Peter Thomas Senese & The I CARE Foundation Warn Parents Of International Parental Child Abduction Risks Over The Christmas Holidays

The Christmas holiday season is a time for family... and a time for celebrations.  As parents, the joy of seeing smiles on our children’s faces is a big part of the holiday but sadly, not all families will be celebrating this holiday season. Instead, there will be thousands of unsuspecting parents and children that are going to be targeted and thrown into the nightmarish world of international parental child abduction… a world that that no parent or child should have have to be exposed to.

Cases of international parental child abduction dramatically increase during the Christmas holidays, particularly the week right after the holiday as the abducting parent often uses holiday travel as part of their abduction scheme with their intent being to never return back to the country of origin with the child. These type of parental kidnappings, which are based on the wrongful retention of a child in a foreign country by one of their parents, accounts for approximately 70% of all international child abductions according to an extensive research study conducted by the I CARE Foundation during the summer of 2014.

In an effort to prevent international parental child abduction, the I CARE Foundation created the International Travel Child Consent Form.  This ground-breaking document focuses on abduction prevention due to wrongful retention, and it has been embraced by the legal community around the world along with key stakeholders in the area of abduction prevention.

This season, if you happen to have a child traveling internationally, in particular if you happen to be a family that is at high risk for international parental child abduction – one that is involved in a child custody dispute, separation or divorce, especially if your partner has ties abroad – you must be proactive in protecting your children and utilizing the International Travel Child Consent Form is one of the most effective ways to do that. Often, parents that are involved in international child custody disputes and who may be targeted for abduction think that their child is best protected from abduction when there is a court agreement in place for the child to return if the other parent is granted travel. The truth is that unless there is an international travel consent form that has immediate ramifications attached to it, the parent and child targeted for abduction are at serious risk.  The I CARE Foundation’s International Travel Child Consent Form can help protect a parent and child in this type of situation.

Thanks to the overwhelming success of the I CARE Foundation's International Travel Child Consent Form in preventing international parental child abduction associated with wrongful retention, our Hague Child Abduction Convention inspired travel form for minors has been translated and is now available (for free) online in over 20 languages from around the world. Early in 2015 it will be available in every official language spoken by each signatory country of the 1980 Hague Child Abduction Convention.  

Visit the official I CARE Foundation website to see the translations that are currently available.  If you should have any questions regarding the form please contact the I CARE Foundation at legal@theicarefoundation.org

The simple fact is that when a child is parentally kidnapped they should be considered in grave danger - immediately!  International parental child abduction is a crime that can involve the physical, emotional and psychological abuse of a child.  A child that tragically becomes a victim of a parental kidnapping suffers both short and long-term psychological effects, even if the child is reunited with their other parent.  

A parent that is capable of abducting their own child typically has long-term psychological problems making them a real danger to their child.  A child's well-being is typically not something that is a consideration of the abducting parent.   A U.S. Department of State report specifically states, “[The] profile [of an international parental child abductor] is the sociopathic personality.”  The United States Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) stated, concerning the sociopathic behavior of abductors, “As with paranoid and delusional parents, sociopathic parents are unable to perceive their children as having separate needs or rights. Consequently, they often use their children blatantly as instruments of revenge or punishment or as trophies in their fight with the ex-partner. Hence, the sociopathic parent believes that domestic violence and child abduction can be perpetrated with impunity.”

If you happen to be unfamiliar with the term “filicide”, it is the deliberate act of a parent killing his or her own child, and is serious concern when we speak of international parental child abduction.  Dr. Phillip Resnick, the Director of Forensic Psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland stated in an article that was published by the Denver Post a few years ago about parental child killing, “Historically, one out of 33 homicides is a parent killing a child younger than 18.” Dr. Resnick, who conducted a study on filicide in 2005 states “Filicide, the deliberate act of a parent killing his or her own child, is the third-leading cause of death in American children ages 5 to 14.” As well in this Denver Post report was that fact that, “Researchers estimate 250 to 300 children are murdered by their parents each year in the U.S.”

