Peter Thomas Senese is a best-selling author. Publications include Chasing The Cyclone, The Den of the Assassin, Cloning Christ, War on Wall Street, In Their Own Words. As the Founding Director of the I CARE Foundation, Peter has played an important role in reducing the U.S. outbound child abduction rate by 38% since 2009. Peter is the architect of the landmark Hague-oriented International Child Travel Consent Form now utilized in courtrooms around the world as an abduction prevention tool.
IS Quickly Becoming The Most Effective Global Tool Able To
Stop International Parental Child Abduction!
The I CARE Foundation Reports That
100% Of All Children Around The World Who Had Their Parents Reportt Utilizing The I CARE Foundation's International Travel Child Consent Form This Summer
Have All Returned Home!
IT IS ESTIMATED THAT BETWEEN 80% -90% OF ALL
INTERNATIONAL PARENTAL CHILD ABDUCTIONS OCCUR
WHEN A PARENT WRONGFULLY DETAINS A CHILD ABROAD.
Mr. Christophe Bernosconi, the Secretary General of the Hague Conference on International Private Law: the international tribunal governing international child abduction under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child said the following of the I CARE Foundation and our International Travel Child Consent Form:
"I have had the possibility to look at the travel form and must say that I am impressed: this is the most comprehensive document of its kind that I have seen so far and there is little doubt in my mind that this is a most valuable and important effort to prevent child abduction. I applaud your efforts and wish to congratulate you and your team . . . It is really impressive to see how quickly your international travel child consent form has started to yield practical results and how well you monitor its operation - this really is remarkable."
A Message From Peter Thomas Senese: In my role as the Executive Director of the I CARE Foundation, I am pleased to share that 100% of all reported cases of children who traveled abroad this summer under the International Travel Child Consent Form have returned to their country of original jurisdiction. This is an increadible achievement since it is strongly estimated that between 80% and 90% of all international parental child abductions occur when a parent wrongfully detains a child abroad under the guise of a family vacation. Recently the Colorado Bar Association published an extensive 30 page article championing the I CARE Foundation and our International Travel Consent Form. The in-depth analysis includes our extensive legal analysis on how abducting parents legally attempt to sanction cross-border kidnappings under an assortment of articles under the Hague Convention. I invite you to read a piece that the Colorado Bar Association wrote about the I CARE Foundation and the International Travel Child Consent Form.
Generally speaking, international parental child abudciton occurs during 2 primary seasons: the summer vacation period and Christmas. Depending on what geographic area around the world you are located in, international child abduction is always in high-season. Today, parents need to be aware that with the Christmas season months away, parents intending to abduct a child abroad will begin carrying-out their plans now. So please be careful (For a list of 'Warning Signs of International Parental Child Abduction' please visit the I CARE Foundation's website). In the meantime, the I CARE Foundation and our remarkable colleagues around the world will continue our efforts associated with the Special Commission created to report to Secretary General Bernosconi on the utilization of the travel consent form in our effort to create such a form as a mechanical instruement for all children traveling abroad. Finally, I would like to share that it is strongly expected that the number of reported cases U.S. international parental child abduction cases is expected to sharply fall, incredibly, for the 3rd year in a row after nearly 30 years of growth. To provide some insight, the past decase (excluding 2011 and 2012) had reported sustained outbound abduction growth of approximately 20% + per year. In 2011, the same year the I CARE Foundation commenced our extensive activity, reported cases of abduction declined by 15%. In 2012, there was an additional decline of 16%. We still have a long way to go before we close the books of 2013, especially since one of the 2 major abduction seasons is the Christmas Holiday; however, I am extremely optimistic - based upon the I CARE Foundation's own extensive abduction prevention case-load - that we will see another dramatic decline of abduction when the 2013 statistics are reported. There is no question there is a lot ahead of us. In fact, just in the past 5 days, the I CARE Foundation stopped international abductions of American children to Russia, Japan, Phillipines, and India, while playing a key role in dozens of ongoing abduction prevention cases around the world. To read more about the I CARE Foundation's International Travel Child Consent Form and to download a copy of the form, please visit The I CARE Foundation's website.
I am very pleased to share that on behalf of the I CARE Foundation we have relased the ‘International Child Travel Consent Form’ created to help stop international parental child abduction's associated with the wrongful detention of a child traveling abroad.
