III 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 618 

Supporting the goals and ideals of ‘‘Countering International Parental Child 

Abduction Month’’ and expressing the sense of the Senate that Congress 

should raise awareness of the harm caused by international parental 

child abduction. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 22, 2024 

Mr. TILLIS (for himself and Mr. MURPHY) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the goals and ideals of ‘‘Countering International 

Parental Child Abduction Month’’ and expressing the 

sense of the Senate that Congress should raise awareness 

of the harm caused by international parental child abduction. 

Whereas thousands of children have been abducted from the 

United States by parents, separating those children from 

their parents who remain in the United States; 

Whereas it is illegal under section 1204 of title 18, United 

States Code, to remove, or attempt to remove, a child 

from the United States or to retain a child (who has been 

in the United States) outside of the United States with 

the intent to obstruct the lawful exercise of parental 

rights; 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
2 

•SRES 618 IS 

Whereas 9,816 children were reported abducted from the 

United States between 2010 and 2020; 

Whereas, during 2022, one or more cases of international parental child abduction involving children who are citizens 

of the United States were identified in 99 countries 

around the world; 

Whereas the United States is a party to the Convention on 

the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, done 

at The Hague, October 25, 1980 (TIAS 11670) (referred 

to in this preamble as the ‘‘Hague Convention on Abduction’’), which— 

(1) supports the prompt return of wrongly removed 

or retained children; and 

(2) calls for all participating parties to respect parental custody rights; 

Whereas the majority of children who were abducted from the 

United States have yet to be reunited with their custodial 

parents; 

Whereas, in 2022, Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Bulgaria, Ecuador, Egypt, Honduras, India, Jordan, the Republic of 

Korea, Peru, Romania, the Russian Federation, and the 

United Arab Emirates were identified pursuant to the 

Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction 

Prevention and Return Act of 2014 (22 U.S.C. 9101 et 

seq.) as engaging in a pattern of noncompliance (as defined in section 3 of such Act (22 U.S.C. 9101)); 

Whereas, between 2015 and 2022, a total of 19 countries 

were previously identified as engaging in a pattern of 

noncompliance, including Austria, the Bahamas, the People’s Republic of China, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Japan, Lebanon, Morocco, 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
3 

•SRES 618 IS 

Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Poland, Saudi 

Arabia, Slovakia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Tunisia, 

showing the importance of continued enforcement of 

United States law by the executive branch to ensure the 

return of abducted children; 

Whereas the Supreme Court of the United States has recognized that family abduction— 

(1) is a form of child abuse with potentially ‘‘devastating consequences for a child’’, which may include 

negative impacts on the physical and mental well-being of 

the child; and 

(2) may cause a child to ‘‘experience a loss of community and stability, leading to loneliness, anger, and 

fear of abandonment’’; 

Whereas, according to the 2010 Report on Compliance with 

the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction by the Department of State, an 

abducted child is at risk of significant short- and longterm problems, including ‘‘anxiety, eating problems, 

nightmares, mood swings, sleep disturbances, and aggressive behavior’’; 

Whereas international parental child abduction has devastating emotional consequences for the child and for the 

parent from whom the child is separated; 

Whereas the United States has a history of promoting child 

welfare through institutions, including— 

(1) the Children’s Bureau of the Administration for 

Children and Families of the Department of Health and 

Human Services; and 

(2) the Office of Children’s Issues of the Bureau of 

Consular Affairs of the Department of State; 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
4 

•SRES 618 IS 

Whereas the Coalition to End International Parental Child 

Abduction, through dedicated advocacy and regular testimony, has highlighted the importance of this issue to 

Congress and called on successive administrations to take 

concerted action to stop international parental child abduction and repatriate kidnapped United States children; 

Whereas Bring Abducted Children Home, Bring Our Kids 

Home, iStand Parent Network, and the Coalition to End 

International Parental Child Abduction have been recognized by the Department of Justice as nonprofit organizations specializing in international parental child abduction; 

Whereas Congress has signaled a commitment to ending 

international parental child abduction by enacting— 

(1) the International Child Abduction Remedies Act 

(22 U.S.C. 9001 et seq.); 

