Peter Thomas Senese: The I CARE Foundation's Groundbreaking Fight To Stop Child Abduction Continues

Peter Thomas Senese, Executive Director of the I CARE Foundation's Fall 2013 Update

The I CARE Foundation's 

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL CHILD CONSENT FORM

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. 

Kindest regards to all,

Peter Thomas Senese
Executive Director
The I CARE Foundation

What Happens When Political Extremist and Religious Zealots Kidnap Children

There is a significant and growing side of international parental child abduction that makes me shudder at the very notion of kidnapping I am too familiar with: the alarming act of cross-border parental child kidnappings committed by political extremist and religious zealots.

It has taken a while for society to grasp the notion that when one parent illegally removes a child from the child's country of habitual residency, this is a cruel criminal act of kidnapping.  And the abducted child is not simply with one of their parents, but instead, is a hostage held by an abductor who generally does not have the child's best interest in mind.

Tragically, and most alarming is the reality that children of abduction are being put into extrarordinarily dangerous situations.

Previously, I have shared the reality that felicide - child murder by a parent - along with suicide amongst child abduction victims is a real issue.

So where does the use of a child come into play amongst political exremeist, social revolutionaries, and religious zealots?

What I am about to share should not be classified as a rare occurance. They are not.

Let this image sit with you for a moment: a young girl is internationally kidnapped by one of her parents: a parent who possesses extreme religious beliefs that all things born from the West are evil, including his daughter.  In that parent's religious zealot fever, he thinks that the only way to have penance is to do the unthinkable. Meanwhile, the young girl's mother, frantic at knowing the truth of the monster who took their child, along with knowledge of his intent, seeks any way to rescue a child now taken to a world where women have no rights, and foreign women have even less.

But here is an innocent child now delegated to becoming a sacrafice.

Welcome to the unforgiveable world of international parental child abduction.

Now imagine a young boy abducted to the nation, if you can call it that, in the midst of a bloody civil war in impoverished Africa. The child was taken by his mother, who left him behind, as a bargaining chip in the conflict between two of that nation's leading militant tribes. As bombs exploded and casualties rose, the child is taught to think that his left-behind parent not only did not love him and that he was an evil man; while the brainwashing ordeal unfolded, war's bloodshed continued to fall.  And for the father who searched, he knew that returning back to the country his child was held hostage could lead to his immediate death, and further harm to his family that remained in his country of origin.

So here is another innocent child delegated to becoming a pawn in a nation's civil war.

Welcome to the brutal world of international parental child abduction.

A young child just learning how to ride a bicycle is snatched from a Norman Rockwellesque mid-
America town and taken to a nation of zealot fundementalist revolutionaries who preach intolerance for the West.  The child is taught to hate the peaceful world he was taken from.  Gone is the loving, peaceful, and gentle world he was born and raised in. In its place is a world filled with daily bombings and gunfights, violent protests that lead to deadly stampedes, and an unforgiveable God (the God the kidnapper teaches his child is not a loving God, nor does it represent the kind God taught in Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faiths).  As this child lives an inprisoned life terrified by everything around him, his left behind parent knows that entering the world of the brutal abductor in order to find her child if caught means entering a world so brutal, that your imagination's notion of brutal punishment and torture, simply could not conjure the realities that would await her if caught.

Sadly, another defenseless child inprisoned into the worst of nightmares. Except it is his reality.

Welcome to the world where the God worshipped is a God filled with hatred.

And do not think that a child is not at risk of death. They are.

Perhaps this reality is the one singular thing that drives all child abduction prevention advocates the most: the hope to prevent the death of a child either at the hands of their parent abductor, or at their own hands later in life due to the brutal psychological trauma they endured during the time of their abduction.  I know my own activism in this arena is greatly due to my desire to help protect children from all forms of harm.

As you can see, the common denominator in the scenarios I presented above is that the child was used as a pawn to advance the abductor's own agenda.

This is something that occurs in every international parental child abduction case.

For the taken child, they are indeed brought into a harsh world that emotionally and spiritually resembles the lonely, wind swept barrier prison known as Alcatraz.  Short-term and long-term trauma is real. So too are the challenges the majority of children face going forward.

One of the things that appears to not have been spoken about in the dialogue concerning international parental child abduction is the general view by the abducting parent that life in the country of the child's habiutal residency is one that they often dislike, or in some cases, despise.

In these types of situations, the abductor's (who is nearly always a foreign born national living in another country) resentment toward most things in the country they are residing in prior to the act of kidnapping grows significantly.

Eventually, some of these parents sermonize their view to the child: preaching - and brainwashing - their views to a child is a necessity for all abductors since they need to justify the act of kidnapping to the child under the guise of 'liberation'.

And extreme cases of 'liberators' does exist, creating a potentially greater danger to society than what anyone is talking about.