This agreement has been created for parents with children that will be travelling abroad.
The release is timely as it allows parents the ability to sign in time for summer vacations as summer is the prominent time for international parental child abductions to occur.
As school ends for the summer vacation, the vast majority of international parental child abduction threats and kidnappings take place. Often, these abductions occur when one parent is able to legally remove a child from their country of origin, and travel abroad - as an example, under the idea of a family vacation to visit relatives. However, and unknown to the child’s other parent, who may or may not be traveling with the scheming parent, there is a deceitful and fraudulent plan to never return back home.
Today the I CARE Foundation released the “International Child Travel Consent Form” that was created to stop international parental child abduction when a parent traveling abroad with their child may consider not returning the child to their country of jurisdiction.
I have said this many times previously, the key to protecting children at risk of abduction is to prevent their kidnapping. Today the I CARE Foundation is pleased to release our ’The International Child Travel Consent Form’ based upon substantial ‘Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction’ case law.
The travel document is designed to remove an abductor’s defense under acts of wrongful detention and focuses on key issues related to the Hague Convention’s Articles 12, Article 13, and Article 20.
The dedicated work of the I CARE Foundation’s legal advisory board, which includes members of the United States Department of State’s Hague Convention Attorney Network, to create this formidable legal abduction prevention tool bespeaks of the ongoing dedication to stop the criminal and highly abusive act of kidnapping.
The travel document does not simply act as a parent consent form allowing a child to travel abroad but reinforces a child’s return to their country of origin based upon affirmation requirements that remove the majority of an abductor’s legal defenses to remain abroad in connection with Hague law.
The I CARE Foundation’s international travel parental child consent form is a new tool that can be utilized by parents around the world, as well as attorneys who are trying to protect abduction. If a traveling parent refuses to sign the document, then under no circumstance should the other parent or a court permit a child to travel abroad as there is a heightened increase to an abduction threat.”
The I CARE Foundation’s ‘International Child Travel Consent Form’ addresses many of the possible legal defenses an abductor may use in court under Article 12, Article 13, or Article 20 of the Hague Convention.
The ‘International Child Travel Consent Form’ will be available in Spanish, French, German, and Italian in the coming days.
For attorneys interested in obtaining a full legal brief and framework of the travel consent form, please contact mediarelations@stopchildabduction.org.
The U.S. Decline Of International Child
Abduction Cases
Looking back at the past few years, I have to admit that I am very pleased with how my novel Chasing The Cyclone has helped raise awareness on the issues of child abduciton, and how, through its publication, the I CARE Foundation was eventually created. For those of you who are not familiar witth the I CARE Foundation, the non-profit organization I am the Founding Director of has helped protect a large and growing number of children around the world who are at risk of abduction. I am very
pleased to share that the number of reported United States outbound cases of
international parental child abduciton (IPCA) have declined for a second year in
a row, as shared in an extensive report issued by the I CARE Foundation titled 'Crisis In America - 2013' (co-authored by Peter Thomas Senese, Carolyn Vlk, and Joel S. Walter, Esq.).
Despite key factors that have led to increases
in risk factors associated with IPCA such as global citizenship mobility, U.S.
abduction rates have dropped from what was previously forcasted as a +22% to a
+40% yearly growth rate to an average decline of 15% per year over the past two
reporting years.
This is a remarkable series of events,
and credit must be given and shared with those who have worked so hard to stop
abduction.
Personally, I beleive that there is no
organization that deserves more credit than the United States Department of
State's Office of Children's Issues (OCI). The leadership of OCI is made up of
some of the most caring individuals in the world who dedicate their lives to
helping families at risk of abduction. Speaking from first-hand experience as a
volunteer advocate who spends a significant part of my life fighting for
children at risk of abduction, I can tell you that fighting this fight is not
easy: which makes it even that more remarkable to think about the incredible
committment displayed by many individuals at OCI. With attention to the decline
in reported cases of abduction, significant credit must be given to OCI and its
leadership, who continued with an assortment of educational public outreach
programs created to help families in crisis. Clearly, their effort is making a
difference.
