[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 841 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 841

Supporting the recognition and observation of April as ``International 
Parental Child Abduction Month'' to raise awareness of, and opposition 
              to, international parental child abduction.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 7, 2020

 Mr. Panetta (for himself, Mr. Bacon, Mr. Cisneros, Mr. Crenshaw, Mr. 
Harris, Mr. Hudson, Ms. Jayapal, Mr. Levin of Michigan, Mr. Malinowski, 
Mr. McGovern, Mr. Meadows, Mr. Posey, Mr. Rogers of Kentucky, Mr. Smith 
 of Washington, Mr. Suozzi, and Mr. Swalwell of California) submitted 
   the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          Oversight and Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Supporting the recognition and observation of April as ``International 
Parental Child Abduction Month'' to raise awareness of, and opposition 
              to, international parental child abduction.

Whereas more than 9,000 children in the United States have been abducted and 
        removed from the country by one of their parents between 2008 and 2015, 
        separating those children from parents remaining 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 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 nearly 800 children experienced international parental child abduction 
        during 2018;
Whereas, during 2018, over 107 countries were involved in one or more cases of 
        international parental child abduction relating to children who are 
        United States citizens;
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, 
        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 a significant number of children who have been abducted from the United 
        States have yet to be reunited with their custodial parents;
Whereas, during 2018, nine countries 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;
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'', that may include negative impacts on the 
physical and mental well-being of the child; and

    (2) can 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, research shows that 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 not only for the child, but also 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--

    G    (A) the Administration for Child and Families; and

    G    (B) the Children's Bureau; and

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

Whereas, over the previous 20 years, the National Center for Missing and 
        Exploited Children has provided professional assistance and support 
        services for international family abduction cases involving children 
        wrongfully removed from or retained outside of the United States;
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;
Whereas Congress has signaled a commitment to ending international parental 
        child abduction by enacting the International Child Abduction Remedies 
        Act (22 U.S.C. 9001 et seq.), the International Parental Kidnapping 
        Crime Act of 1993 (Public Law 103-173; 107 Stat. 1998), and the Sean and 
        David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 
        2014 (22 U.S.C. 9101 et seq.);
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, with countries not party to the Hague Convention on 
        Abduction to resolve abduction and access cases, and to negotiate, and 
        make publicly available, bilateral agreements or memorandums of 
        understanding, 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 2018, the Prevention Branch of the Office of Children's Issues of 
        the Department of State--

    (1) fielded over 5,200 inquiries from the general public relating to 
preventing a child from being removed from the United States; and--

    (2) enrolled over 4,700 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 of the child 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 in determining the whereabouts of the 
child; and

    (2) makes efforts to prevent abductions all the more critical;

Whereas, in 2018, the Department of Homeland Security, in coordination with the 
        Prevention Branch of the Office of Children's Issues of the Department 
        of State, enrolled 236 children in the Prevent Abduction Program, which 
        is aimed at preventing international parental child abduction through 
        coordination with Customs and Border Patrol officers at airport, 
        seaport, and land border ports-of-entry; and
Whereas the United States should continue to play 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: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives supports the 
recognition and observation of ``International Parental Child Abduction 
Month'' to raise awareness of, and opposition to, international 
parental child abduction.
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