IV 

★

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 729 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that countries that 

are party to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International 

Child Abduction should work to resolve international parental child abduction cases, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 7, 2018 

Mr. VALADAO (for himself and Ms. SINEMA) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

countries that are party to the Hague Convention on 

the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction should 

work to resolve international parental child abduction 

cases, and for other purposes. 

Whereas international parental child abduction is the removal 

or retention of a child outside the child’s country of habitual residence by a parent or guardian in violation of 

another parent or guardian’s custodial rights; 

Whereas in an increasingly integrated and mobile world international child custody disputes are likely to increase in 

frequency; 


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•HRES 729 IH1S 

Whereas since 1988, the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction has been the principal mechanism for enforcing the return of abducted 

children to the United States; 

Whereas the Hague Convention is an international treaty 

that provides a civil mechanism to promptly return children who have been taken outside of their country of habitual residence in violation of custodial rights; 

Whereas in 2018, there were 98 countries that were parties 

to the Hague Convention; 

Whereas in 2017, 13 of such 98 countries demonstrated a 

pattern of non-compliance with the Hague Convention; 

Whereas some countries that are party to the Hague Convention do not apply the Convention retroactively with respect to cases initiated prior to the date on which the 

countries involved in such cases became a party to the 

Convention, and therefore there remain a large number 

of unresolved child abduction cases; 

Whereas the United States has at least one outstanding 

international parental child abduction case pending with 

more than 100 countries, including countries that are 

parties to the Hague Convention and countries that are 

not parties to the Convention; 

Whereas in California alone there are almost 200 outstanding 

cases of international parental child abduction from the 

United States; and 

Whereas international parental child abduction disproportionately impacts members of the United States Armed 

Forces: Now, therefore, be it 


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•HRES 729 IH1S 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that countries that are party to the Hague 

3 Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Ab4 duction should work to resolve international parental child 

5 abduction cases, including by applying the Convention 

6 retroactively with respect to cases initiated prior to the 

7 date on which the countries involved in such cases became 

8 a party to the Convention. 

Æ 


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