Outreach and education has been the primary
catalyst behind the decline in abductions, and undeniably, the work of a select
group of organizations, foundations, and individuals have made a sizeable
difference in preventing abduction. Unilaterally, the work of child abduction
prevention advocates have been able to not only educate families in crisis of
abduction, but organizations such as the I CARE Foundation have assisted parents
by providing legal counsel during court abduction prevention proceedings.
Undeniably, stewarding the public message of abduction risk has made a
measurable difference, and the tireless work of these non-government
organizations have made a difference. In addition, the vehicles used to reach
parents have increased. The books, articles, and reports written and published
have mattered. The educational documentary films have made a differene, as too
have the creation of several educational websites.
In
reflection, the power of social media and global connectivity via the Internet
has allowed communities dealing with IPCA to form and grow. These communities
have become visible and made a difference to many. And they continue to
grow.
Another aspect of why IPCA rates have fallen is
that after 30 years since the United States became a member of the Hague
Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Parental Child Abduction
(1981), courts and judges charged with overseeing abduction risk are finally
beginning to understand the gravity of the situation at hand, and their own
limited authority once a child is illegally removed.
From the I CARE Foundation's perspexctive, and keeping
in mind that many of our lawyers have worked impressively to educate the courts
and judges on the many issues of IPCA. On a personal level, I have voluntarily
provided expert testimony before numerous courts in my capacity as the Founding Director of the I CARE Foundation at the request of counsel. In fact, at the
request of the United States Department of State, the I CARE Foundation hosted a
conference where I had the opportunity to speak at the United Nations as part of the Department of State's 'Global
Leadership Visitor Program'. It has been deeply rewarding to know that the I CARE Foundation's efforts have also included rescuing numerous kidnapped and trafficketed children.
Finally, I must say that
the incredible effort of a series of parenting bloggers who wrote extensively
about IPCA reached millions of other parents, some of who were at risk of having
a child abducted. Made aware of their own circumstances (many parents never
consider the possibility of IPCA), these at-risk parents were able to act to
protect their children - something I know first hand because the I CARE
Foundation assisted numerous families in crisis who turned to the foundation for
assistance after reading an article posted by a parent blog writer. Remarkably,
these amazing parents, all not having any direct association with IPCA, made a
major contribution and help protect children.
Are we
moving in the right direction? Yes. However, it would be a major mistake to
think that we can put our guard down and not push further to remove abduction
risk. Clearly there is a great deal to be done on all fronts, including the
abduction prevention side, and, equally, on the international compliance side
once a child is kidnapped. Sadly, it is anticipated that the total number of
children returned home after they are abducted, when including reported and
unreported cases of abduction (as defined in the report below), is less than
10%. Which means that approxiamately 90% of all kidnapped children never come
home. And the dangers of IPCA are real, and include severe abuse that has led
to parental child murder and post-abduction suicide by kidnapped victims. And
that is why we must continue to fight against abduction. Afterall, a child's
life sure is worth fighting for.
I offer to you the
report 'Crisis In America - 2013' (written by Carolyn Ann Vlk, Joel Walter, and
Peter Thomas Senese). Carolyn and Joel are two of the hardest working child advocates on the
planet. The I CARE Foundation is very fortunate to have their
leadership.
During the Christmas Holiday Season many children are internationally abducted in accordance to international law because they are illegally and wrongfully detained in a foreign country without one of the child's parent's permission.
If this has happened to you and your child, you must first realize that the abduction was a well-planned scheme orchestrated by lies, deceit, and assistance by others, more thank likely the abductors friends and family members in the inbound country your child is presently being wrongfully detained. In addition, there is the possibility that the abductor also received assistance from other family and friends in the country of original jurisdiction (your home country) where the child lived.
Now, before I go any further, I will say this: you need to pay attention to every detail and keep records of everything that transpires.
If you are presently in a foreign country where your child is presently being detained and you have no access to your child because the abductor has cut off ties with you, I reiterate that you must be very careful and remind yourself that you and your child were targets of a well-planned scheme. You must seek immediate assistance from a local lawyer familiar with family law matters in that country, and, you must seek assistance available to you under the rules of law, including the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.
For a list of countries who are signatory members of the Hague Convention, please click here.
Regardless if your child was illegally detained in a foreign country with or without you being in that country, there are critical steps that I suggest you must do, as outlined below.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER IS NOT TO WASTE TIME.