So when we talk about the reality of filicide... parents murdering their own child... and combine that with a statement released by the FBI that shares the increased rate of non-custodial parents threatening to harm their own children all with the intent of revenge against the other parent who most likely has been given legal custody... do we need to be even more concerned about the fact that there are still thousands upon thousands of children each year being targeted for international parental child abduction?  You be we do!

All these facts support what the I CARE Foundation has been saying for some time: Children that are parentally abducted are being murdered.  And this only emphasis the fact that we need to prevent international child abduction!  So, outside of utilizing the International Travel Child Consent Form if you have a child traveling abroad, what else can you do to prevent abduction?

Well, it is essential that all parents know the WARNING SIGNS of international parental child abduction and as well what to do if international parental child abduction is in progress.

As shared earlier, we see a dramatic increase in the number of international parental child abduction cases during the Christmas holidays.  Many times, as part of their elaborate scheme, the would-be-abductor can use a family vacation for the holidays as a guise for their plan to abduct the child from their country of origin.  Planning a family vacation could potentially show their partner that they are willing to work on their relationship despite any issues that may have happened in the past.  This is part of the life of deceit that a would-be-abducting parent lives… all while planning how to get their child abroad.

A common scenario might go something like this:  The would-be-abducting parent tells his/her partner that they would like to plan a trip to a foreign country… perhaps their country of origin… maybe to visit a sibling or parents over the holiday season.   Once the family arrives in the foreign country, the abducting parent might file false allegations of abuse and neglect against the other parent and then notify the other parent that they and the child will not be returning back to the country of original jurisdiction.  At this point, the targeted parent, who didn’t suspect any of this, is generally forced to return back home without their child where they then need to seek legal assistance.

Being aware of the warning signs could realistically help protect you and your child from the cruel and unforgivable world of international child abduction… a world that no parent or child should ever have to be exposed to.  

Visit the official website for the I CARE Foundation to learn more about the risks and warning signs of international parental child abduction and what you should watch for.

It is important to note as well that there are two critical programs available to U.S. parent citizens that may aid in the prevention of their U.S. child citizen from being internationally abducted.

Prevent Departure Program (PDP)

In the past, American parents at risk of having a child illegally removed from the United States had to deal with the reality that it was extremely difficult to stop an international child abduction if the other parent possessed a right of American citizenship (sole or dual citizenship). Part of the problem is that the United States has limited exit controls and government published information regarding programs that could be utilized to stop international parental child abduction such as the Prevent Departure Program require a suspected international parental child abductor to not have a right of American Citizenship, among a host of other requirements.

Today, parents who are at risk of having a child internationally abducted by a parent who possesses citizenship to the United States or who has dual citizenship may be able to protect their children from abduction.

If you should happen to be an at-risk parent that believes your child’s other parent is planning or is in the process of an international parental abduction, please contact the United States Department of State’s Office of Children’s Issues Abduction Prevention Bureau to discuss potential measures that may be available to you to ensure the individual parent suspected of an international child abduction threat does not illegally depart the United States and remove your child in violation of a court order or in breach of your right of custody.

To contact the Department of State’s Office of Children’s Issues Prevention Bureau please contact:

The United States Department of State

Office Of Children’s Issues

Abduction Prevention Bureau

CA/OCS/CI

SA-17, 9th Floor

Washington, DC 20522-1709

Email: prevention@state.gov

Phone: 1-888-407-4747   or   202-501-4444

Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program (CPIAP)

One of the Department of State’s most important tools for preventing international parental child abduction. Parents are able to register their U.S. citizen children under the age of 18 in the Passport Lookout System.  If at some point a passport application is submitted for a child that is registered in the CPIAP, the Department of State contacts and alerts the parent(s).  This system provides the parent(s) with advance warning of possible plans for international travel with the child.

