I 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1672

To provide protection and victim services to children abducted by family 

members. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 14, 2005

Ms. WOOLSEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL

To provide protection and victim services to children 

abducted by family members.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Rights for Abducted 

5 Children Act of 2005’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress makes the following findings: 

8 (1) Each year more than 203,000 children in 

9 the United States (approximately 78 percent of all 
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1 abducted children) are abducted by a family mem2 ber, usually a parent. 

3 (2) Child psychologists now classify family ab4 duction as a form of child abuse and it is a crime 

5 in all 50 States and the District of Columbia. 

6 (3) Family abduction is currently defined solely 

7 as custodial interference, suggesting that the only 

8 victim of this crime is the left-behind parent. 

9 (4) Children who are abducted by family mem10 bers suffer emotional, psychological, and, often, 

11 physical abuse at the hands of their abductors. 

12 (5) More than half of the parents who abduct 

13 their children have a history of alcohol or substance 

14 abuse, a criminal record, or a history of violence. 

15 (6) The most common motive for family abduc16 tion is revenge against the other parent, not pro17 tecting the child’s safety. 

18 (7) Too often, insufficient attention is paid to 

19 the needs and welfare of the child victim, aggra20 vating the trauma that the child has already experi21 enced. 

22 SEC. 3. CHILD VICTIMS’ RIGHTS AND SERVICES. 

23 (a) VICTIM COMPENSATION AND ASSISTANCE.—The 

24 Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (42 U.S.C. 10601 et seq.) 

25 is amended—
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1 (1) in section 1403(d) (42 U.S.C. 10602(d))—

2 (A) in paragraph (3) by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

3 the end; 

4 (B) in paragraph (4) by striking the period 

5 and inserting a semicolon; and 

6 (C) by adding at the end the following new 

7 paragraphs: 

8 ‘‘(5) the term ‘victim’ includes a child victim of 

9 a family abduction; and 

10 ‘‘(6) the term ‘family abduction’ means the tak11 ing, keeping, or concealing of a child or children by 

12 a parent, other family member, or person acting on 

13 behalf of the parent or family member, that prevents 

14 another individual from exercising lawful custody or 

15 visitation rights.’’; and 

16 (2) in section 1404(d) (42 U.S.C. 10603(d))—

17 (A) in paragraph (4) by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

18 the end; 

19 (B) in paragraph (5) by striking the period 

20 and inserting a semicolon; and 

21 (C) by adding at the end the following new 

22 paragraphs: 

23 ‘‘(6) the term ‘victim’ includes a child victim of 

24 a family abduction; and 
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1 ‘‘(7) the term ‘family abduction’ means the tak2 ing, keeping, or concealing of a child or children by 

3 a parent, other family member, or person acting on 

4 behalf of the parent or family member, that prevents 

5 another individual from exercising lawful custody or 

6 visitation rights.’’. 

7 (b) CHILD VICTIMS’ AND CHILD WITNESSES’ 

8 RIGHTS.—Section 3509(a) of title 18, United States Code, 

9 is amended—

10 (1) in paragraph (2)(A), by inserting ‘‘family 

11 abduction,’’ after ‘‘sexual abuse,’’; 

12 (2) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘child;’’ and 

13 inserting ‘‘child, and includes family abduction;’’

14 (3) in paragraph (11), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

15 end; 

16 (4) in paragraph (12), by striking the period at 

17 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

18 (5) by adding at the end the following new 

19 paragraph: 

20 ‘‘(13) the term ‘famly abduction’ means the 

21 taking, keeping, or concealing of a child or children 

22 by a parent, other family member, or person acting 

23 on behalf of the parent or family member, that pre-
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1 vents another individual from exercising lawful cus2 tody or visitation rights.’’.

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