THE SECOND MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER IS THAT ANY COMMUNICATIONS MADE BY THE ABDUCTOR MORE THAN LIKELY WILL BE USED TO EITHER HURT YOU OR TRY TO SHOW THAT YOU HAD OR HAVE CONSENTED TO THAT PERSON'S 'RELOCATION', AS THEY TRY TO SUGGEST YOU SANCTIONED THEIR NO-RETURN. THUS BE VERY CAREFUL!
When you believe that your child or children have been abducted by either their other parent or a non-stranger, you must remember that time is a precious commodity you do not have.
You must act efficiently, thoughtfully, and purposefully with respect to all efforts that you are about to put forth in recovering your child. Of utmost importance is the fact that you need to know everything that everyone involved in your child’s recovery is doing. Critically, you must stay calm, stay alert, immediately contact law enforcement, and immediately contact a lawyer familiar with familycustody law.
1. Never give up HOPE that you will find your child or children no matter how long and difficult the road you have to journey on is.
2. URGENTLY, if you are a citizen of the The United States, immediately contact the United States Department of State –Office of Children’s Issues. They can be reached at 202-736-9090 or at 888.407.4747. If you are presently in the foreign country that your child was illegally detained, then immediately contact the United States embassy in that country, and schedule an emergency appointment seeking their assistance.
If you are from Canada, contact the Justice Legal Services in Ottawa at 613.996.1300 or 613.992.6300. If you are presently in the foreign country that your child was illegally detained, then immediately contact the Canadian embassy in that country, and schedule an emergency appointment seeking their assistance.
4. IMMEDIATELY contact your local police and your local branch of the FBI (in Canada, the RCMP) and share with them all the details that support your belief that your child’s abduction is imminent or in progress.
Do not wait to file your police report!
Make sure you have as much evidence to support your claim as possible, including any witnesses that can support your claims. While sharing this information with the police, make sure that you file a missing child report immediately.
This report is important as it allows the police to place a description of the child who is missing on the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database, (and in Canada the Canadian Police Information Centre {CPIC} computer system) so all police forces in the United States (and likewise, in Canada) will know the child is missing.
The police should notify border crossing and all ferry, rail, airport facilities. If there is any hesitancy on their part to do so, under all circumstances demand that all border crossing locations and transportation companies (ferry services, airlines, etc.) are notified, and that all travel manifests are immediately reviewed. If you suspect parental or non-stranger abduction, provide the police with a photo of the suspected abductor, an address, telephone number and any other pertinent information about that person.
In addition, so long as you have a custody order decree from the courts, law enforcement can seek to press charges of aiding and abetting against any individual who may have assisted the abductor with their kidnapping scheme. Recently, Senate Resolution 543 (SR543) that was unanimously passed in the Senate on December 14th, 2012 resolved that our nation and all applicable agencies involved in child abduction prevention and reunification do whatever they can to assist a targeted child. This means that under the reach of criminal law, and if there is enough evidence to support a case of aiding and abetting, a criminal complaint must be filed with the authorities.
5. In all scenarios, it is strongly advised that you hire a lawyer familiar with international child abduction. It is critical that emergency legal applications are made to the court of jurisdiction that request for the court to issue to you the following:
A) Temporary Full Custody of your child or children.
B) A Return Order for your children demanding that the other parent return them to the court of jurisdiction by a specified date.
In addition, laws in many states give judges authority to issue a 'pickup' order for the child to prevent an imminent abduction or harm to the child. Pickup orders go by different names, including 'warrant to take physical custody of a child' and 'warrant in lieu of a writ of habeas corpus'.
6. The Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA), in effect in most states, provides an emergency ex parte proceeding for getting a law enforcement directed pickup order (in conjunction with a custody enforcement order) when abductions or serious physical harm to a child is imminent. If the requirements are met, a judge should issue an order directing law enforcement to pick up the child and to serve notice of the custody enforcement proceedings.
7. If you believe your child's safety is in danger, and you have credible evidence that your partner is intending to imminently take your child and abduct to another country - file an emergency ex parte motion in court immediately, and make sure you or your lawyer notify your local law enforcement that you are filing an emergency motion before the court.
8. When possible, you and/or someone you trust should stay in close physical proximity of the child. Consider hiring a seasoned private investigator to monitor the movements of your spouse and child.