The Charleston Passport Center is responsible for administering the Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program:

U.S. Department of State

Passport Services, Charleston Passport Center

Attn: Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program

1269 Holland Street, Building D

Charleston, SC 29405

E-mail: ChildrensPassports@state.gov

Phone: 1-888-407-4747

Fax: 843-746-1827

To learn more about international parental child abduction, or to DOWNLOAD your FREE copy of the International Travel Child Consent Form, which is currently available in 20 different languages, please visit the I CARE Foundation website.

If you suspect an international parental child abduction is imminent or if one is in progress, CLICK HERE.

All of us at the I CARE Foundation would like to wish you the best of the holiday season!

未成年者が日本へ旅行のために国際的な親による子の奪取の防止

I CARE財団の子供の渡航同意書を日本語で提供

日本国外で子どもたちは、子の奪取を防ぐために、私CARE財団の国際旅行チャイルド同意書を使用する必要

   

外国で片親により不正に奪取された子に関わる国際的な親による子の奪取を防止するために作成されたI CARE財団の子供の渡航同意書は現在、日本語でも提供されています。この渡航同意書は、1980年ハーグ国際的な子の奪取の民事上の側面に関する条約をめぐる法的な問題に対応し、日本から及び日本へ来る国際的親による子供の奪取の可能性の案件の監視を担当する日本及び世界の裁判所に、国際的な親による子の奪取に精通し、国際法、外交、そして司法の社会に広くサポートされ、ユニークで世界的に確立された裁判所が実施する奪取防止ツールを提供します。

2014年の夏に実施された大規模なI CARE財団の調査では、国際的な親による子の奪取に深く精通した世界中の何百人もの弁護士や裁判官を調査しました。調査結果によれば、94ヶ国の1980年国際的な子の奪取の民事上の側面に関する条約の署名メンバー国全ての国際的な親による子の誘拐の70%以上は、片親が子供のもう一方の親の同意または裁判所の命令を得ることなく、不正に子供を外国で拘束し、残された親の保護権と対象なる親に対する子の権利に違反する時に発生しています。この調査でも、不正な拘束に伴う1980年国際的な子の奪取の民事上の側面に関する条約の相当数のケースでは、奪取する親は多くの場合、子供が不正に拘束された国にある裁判所が、元の司法権を有する国に子を戻さないという行為に対する制裁を期待し、ハーグ条約の12条と13条で供されている奪取の弁護を利用していると結論付けました。

I CARE財団の国際担当常任理事のPeter Thomas Senese は以下のとおり述べていました。「I CARE財団の渡航同意書を活用して発生したこの渡航のケースの多くにより示されており、我々が把握している範囲では、この文書を利用した全ての子は帰宅できており、我々は国際的子の奪取防止の世界的な舞台においてハーグ条約に基づく渡航同意書が持つ重要な役割を引き続き目撃し、公式ハーグ渡航同意書をグローバルな拘束防止のツールに取り込むことを検討する事務総長の意図をサポートしています。我々はグローバルな国際的親によるこの奪取の割合は、ハーグ条約を基にした渡航同意書の利用により大きく減少すると極めて楽観的に見ています。我々の相当の研究では、全ての国際的な子供の誘拐の70%以上は、子が不正に外国で拘束されている時に発生しています – 我々の渡航同意書がうまく保護した親による子の誘拐のシナリオそのもの。」

「I CARE財団の子を保護する献身的な取り組みを示しており、我々のグローバルに認知された渡航同意書は現在、1980年ハーグ国際的な子の奪取の民事上の側面に関する条約の調印国で話される全ての言語を含め、30か国語で翻訳中であり、これまで翻訳が行われてきました。加えて、我々の渡航合意書周辺の数多くの法的な説明やその他の関連情報は引き続き、専門法律文書翻訳者の高レベルなチームにより全て30か国に翻訳されます。明らかに、これは小さな作業ではありませんが、欠くことのできない取り組みであることということを発表できることは喜ばしいことです。」

