International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act

rdf:langString International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act

rdf:langString George Gekas

rdf:langString House

rdf:langString House

rdf:langString Senate

rdf:langString Passed voice vote

rdf:langString International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act

rdf:langString International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act of 1993

rdf:langString The International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act 1993 (IPKCA) is a United States federal law. H.R. 3378, approved December 2, was assigned Public Law No. 103-173 and signed as Public Law 103-322 by President Bill Clinton on September 2, 1993. This law makes it a federal crime to remove a child from the United States or retain a child outside the United States with the intent to obstruct a parent's custodial rights, or to attempt to do so (See 18 U.S.C. § 1204.) This crime is punishable by up to three years in prison. The law provides an affirmative defense where the abducting parent acted pursuant to a valid court order obtained under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction And Enforcement Act, or where the abducting parent was fleeing domestic violence, or where the failure to return the child resulted from circumstances beyond the taking parent's control and the taking parent made reasonable efforts to notify the left behind parent within 24 hours and returned the child as soon as possible. Since its enactment, the law has only been used in a very small minority of international child abduction cases prompting parents of internationally abducted children to claim an abuse of or prosecutorial discretion on the part of federal prosecutors.

rdf:langString IPKCA

rdf:langString An Act to amend title 18, United States Code, with respect to parental kidnapping, and for other purposes.

rdf:langString § 1201 et seq.

rdf:langString § 1204