International child abduction in the United States

rdf:langString International child abduction in the United States

rdf:langString Hague Abduction Convention

rdf:langString The Hague, Netherlands

rdf:langString State parties to the convention

rdf:langString French and English

rdf:langString Convention on the civil Aspects of International Child Abduction

rdf:langString Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction

rdf:langString As a result of its high level of immigration and emigration and its status as common source and destination for a large amount of international travel the United States has more incoming and outgoing international child abductions per year than any other country. To address this issue the United States played an active role in the drafting of the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (commonly referred to as the Hague Abduction Convention or simply the Abduction Convention.) Although the United States was one of the first nations to sign the Convention in 1981 the Convention did not enter into force for the US until 1988 with the enactment by Congress of the International Child Abduction Remedies Act which translated the Convention into US law. Under the Hague Abduction Convention the United States is required to fulfill many requirements designed to protect children from the harmful effects of international child abduction. Domestic and foreign parents and attorneys have criticized the United States for its alleged failures to adequately fulfill these obligations on behalf of foreign and domestic families and children and in violation of international law.