The question needs to be asked: What are the long-term social risks if a zealot abductor kidnaps a child born in the West, removes that child to a nation of political and religious extremism which the abductor is an active part of, and who evangelizes the messages of hatred and intolerance toward the child's country of previous habitual residency to the point that the child buys into the parent abductor's surmons as 'liberator' that is preached in order to justify the international abduction?

Well, we have a potentially serious problem on our hands.

Make no mistake, all forms of international parental child abduction are severe forms of child abuse.  Under no circumstance should child abduction be tolerated.  Fortunately, this notion is beginning to take hold by society due to the stewardship of the realities of abduction by concerned parents and advocates alike.

In fact, by raising awareness of international parental child abduction the cross-border kidnapping rate has declined in the United States by 15% per year for two years in a row, after nearly thirty years of steady growth.

So our voices are making a difference in the United States.  And unquestionably, the United States Department of States' Office of Childrens Issues has to be given a great deal of credit in their outreach efforts attempting to increase the threat of abduction amongst targeted parents.

Nevertheless, our children remain at great risk. For example, imagine being a mother who living in the United States trying to prevent your daughters from being abducted to Saudi Arabia - a nation where women have essentially no rights. Or a father trying to find your child is Japan or South Korea - nations known to not return abducted children. The realities and hard-truths are disheartening: between the reported and unreported cases on international parental child abduction, it is estimated that only 10% of all kidnapped children ever come home.

In ending this article I would like to share this message: as the summer approaches, now is the time thatwarning signs of abduction are so important.  Parents involved in multi-cultural relationships are particularly at risk of abduction.  The last thing any parent wants to do is find themselves Chasing The Cyclone of abduction.  The best defense against abduction is to educate yourself.
would-be abductors are planning their scheme to illegally snatch their child.  Raising awareness of the risk factors and knowing the

One final note: as the Founding Director of the I CARE Foundation, I am pleased to share with you that the children I mentioned above in the examples I provided are all now at safely home.  Since inception, the I CARE Foundation has assisted a large and growing number of children and their families at risk of abduction. Our work continues.

Click here to read more about The I CARE Foundation.
Click here to read more about Chasing The Cyclone.
Click here to visit the official website of Peter Thomas Senese. 

Divorce and Christmas: Don't Let Your Child Travel Abroad When . . .

Don't Let Your Child Be Internationally Abducted This Christmas

Several weeks ago the I CARE Foundation began an educational campaign reminding parents that the Christmas Holiday Season is International Parental Child Abduction Season.   In an effort to raise awareness, I had written a series of essays that were posted on an assortment of websites.

Our warning to parents to be mindful of the possibility of abduction during this time of year must be taken seriously.

Earlier today, one of the I CARE Foundation's board members was contacted by a parent who shared information with one of our directors concerning the other parent of the child.  What she shared included:

1. A strained relationship that included acts of abuse.
2. A new-found 'love' by the other parent and desire to make the partnership work.
3. A request to travel abroad to that other parent's family, which so happens to be the country of origin and citizenship of the partner.
4. A recent selling of a car for at least $7,500.00; however, no deposit of the sale has occurred in any bank accounts the inquiring parent has access to or is aware of.
5. Discovery of the child's educational transcripts.
6.  Recent shipment of clothing to help out 'the poor'.
7. Late night 'walks' that appear to be time when secretive phone calls are made as indicated by discovery of international pre-paid calling cards.
8. A previous false claim 2 months ago of domestic violence.


After hearing of these events, the I CARE Foundation board member made some suggestions that might give more clarity on whether an international parental child abduction is planned.

Sure enough - the parent followed the instruction provided.  Discovery unquestionably shows abduction during the Holiday is planned.

 . . . It may be planned . . . but it sure is not going to happen.

Friends - pay attention to this article below, share it, re-post it, talk about it .... but get the information out.

Chasing The Cyclone
by
Peter Thomas Senese 

Parents Dealing With Divorce Should Not Let Their Children Travel Abroad With The Other Parent During The Christmas Holiday Season - International Parental Child Abduction.

The Christmas Holiday Season is also one of the most prominent times of year when many children are internationally abducted by one parent from another. It is critically important that any parent who is in a partnership with an individual who originates from or has family abroad to be highly suspect of the possibility of international parental child abduction during this time of year.

As in all cases of parental abduction, these crimes against children are well-thought-out, well-planned and designed to catch a targeted parent off-guard and unsuspecting that a horrible scheme is underway to have their child taken. 

And the schemes that eventually see children abducted or illegally detained abroad are being carried out right now.

However, if you know the warning signs to look for, parents have a fair chance of protecting their child or children from abduction. 

With 100,000 to 125,000 American Children and anywhere from 12,500 to 20,000 Canadian children reported to be expected to be internationally abducted over the next ten years DO NOT STICK YOUR HEAD IN THE GROUND:  International parental child abduction is a pandemic that silently steals children.  

Don't let your child be abducted.  Educate yourself.