9. STAY CALM. Contact neighbors, friends, spouse, siblings and anyone who may know where your child may be. Invite a friend or acquaintance with a "calm" manner to be with you.
10. Conduct a telephone search. Call family, friends and relatives who may wish to help. Encourage them to use their telephones to make inquiry calls so your line will remain free for incoming calls. If you have to leave the house, have an answering machine on the line or have a friend or neighbor take incoming calls.
11. Have friends and relatives conduct a basic land search of the neighborhood area while you are making a police report. With family and friends, try to recall the present and past few days of family situations and activities (a recent argument or disciplinary action could be the reason for hiding).
12. Provide the police with the information in your prepared Identification Kit. This kit should include updates clear photographs, foot and fingerprints, birth certificate, medical history, passport, dental records, X-rays, child's name and description including location of scars, birthmarks and any other identifiable data (glasses, braces, earrings, etc.). A videotape or a recent home video of the child may be made specifically for the kit. Try to keep a mental note of what your child is wearing each day.
13. Conduct a complete physical search of your area. Organize a search party of friends and relatives to search areas such as, child's route home from school, community center, friend’s houses, favorite hang-out etc. Be on the lookout for articles of clothing, toys, books other personal belongings scattered on the ground. If found, do not disturb. Contact a police officer immediately.
14. Leave someone at home at all times to answer the telephone in case your child calls.
15. Continue to keep the telephone lines FREE at all times.
16. Continue your search even if there are no immediate results. Follow up for updates on the case by contacting the investigating police officer and the provincial searching agency who registered your child.
17. Solicit media support such as radio, television, local publications and newspapers only at the advice of the police and searching agency involved with the case. Be mindful that once your spouse has illegally taken your child and is on the run, they essentially will act like a fugitive (in many cases they are due to arrest warrants issued by the local court). Typically, a person running from law enforcement is willing to take risks that they might otherwise not be inclined to take under more normal circumstances. These risks can be very concerning, and could potentially place the child as well as the abducting parent in grave and dangerous situations. So, before you solicit help from the media, weigh out the opinions and advice of law enforcement, your lawyer, and your private investigators, if you have hired for these services.
18. Distribute a photograph of the missing child as well as your spouse or ex-spouse who has taken your child.
19. Keep a detailed diary of people and agencies you have contacted and steps you have already taken. Logging the events limits the duplication of efforts and allows a review of inquiries.
20. As I said earlier, hire a local lawyer familiar with local and international child custody law and have your attorney appear before your local court immediately. Share with the court the details of your child’s abduction and all other relevant information to allow the judge to understand the seriousness of the matter. It is critical that you are honest, open, and credible before the court. In simple terms: do not lie, do not fabricate anything, and do not give the court any reason to question your credibility. Tell the good, the bad, and the ugly. Request that the court grant you sole full custody and sole full guardianship of your child or children if you do not already have it. Also request that the court direct your spouse to immediately return with the child to the place of original jurisdiction (if he or she has a lawyer in the jurisdiction, you should be able to serve that person [have your lawyer check on matters of service]. Request that the court issue a ‘pick-up’ order directing police officers to assist you in finding and returning your child to you.
21. If you know your child has been taken to another country, contact the United Stated Department of State – Office Of Children’s Issues and immediately file a Hague Application for the wrongful international abduction and retention of your child.
22. Make sure you monitor all bank accounts and remove all assets that are in joint-tenancy into your sole name.
23. If you are the primary holder on any assets and credit cards, immediately remove your spouse’s name on every account.
24. Immediately contact your credit card companies and put a security alert on all of your credit cards. This will direct the credit card company to request that you show proper identification to the merchant during each time you use a credit card, or, in the event of electronic on line transactions, a representative from the credit card company’s security department will be required to contact you in order to authorize the transaction. Also, make sure you put two password questions and answers (not one – but two), on your bank and credit card accounts in order to prevent having anyone else other than you access your money.
25. Contact all credit reporting agencies and request that you are immediately notified of any credit inquiries, remarks, or additional accounts. Make sure that each agency issues a security alert, directing each requesting credit company to seek additional verifying information that any inquiries or applications made to their company were made by you.
26. Monitor all cell phones of your spouse, and, if possible, have all cell phones, emails, and any other communication devices monitored.
27. Check with your spouse’s friends, family, and acquaintances and see if they were aware of any information that might lead you to locate your child. Typically, a person who is standoffish, might have known of the abductor’s plans, or, has already been influenced by that person, and will be of little help to you. If that occurs, immediately report this to law enforcement investigating the abduction. If the police chose to interview that person, and they lie to law enforcement, they can be criminally charged with a crime.
28. Check in your child or children’s rooms for any hints or clues as to where they might have been taken.
29. Check your ex-spouse or spouse’s personal items for any clues as to where they might have taken your child.
30. If your ex-spouse or spouse has family that live in a foreign country, hire the services of a private investigator in that country to immediately follow your ex-spouse or spouse’s parents and other family members in order to determine where the child has been taken and is located. This very well may be the best set of dollars you will spend. Remember, any recovery actions cannot be taken until your child’s location is known. In many international parental child abduction cases, the abducting parent chooses to go underground with the child, and develops behavior similar to a fugitive on the run (they are fugitives). Typically, they have a support network in place, and the abduction has been carefully planned and enabled through the assistance of family members and friends. Finding and knowing where your child was taken to is the most important action once you know the child has been removed from the country of habitual residency. Without knowing what country your child is in – you cannot file a Hague Application … and you will be spinning your wheels endlessly trying to find out where your child is. One final note on this subject: according to the provisions in The Hague, there exists language that essentially enables a Hague judge overseeing the case to allow for a child to stay with the abducting parent if the abducting parent is able to prove to the court that returning the child to the country of origin would be detrimental to the child’s best interest. One of the techniques commonly used in a Hague defense is to demonstrate that the child or children have adjusted and desires to live in the country they were wrongfully and illegally taken to. In certain situations, a judge may believe that the child or children have settled into their ‘new life’, and that uprooting them would be harmful, and not in the child’s best interest. So – it is critically important for a Chasing Parent to know where the child was taken to as soon as possible and immediately file for the child’s return under the protocols of The Hague Convention.
31. If your child is taken to another country, consult heavily with a lawyer in your local jurisdiction familiar with The Hague Convention, and, make sure you hire a lawyer familiar with The rules of The Hague Convention in the jurisdiction you know your child was taken to.
32. Become familiar with the laws and customs of the country that your child has been taken to.
33. Consult with The National Center For Missing And Exploited Children, the governing agency who acts as The Hague Signatory for your country (in The United States, the U.S. State Department acts as the official Hague representative for The United States Government) and the International Child Abduction Research and Enlightenment Foundation (the I CARE Foundation).
34. Try to keep yourself physically active, eat a healthy diet, and rest on a regular basis.
35. Never give up Hope that you will be reunited with your child.
36. Remember, you must know everything that everyone involved with your child’s recovery is doing. Do not be concerned about any or your actions other than one: finding your child. In essence – do whatever you have to do in order to protect your child – but remember, your actions must not place your child in any harm’s way. That is why it is important for you to consult with the experts – but remember – you must know everything – including as much as possible on family law, and the rules of The Hague Convention.
37. Allow and trust in The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. The Hague Courts do work!
38. If your child or children have been issued a passport and you have access to it, make sure you hold it and secure it in a safe place. If your child has not been issued a passport, then immediately contact the agency overseeing passport issuances, and appraise them of the present situation. Typically, law enforcement or an officer from the State Department’s Office of Children’s Issues overseeing your Hague Application will do this as well.
39. In the event that your child does not have a passport from the country they habitually lived in, and no passport has been requested or issued by your local government, then make sure that law enforcement contact the local embassy of the country your spouse was originally from, and inform them of the litigation taking place.
40. One of the most important things you can do in the early stages of an international child abduction is to establish friendly contact with the relatives and friends of the other parent, both in your country and abroad. The fastest and most effective way to resolve international child abductions is for the abducting parent to return the child voluntarily. While there may be good reasons for you to believe that this approach won’t work, it is important that the effort be made.
41. Make sure you have a cell phone with you at all times, that it is fully charged, that you keep a charged back-up battery, and a back-up phone charger.
42. If you are traveling abroad to search for your child, make sure you send yourself back-up ‘emergency’ money via Western Union (Western Union is reliable, serves most locations around the world, and funds can be accessed immediately).
