Saturday, October 27, 2012

Three Children Abducted From Philadelphia Are Coming Home

TIME IS NOT THE FRIEND
OF TARGETED PARENTS
TRYING TO REUNITE WITH
THEIR ABDUCTED CHILDREN.
Under both Pennsylvania state law and under United States federal law, it is illegal to either remove a child or children of a partnership or marriage from the country without permission of the child or children's other parent or a court order should the other parent have a right of custody to the child or children.

Obviously, the brach of a court order directing a non-removal speaks for itself.  If there is no court order, and the other parenrt has a right of custody (either sole or joint), and their right of custody is impeded, this too is an illegal act.

In such cases where a parent wrongfully removes or detains a child in another country outside of the child's country of original jurisdiciton, and denies the child's other parent their rights of custody, this is known as internaitonal parental child abduciton.  And it is a crime in the United States under both state and federal law.

In order to reuntie with an abducted or illegally detained child. parents living in the United States has avaialble to them the opportunity to use the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduciton in order to reunite with their wrongfully taken or detained child or children.

Unquestionably, the Hague Convention works.  However, it has major flaws too, including that many nations do not uphold the spirit and intent of the convention, the financial costs for U.S. parents is extraoridany, and the process has mechanisms in place that could allow an abductor the opportunity to actually remain abroad and kidnap the child of the relationship.

But today, we see that the Hague Convention did work. It took time.  And the costs for one particular father were immense. But he never waivered in his love for his three children.  And so today, after a very long litigation, his children are finally on their way home!

I am sure that father feels like he is in labor.  I know I do.

READ MORE ABOUT FEELING LIKE YOU'RE IN LABOR HERE.