For the ParentsTHE OFFICE OF
CHILDREN’S ISSUES, OVERSEAS CITIZEN SERVICES, Volume 1, Issue
1 |
Message from Ambassador Maura Harty
Welcome to the first issue of For the Parents. This newsletter was suggested by a parent who attended one of our Town Hall Meetings. She thought it might help us in the Department of State stay in better touch with parents like you — parents with whom we work to bring abducted children home and to achieve meaningful access to children who have not yet returned home. Though our work is all about the children, this newsletter, like the title says, is for the parents.
In this first issue of For the Parents, we describe some of the activities the Office of Children’s Issues has been engaged in. One article we plan to make a regular feature in For the Parents is “Faces of CI,” introducing people who work in the Office of Children’s Issues. You also will find some of the “Frequently Asked Questions” raised at our Town Hall meetings along with links to other information and resources.
For the Parents is a work in progress. Let us know what you think of it, and what you would like to see in it. You can write to us, fax us, or email us using the contact information provided on the last page of the newsletter. We look forward to hearing from you, and working with you.
Maura Harty
Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Consular Affairs
U.S. Department of State
ICARA at Fifteen
Congress passed the International Child Abduction Remedies Act (ICARA) in 1988, implementing the Hague Abduction Convention in the United States. The text of ICARA is available on our website at travel.state.gov/icara.html. Fifteen years after its enactment, ICARA is frequently cited as a model of implementing legislation. At the same time, experience with the Act has identified areas where it might be modified to address specific gaps or issues. The Office of Children’s Issues is one among various organizations and agencies that are taking an ongoing look at ICARA in order to analyze its effectiveness. We welcome any thoughts you have on this matter.
Harty Comments at Chicago Meeting
Recent Developments: U.S. — Egypt MOU
Children's Passport Issuance Alert Program
Name: Derek WalkerCountry Portfolio: China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Singapore, and the Caribbean Island NationsHow Long in CI: Since 2000Favorite thing about working in CI: Working with parents to return their children to the U.S., and with other parents to prevent abductions.Why I care: I’ve got children of my own; abductions should never happen.
Excerpt from Ambassador Maura Harty’s comments at the Chicago Left-Behind Parents meeting, July, 2003.
“My goal as Assistant Secretary is to bring together the people, resources, and effort needed to resolve these sad cases and find systemic solutions to resolve—even prevent—international parental child abduction. In keeping with the precepts of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, we believe that abducted or wrongfully retained children should be promptly returned to their habitual residence in the U.S., using available lawful means. In countries that are treaty partners under the Hague Convention, this usually means invoking the Convention and working with a foreign Central Authority. In non-Hague countries, and those where the Convention is imperfectly applied, it means exploring and availing ourselves of various lawful options. These vary from country to country and case to case, but our end goal, like that of the left-behind parent, is the same: the child’s return to his or her custodial parent in the U.S.”
Recent Developments: U.S.-Egypt Access M.O.U
On October 22, the United States and Egypt signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that confirms both countries’ commitment to facilitating parental access to children in either country. The MOU is based on both countries’ consular responsibilities under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. In it, both countries agree that a left-behind parent should have meaningful access to his or her child or children. The MOU also recognizes that facilitating parental access may occur in tandem with efforts to return the child to his or her custodial parent. What does this mean? It reinforces current efforts between the U.S. and Egypt to help resolve cases of international parental child abduction and access, and underscores both countries’ commitment to an on-going dialogue on this important issue.
Did You Know That . . .
Attempted International Parental Child Abduction is Now a Federal Crime? The Protect Act of 2002, which included the Amber Alert legislation, makes attempted international parental child abduction a federal crime.
Some Children Born In The United States May Also Be Citizens of Another Country? Many know that people born outside the U.S. may be citizens of the country where they were born or “inherit” foreign citizenship through their parents. However, did you know a child born in the United States may also be eligible for another citizenship and another country's passport, if one or both of their parents have foreign heritage or birth? And individuals who become American citizens through naturalization often keep the citizenship they were born with (at least in the eyes of the foreign government) and become dual nationals, eligible for passports from the U.S. and their original country.
You can read more in the "dual nationality" information sheet on our website, travel.state.gov. This subject is particularly important in families where the parents come from different national backgrounds.
Office of Children’s Issues Calendar
Since its establishment in 1994, the Office of Children’s Issues has conducted an active outreach program that includes participation in professional conferences, judicial training, and contact with other organizations and government agencies. Our goal is to enhance public awareness of international parental child abduction, and of our office’s role in assisting parents, law enforcement agencies, foreign authorities, and others to return abducted or wrongfully retained children and to gain meaningful access to those children who are not yet returned. We also work to increase U.S. and foreign judges’ understanding of the Hague Abduction Convention and their responsibilities for its implementation.
Events During 2003
February 23: Town Hall Meeting for Left-Behind Parents, Washington, D.C.
April 22-25: Training on Hague Abduction, Convention at the Judicial Training College, Reno, Nevada
June 24: Judicial Workshop, Mexico City
July 28: Town Hall Meeting for Left-Behind Parents , Chicago
October 19-22: Seven Nation Judicial Seminar on Enforcement, The Netherlands.
October 29-31: Belgium National Training Meeting on Child Abduction for Law Enforcement OfficialsNovember 3: Town Hall Meeting for Left-Behind Parents, San Francisco
Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program
How can parents with sole or joint custody prevent the issuance of a new U.S. passport for their children without their knowledge and consent?
U.S. passport application procedures changed in July 2001. A passport application for a child under 14 must now include documentary evidence that custodial parents have granted consent for the passport to be issued. But is that enough, if a parent fears an international abduction?
Parents may also wish to consider an additional safeguard. They can request entry of their U.S. citizen children into the Children's Passport Issuance Alert Program (CPIAP). The CPIAP only provides safeguards in cases where a child's U.S. passport has not yet been issued. In most cases, if they request an Alert for their child, even non-custodial parents can be notified if a U.S. passport application is received. By providing some basic information about themselves, current custody status and the child concerned, parents can assist the Office of Children's Issues, working with U.S. Passport Agencies and U.S. embassies and consulates abroad, to ensure that custodial parents are aware of future attempts to apply for a U.S. passport for their child.
Look for more information on this Alert Program on our website under CHILDREN'S PASSPORT ISSUANCE ALERT PROGRAM. Or contact the Abduction Prevention Unit at 202-736-9156 between 8:15 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. EST or at preventabduction@state.gov for more information about the Alert Program by e-mail.
Give Us Your Ideas
We welcome your ideas for this newsletter. If you have a specific issue you would like us to address or a story you would like to share to encourage other parents, please e-mail them to askci@state.gov. Like our name says, this newsletter is For the Parents.
The Office of Children’s Issues, Overseas Citizen Services,
Bureau of Consular Affairs, U.S. Department of State
SA-29
U.S. Department of State
Washington, DC 20520-4818Contact us:
General info: 1-888-407-4747 (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.)
Case Inquiries or Requests for Assistance:
202-736-9090 or 202-736-9130
Fax: 202-736-9133
Email: askci@state.gov
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International Parental Child Abduction Page
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