Program’ (PDP) that is now more commonly
implemented in aiding targeted parents and their child from abduction in
certain case scenarios, worked diligently to have ‘Senate Resolution 543 – the International Parental Child Abduction Resolution’
unanimously passed calling for a complete revamping of how the United States government
handles abduction. In addition, Peter has spoken as an expert witness before
numerous government bodies, including hosting a forum on international parental
child abduction at the United Nations at the request of the U.S. Department of
State in his capacity as the Founding Director of the I CARE Foundation. Peter is the creator/writer/producer of the
educational documentary film series ‘Chasing
Parents: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction’,
a best-selling author whose upcoming world-wide book release focusing on
international parental child abduction and titled ‘Chasing The Cyclone’ has been critically acclaimed as a
call-to-arms against child abduction. Peter is the writer of an extensive
number of influential articles and essays pertaining to IPCA. He has created
and oversees a comprehensive website dedicated to child abduction prevention
and good parenting (www.chasingthecyclone.com) where numerous essays and may be
found, including the eye-opening report ‘International
Parental Child Abduction And Human Trafficking In The Western Hemisphere’
Peter co-authored with Ms. Carolyn Vlk. Dedicated
to bringing about new child abduction prevention laws while creating dialogue
that may reform certain government programs and protocols so that they may
better serve targeted children and their parents, Peter Senese is a strong
supporter of The Hague Convention and
The Department of State’s Office Of Children’s Issues.
Carolyn Ann Vlk is a renown child abduction prevention advocate and a
Founding Board of Director Member of the I CARE Foundation as well as a member
of the Special Advisory Board of the Amber Watch Foundation. Carolyn drafted
the landmark State of Florida’s ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ that will be
enacted on January 1st, 2011. Ms. Vlk was highly influential in raising the
public’s awareness on the little-known, highly effective child abduction
prevention federal program titled the ‘Prevent Departure Program’ and worked diligently to have ‘Senate Resolution
543 – the International Parental Child Abduction Resolution’ Carolyn is also a
writer/producer of the highly educational documentary film series titled
‘Chasing Parents: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child
Abduction’, and, is the author of numerous essays and studies on parental child
abduction, including the groundbreaking report titled ‘International Parental
Child Abduction And Human Trafficking In The Western Hemisphere’ (2010).
Carolyn is dedicated to assisting parents and their children who are targets of
international child abduction, and is committed to bringing about positive
reform and change in law and government protocol that has been established to
aid at-risk children. Ms. Vlk is a supporter of The Hague Convention, The
Department of State’s Office Of Children’s Issues, and the Uniform Child
Abduction Prevention Act (UCAPA). Carolyn is a loving and dedicated mother to
her children, and fought rigorously to protect her own child who was a target
for potential abduction that she went so far as to draft legislation that has
now become new law in her home state of Florida.