[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 14 (Tuesday, February 24, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H537]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY MUST COOPERATE TO RESOLVE NONCUSTODIAL PARENT 
                            KIDNAPPING CASES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Berry) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BERRY. Mr. Speaker, the kidnapping of a child is a terrible crime 
that should not be tolerated. However, it is something that happens all 
too often with the perpetrator actually being rewarded in some cases.
  There are hundreds of unresolved cases in which children have been 
abducted by a noncustodial parent and taken to a foreign country. Some 
of these countries are allowing the kidnappers to illegally keep the 
children without fear of prosecution or ever having to face 
extradition.
  Our legal system makes decisions involving the custody of children 
based on what is in the best interest of the child. Once such 
arrangements are made, no one should ever be rewarded for the illegal 
abduction of a child from our country by being able to keep the child 
and thumb their nose at authority.
  Such crime imposes horrible grief and suffering upon the parent from 
whom the child is taken. Tomorrow I will be introducing a resolution 
expressing the sense of the Congress that the international community 
must work together to resolve cases where kidnapped children are taken 
abroad.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a serious problem that should be treated as a 
high priority issue by the United States Government in its relations 
with other countries. By giving this resolution our full consideration 
and support, we will be sending a strong signal of our support for the 
rights of children.

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