43. The 'Prevent Departure Program' is a very affective tool to prevent alien residents physically in the United States from leaving the country either with or without a child. The program is administered by the Department of Homeland Security and was initially created to aide in our the country's national security interests post 911. Essentially and under the purposes of child abduction, an individual would not be able to depart from the United States. For more information on this program, please visit information on this website listed under 'Prevent Departure Program' or click on the following link:
47. Remember, the abductor has been well advised and aided about how to get away with their abduction. They will try to do whatever they can to have it appear that either you are a horrible, dangerous person, and/or that you consented to their travel abroad with intent to relocate. Thus, be very careful of what the abductor communicates with you, and be very leary that any suggestion to have a family member of the abductor mediate an agreement between the two of you in genuine: there is a very good chance it is not.
48. In the United States, it is illegal to operate or hire a recovery agents who essentially reabduct a child taken in another country. It is strongly advised that you follow the rules of law and remember that recovery agents are very costly, you as a client have limited way of validating their activity or expense, and that generally, snatching a child places the child in harms way. Follow the rules of law and trust the courts.
49. Critically, you must be aware that if you are in a foreign country where your child was taken, the other side will do essentially whatever is possible in order for them to remain there, including making false child abuse or police reports against you. One of the most common techniques used for both men and women abductors is for the abductor to make a police report that you threatened their life and that they are concerned about their and the child's safety. This enables them to get a restraining order against you while also laying out ground for an Article 13 Defense of the Hague Convention.
50. It is beyond important that you remember that the abductor committed the crime of kidnapping. Surely, the abductor was aware of their action and legal issues. And it did not matter. They still carried out there plan. And if you are on foreign soil, you should be very cautious that the abductor has been well advised, and knows that it is critical for their abduction defense to make the child abuse or criminal complaint against you. Sadly, many abductors act as predators by luring the partner to the foreign country during Christmas so that they could make criminal complaints against that person while they are there. Be very careful - and seek assistance from your country's embassy.
51. Mobilize your assets.
IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INTERNATIONAL PARENTAL CHILD ABDUCTION:
When it comes to International Parental Child Abduction, there are a few things that are important to realize.
2. Unreported cases of abductionare anticiapted to at least equal the number of reported cases of abduction, and it is beleived that this number could be as high as 150% of reported cases. As an example, in 2010, there ere 1,634 reported cases of IPCA in the United States. Thus, it could be expected that the number of unreported cases of abduction ranged from 1, 634 to 2,451, and that the total number of cases of international parental child abduciton was anywhere from 3,264 - 4,085 cases.
3. Growth of IPCA cases is at least 20% per year.
4. It is forcast that only roughly 10% of all children (reported and unreported) illegally kidnapped come home.
5. International Parentla Child Abduction is a federal crime.
7. The Prevent Departure Program needs to be modified to allow the screening of high-risk child abductors who possess rights of United States citizenship.
The Impact of Peter Thomas Senese's 'Chasing The Cyclone'
I think Malcolm Forbes got it right when he said, "the richest person in the world – in fact all the riches in the world – couldn’t provide you with anything like the endless, incredible loot at your local library."
Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American essayist, philosopher, poet, and leader of the Transcendentalist movement of the early 19th Century and known for his speech entitled The American Scholar, that is considered to be America's Intellectual Declaration of Independence, once said "man’s library is a sort of harem." I couldn’t agree more! Emerson’s fanciful insight is supported by his opinion that "some books leave us free and some books make us free."
Clearly, a book is a free ticket to anywhere in the universe, and a library is the realm transporter that takes us to new worlds and new dimensions.
But perhaps most of all, a book is a ticket to freedom.
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Now I know we're all smart enough to know that freedom comes in many way, but one of my favorite quotes about freedom is the words written by Carrie Jones in Need. They are, "The secret of happiness is freedom, the secret of freedom is courage."
Sometimes, particularly when I enter into a library, I start to think that books are the real arsenal of freedom. Images of William Wallace in Braveheart come to mind . . . though the sword of Wallace is replaced by the book.
Unquestionably,the power of the written word is alive and well today, as it has been ever since mankind first etched hieroglyphics on stone. Despite living in the nano-universe of digital storytelling, at the root of our ability to convey a story or issue in the detailed substance that it may deserve, it is my opinion that there is nothing more powerful and insightful than a book.