(2) the International Parental Kidnapping Crime 

Act of 1993 (Public Law 103–173), which enacted section 1204 of title 18, United States Code; and 

(3) the Sean and David Goldman International 

Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2014 (22 

U.S.C. 9101 et seq.); 

Whereas the Senate adopted Senate Resolution 543, 112th 

Congress, agreed to on December 4, 2012, condemning 

the international abduction of children; 

Whereas the Senate adopted Senate Resolution 431, 115th 

Congress, agreed to on April 19, 2018, to raise awareness of, and opposition to, international parental child 

abduction; 

Whereas the Senate adopted Senate Resolution 23, 116th 

Congress, agreed to on April 11, 2019, to raise awareVerDate Sep 11 2014 15:54 Mar 23, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR618.IS SR618

ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
5 

•SRES 618 IS 

ness of the harm caused by international parental child 

abduction; 

Whereas the Senate adopted Senate Resolution 568, 117th 

Congress, agreed to on July 21, 2022, to raise awareness 

of the harm caused by international parental child abduction; 

Whereas the Senate adopted Senate Resolution 115, 118th 

Congress, agreed to on May, 10 2023, to raise awareness 

of the harm caused by international parental child abduction; 

Whereas Congress calls upon the Department of State to 

fully utilize the tools available under the Sean and David 

Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and 

Return Act of 2014 (22 U.S.C. 9101 et seq.) to negotiate, and make publicly available, bilateral agreements or 

memorandums of understanding— 

(1) with countries not parties to the Hague Convention on Abduction to resolve abduction and access cases; 

and 

(2) regarding open abduction and access cases predating the Hague Convention on Abduction with countries that have thereafter become parties to the Hague 

Convention on Abduction; 

Whereas all 50 States and the District of Columbia have enacted laws criminalizing parental kidnapping; 

Whereas, in 2022, the Prevention Branch of the Office of 

Children’s Issues of the Department of State— 

(1) fielded more than 4,900 inquiries from the general public relating to preventing a child from being removed from the United States; and 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
6 

•SRES 618 IS 

(2) enrolled more than 3,500 children in the Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program, which— 

(A) is one of the most important tools of the 

Department of State for preventing international parental child abduction; 

(B) allows the Office of Children’s Issues to 

contact the enrolling parent or legal guardian to 

verify whether the parental consent requirement has 

been met when a passport application has been submitted for an enrolled child; and 

(C) has enrolled a total of over 62,400 children 

in the program since its inception; 

Whereas the Department of State cannot track the ultimate 

destination of a child through the use of the passport 

issued by the Department of State if the child is transported to a third country after departing from the United 

States; 

Whereas a child who is a citizen of the United States may 

have another nationality and may travel using a passport 

issued by another country, which— 

(1) increases the difficulty of determining the whereabouts of the child; and 

(2) makes efforts to prevent abduction more critical; 

Whereas, during 2022, 165 children were returned to the 

United States, and an additional 117 abduction cases, involving 145 children, were resolved without the children 

being returned to the United States; and 

Whereas, in 2022, the Department of Homeland Security, in 

coordination with the Prevention Branch of the Office of 

Children’s Issues of the Department of State, enrolled 

307 children in the Prevent Abduction Program, which is 

aimed at preventing international parental child abducVerDate Sep 11 2014 15:54 Mar 23, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR618.IS SR618

ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
7 

•SRES 618 IS 

tion through coordination with U.S. Customs and Border 

Patrol officers at the airport, seaport, or land border 

ports of entry by intercepting the child before departure: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes and observes ‘‘Countering Inter3 national Parental Child Abduction Month’’ during 

4 the period beginning on April 1, 2024, and ending 

5 on April 30, 2024, to raise awareness of, and opposi6 tion to, international parental child abduction; and 

7 (2) urges the United States to continue playing 

8 a leadership role in raising awareness about the dev9 astating impacts of international parental child ab10 duction by educating the public about the negative 

11 emotional, psychological, and physical consequences 

12 to children and parents victimized by international 

13 parental child abduction. 

Æ 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS