[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 449 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 449

  Calling on all governments to assist in the safe return of children 
   abducted from or wrongfully retained outside the country of their 
                          habitual residence.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 9, 2012

Mr. Kerry submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Calling on all governments to assist in the safe return of children 
   abducted from or wrongfully retained outside the country of their 
                          habitual residence.

Whereas children should be protected internationally from the harmful effects of 
        their wrongful removal or retention;
Whereas people and governments around the world value the importance of family 
        and respect the rights of custody and access of other countries;
Whereas governments should take all possible measures to determine the location 
        of abducted children;
Whereas Colin Bower's two young sons, Noor and Ramsay Bower, were illegally 
        abducted from the United States by their mother in August 2009 and taken 
        to Egypt; and
Whereas the United States and 68 other countries that are partners to the Hague 
        Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, done 
        at the Hague October 25, 1980, have agreed, and encourage all other 
        countries to concur, that the appropriate court for determining the best 
        interests of children in custody matters is the court in the country of 
        their habitual residence: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate calls on officials of all governments and 
the competent courts to assist in the safe return of all abducted and 
wrongfully retained children to the state of their habitual residence, 
including the return of Noor and Ramsay Bower to the United States.
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