When I first decided to write 'Chasing The Cyclone', I did so with the hope and intent that perhaps one parent or one lawyer or one judge may learn something about the growing pandemic of international parental child abduction and either prevent the abduction of a child or assist in the safe legal recovery of a child. What has originated from the first pages I penned of my deeply personal novel while I was sitting on the wind swept sand beach of Paradise Cove located in Malibu Beach has come to be nothing short of a Call-To-Arms against the despicable, unacceptable abuse of a child that is international child abduction and child trafficking.
Before I go any further, I want you to know that I have learned that by following your heart, you can make a difference for others. And regardless if that difference benefits one person or many, the privilege of helping another is in fact the greatest gift we can receive.
It is based upon this notion coupled with other blessings I have in my life, that I have volunteered both my time and significant resources to help protect children and their parents.
I have done this by making significant contributions to the highly respected 501 C 3 not-for-profit organization I am the Founding Director known as the I CARE Foundation (I invite you to read more about the I CARE Foundation).
In fact, outside of direct contributions I have made to the foundation, I have also donated 100% of all my earnings from all e-book sales of my various novels to the I CARE Foundation (I invite you to see 'Peter Thomas Senese Donates Book Sales To Help Children).
Has this been successful?
Incredibly.
How?
Because my primary goal in writing Chasing The Cyclone was to be able to publish a highly educational, interesting book that would lead to one thing: protecting children from abduction. And there is no question that from the seeds that are Chasing The Cyclone, children who have been abducted have been safely reunited with their parents, and children who were targetedfor abduction were protected.
So what has made Chasing The Cyclone a great success? A great deal. Here is a sampling of accomplishments that have and will continue to help children and their parents.
THE I CARE FOUNDATION
1. The creation of the 501-C-3 Not-for-profit ‘International Child Abduction Research & Enlightenment’ Foundation' (I CARE Foundation) that was established to and has successfully rescued numerous internationally kidnapped children while conducting advanced research in the area of IPCA in order advocate for the creation of new laws that will protect children from international kidnapping.
5. Board Member Carolyn Vlk wrote the legislation for the State of Florida's Child Abduction Prevention Act while Board Member Peter Thomas Senese orchestrated lobbying efforts that led to the unanimous passage of the CAPA legislation into now effective law; and,
6. Successfully advocated for the federal implementation of the 'Prevent Departure Program' to be used as a tool to stop international parental child abduction; and,
7. Writer and advocate behind legislative initiatives to prevent international child abduction by modifying the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative; and,
8. Writer and advocate behind legislative initiatives to prevent international child abduction by modifying the Prevent Departure Program II; and,
9. The co-authoring and creation and FREE publication of the extensive 'The World Turned Upside Down' open-tablet E-book resource guide on IPCA; and,
13. The creation of one of the most informative websites on IPCA; and,
14. The ongoing efforts to create additional federal laws that evolve around child abduction prevention.
15. The stout support and advocacy that led to the passage of on line impersonation laws such as those passed in the states of California and New York.
17. Upcoming I CARE Foundation sponsored educational legal training seminars for lawyers in the area of IPCA.
18. A large and growing grass-roots effort to educate parents about the risks of IPCA and child trafficking.
19. A promise to continue my efforts to educate society about the issues of IPCA, use my resources whenever possible to assist others, and to work toward the passage of new laws that will protect children, as demonstrated in the sworn testimonials of my conduct.
All from a book called 'Chasing The Cyclone' that was inspired by the time in my life I was required to chase into the storms of abduction.
One final note, and this is personally extremely important to me to share. Before I raised my voice and tried to make a difference in the fight against IPCA, there were, as there are today other wonderful advocates who have fought so hard to protect children by raising their voice, using their resources to fight a good fight, and to pass new laws that will protect children. I recognize and applaud each of these individuals who make up the community of child advocates who are dedicated to protecting children.
For more on me, Peter Thomas Senese, I invite you to visit my official website.
Mr. Christophe Bernosconi, the Secretary General of the Hague Conference on International Private Law: the international tribunal governing international child abduction under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child said the following of the I CARE Foundation and our International Travel Child Consent Form:
