Title: A 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.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
This resolution recognizes the Senate's observation of Countering International Parental Child Abduction Month in April 2021. It also urges the United States to lead in raising awareness about the devastating impact of international child abduction.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 167 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 167

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

                             April 21, 2021

Mrs. Feinstein (for herself, Mr. Tillis, Mr. McConnell, Mr. Blumenthal, 
 Mr. Booker, Mr. Crapo, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Markey, Mr. Rubio, and Mr. 
 Cornyn) 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 in the United States 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;
Whereas 10,836 children were reported abducted from the United States between 
        2009 and 2019;
Whereas, during 2019, 1 or more cases of international parental child abduction 
        involving children who are citizens of the United States were identified 
        in 102 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, between 2015 and 2019, Argentina, the Bahamas, Brazil, China, Colombia, 
        Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Guatemala, Honduras, 
        India, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Nicaragua, Peru, Romania, 
        Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates were identified under 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 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 long-term 
        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) in the Department of Health and Human Services, the Children's 
Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families; and

    (2) in the Department of State, the Office of Children's Issues of the 
Bureau of Consular Affairs;

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 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 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 party 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 a party 
to the Hague Convention on Abduction;

Whereas all 50 States and the District of Columbia have enacted laws 
        criminalizing parental kidnapping;
Whereas, in 2019, the Prevention Branch of the Office of Children's Issues of 
        the Department of State--

    (1) fielded more than 5,400 inquiries from the general public relating 
to preventing a child from being removed from the United States; and

    (2) enrolled more than 4,500 children in the Children's Passport 
Issuance Alert Program, which--

    G    (A) is one of the most important tools of the Department of State 
for preventing international parental child abduction; and

    G    (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;

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 2019, 220 children were returned to the United States, and an 
        additional 118 cases were resolved in other ways; and
Whereas, in 2019, the Department of Homeland Security, in coordination with the 
        Prevention Branch of the Office of Children's Issues of the Department 
        of State, enrolled 363 children in the Prevent Abduction Program, which 
        is aimed at preventing international parental child abduction through 
        coordination with the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers at the 
        airport, seaport, or land border ports of entry (POE) on intercepting 
        the child before departure: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes and observes ``Countering International 
        Parental Child Abduction Month'' during the period beginning on 
        April 1, 2021, and ending on April 30, 2021, to raise awareness 
        of, and opposition to, international parental child abduction; 
        and
            (2) urges the United States to continue playing a 
        leadership role in raising awareness about the devastating 
        impacts of international parental child abduction by educating 
        the public about the negative emotional, psychological, and 
        physical consequences to children and parents victimized by 
        international parental child abduction.
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