[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Pages 6346-6347]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 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

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

                              S. Res. 449

       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

[[Page 6347]]

     of their habitual residence, including the return of Noor and 
     Ramsay Bower to the United States.

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