SOFAs are based upon dysfunctional assumptions about national security. They ensure legal protection for U.S. bases and military personnel but do not provide genuine security for local communities, nor do they assure the security of the American people. Although U.S. officials claim to have implemented adequate procedures for dealing with crimes against people in host communities, U.S. troops are rarely tried by local courts, even when cases involve serious injury or death. In other cases where local people know of punishment, it is often trivial. Sometimes perpetrators are moved beyond reach to another posting, perhaps back to the United States.
SOFAs make no reference to Amerasian children, who are often abandoned by their fathers.
No government takes responsibility for the dire situation of these children, who have no legal standing in the United States. The 1982 Amerasian Immigration Act, which addressed the situation of Vietnamese Amerasian children, does not cover people born in Japan or the Philippines. To qualify under this act, one must be born between 1951 and 1982. One must also have documentation that the father is a U.S. citizen, formal admission of paternity, and a financial sponsor in the United States. Environmental contamination affects whole communities but is most significant for women and children, because they tend to show signs of disease earlier than men.