「日本に関して、そしてその点については、全ての国及びその子について、我々の渡航同意書の作成と利用はむしろ簡単です。子は魔法を知り、親による子の奪取の懸念の無い世界に住む権利を有しています。そして奪取を行う対象の親は、社会に誘拐から子を保護させる権利を有しています。我々はこの権利を確信しており、我々の作業と献身的な取り組みは継続していきます。」

Como prevenir o rapto internacional de crianças Parental Quando viajar para o Brasil

Pais com crianças em viagem internacional deve usar International Travel Criança O Termo de Consentimento Livre I CARE Foundation prevenir crianças vítimas de rapto

O Formulário de Consentimento para Viagem Internacional Infantil da Fundação I CARE© disponível em Português

O Formulário de Consentimento para Viagem Internacional Infantil da Fundação I CARE criado para impedir o sequestro parental internacional de crianças associado com a retenção ilegal de uma criança por um dos genitores em um país estrangeiro agora está disponível em português.  O formulário de viagem aborda importantes questões jurídicas baseadas na Convenção de Haia de 1980 sobre Sequestro Infantil e proporciona a tribunais em todo o mundo encarregados de supervisionar potenciais casos de sequestro parental internacional de crianças ligados a países de língua portuguesa um tribunal exclusivo e bem estabelecido globalmente implementando uma ferramenta de prevenção de sequestro que é amplamente apoiada por comunidades jurídicas, diplomáticas e judiciais internacionais familiarizadas com o sequestro parental internacional de crianças.

Um extenso estudo da Fundação I CARE realizado durante o verão de 2014 pesquisou centenas de advogados e juízes em todo o mundo profundamente familiarizados com sequestro parental internacional de crianças. Os resultados do estudo mostraram que mais de 70% de todos os sequestros internacionais de crianças por seus genitores entre as noventa e quatro nações membros signatárias da Convenção de Haia de 1980 sobre Sequestro Infantil ocorrem quando um dos genitores retém ilegalmente uma criança no exterior sem o consentimento do outro genitor da criança ou sem uma ordem judicial, violando o direito de custódia do outro genitor e o direito da criança ao genitor escolhido. A pesquisa também concluiu que na esmagadora maioria dos casos da Convenção de Haia de 1980 sobre Sequestro Infantil ligados à retenção ilegal, o genitor sequestrador frequentemente utiliza as defesas de sequestro disponíveis ao mesmo ao abrigo do Artigo 12 e do Artigo 13 da Convenção de Haia, na esperança de que o tribunal sediado no país onde a criança foi ilegalmente retida sancione sua ação de não retornar a criança ao seu país de jurisdição original.

Conforme demonstrado pelo grande número de casos de viagens infantis internacionais realizadas em que o formulário de viagem da Fundação I CARE foi utilizando com êxito, continuamos a testemunhar o importante papel que um formulário de consentimento de viagens baseado na Convenção de Haia tem no teatro global de prevenção de sequestros internacionais de crianças. Continuamos bastante otimistas de que a taxa global de sequestro parental internacional diminuirá substancialmente devido à utilização de formulários de consentimento de viagens baseados na Convenção de Haia. Nossa pesquisa substancial indica que mais de 70% de todos os sequestros internacionais de crianças ocorrem quando uma criança é ilegalmente retida no exterior – o exato cenário de sequestro parental contra o qual o nosso formulário de viagem protege com sucesso.

A criação e utilização de nosso formulário de consentimento de viagem é bastante simples: as crianças têm o direito de usar a imaginação e de viver em um mundo livre da preocupação de sequestro parental. E os genitores alvo de sequestro têm o direito de exigir que a sociedade proteja seus filhos contra sequestros. Nós acreditamos nestes direitos. Nosso trabalho e dedicação continuam.