You should know only an estimated 10% of all children internationally abducted ever come home. 

What To Look For

In many instances of cross-border parental child abduction that occurs during the holiday season, generally the largest number of incidents takes place when one parent travels to another country with their child or children of a relationship accompanied by, or with the initial consent of the other parent.  

Generally, the travel takes place under a guise of a holiday trip abroad to visit family members of the parent intending to abduct.  Of course, the targeted parent is clueless as to what is really going on. 

So for example, Father X was born and raised in the Middle East but married Woman Y, who is an American citizen.  The couple lives in the United States, where their child was born and raised. 

Unknown to the the woman in the relationship, the husband wants to end the relationship and relocate back to his country of origin back in the Middle East.  However, he has one problem: he knows that his wife will never allow for him to legally take the child with him.

So instead of announcing his true intent to separate, the husband will create critically important misdirection.  Meaning, he will do everything possible to make his wife believe that he is happy and committed in the relationship.   

I did say everything possible.  

Why? 

Becuase it is critical that she put her guard down and not suspect any foul play or scheme.

In the meantime, little things - that are really big things - may be taking place visibly or without knowledge of the targeted parent.  There are many warning signs to look for, but if the subtleties are not carefully considered, then the would-be abductor will get away with their plan.

So the husband who is intending to abduct the child by wrongfully detaining the child abroad will continue to create a facade of being happily married and committed to the relationship while carefully laying out a plan to get the child abroard.

Eventually, and right about this time of the year, the would-be abductor makes the suggestion that it would be 'great' or 'nice' or 'meaningful' to travel abroad together or without the other parent (depending on reasonable circumstances) in order to see his parents, siblings, and extended family.  And of course, all of this is in the best interest of the child of the partnership. 

Now, since the wife may believe the husband is committed to their relationship and does not even consider that he may have intent to not return to their marital home, she more than likely is willing to consent to the holiday vacation. 

Unfortunately for the mother and child, the trip takes place.  

Unknown to both, the parent intending to abduct has already hatched a well-thought out plan, including what may be necessary to keep the child abroad while removing the other parent's rights to the child abroad. 

Everything is deception - and everything must be considered. 

For example: the husband may ship certain belongings like a crib or a stroller and other items of the child that may create the appearnace the other parent knew he was relocating - and gave consent! Or, he may have begun to move his assets abroad. 

Once abroad with his wife and child, the woudl-be abductor may make false accusations of child or spousal abuse (men and women both claim abuse in cases of of planned abduction), claims of drug use, or any other claim that may indicate that the child is at risk.

By stating the child is at risk, this could potentially allow a local court in the foreign country to grant him immediate custody of the child - even though the child's original jurisdiction is in the country they were born and raised.  In addition, in cases where a Hague Application may be filed, the abductor has laid ground for an Article 13 Defense (which evolves around the best interest of the child). 

If it sounds complicated, it is. 

It is important for individuals married or in a relationship with partners who originate from non-Hague countries such as those located in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East to understand that if you are traveling to nations located in these areas and the other parent intends to not return to the child to the country of original jurisdiction, there is a very good chance they will be successful in keeping the child abroad . . . and your contact will be limited or absolved completely. Additionally, it is important to pay careful attention to Hague-Convention non-complying countries such as Germany, Brazil, Mexico, and Poland. 

Of course, if you ever plan to travel abroad and have been involved in a suspecious or strained relationship, please contact an attorney who is familiar with international parental child abduction prevention.  

Though I am not an attorney, I would highly advise you consider obtaining a court order prior to travel that the child is to be returned.  However, remember - in countries that are not members of internatinal treaties regarding abduction or do not comply to such said treaties - if a child is taken - it will be very costly and difficult to bring your child home. 

So - if you have any suspecion that an abduction might be planned - and this time of year is the planning period for the high number of Christmas Holiday Abductions that occur - seek the advice of a qualified lawyer - and do not let your child travel abroad under any circumstance.  Pay attention to the warning signs and act now!

To read about Chasing The Cyclone's impact, click here.  To purchase Chasing The Cyclone, please visit Amazon or BN.                                     

Most of all, if you are in a multi-cultural relationship and you think there may be a chance that your spouse or partner may try to abduct your child during the coming holiday season, please pay attention to the information I have provided.  International parental child abduction is only three degrees of seperation from impacting someone you know.

THE I CARE FOUNDATION

Getting Divorced During The Holidays? Remember Christmas Is High-Season For International Parental Child Abduction

Have you ever heard of International Parental Child Abduction? If you are getting separated or divorced this holiday season, have a child with a person with strong ties to another country, and believe that the other parent could attempt to relocate to that country without you knowing or without court permission with your child - then you better read this.     

 
It is a known fact that many children around the world are internationally abducted by one parent from another during the Christmas Holiday Season.   Unfortunately, it is also a known fact that many targeted parents of abduction have never heard of international parental child abduction and are not aware of the warning signs of abduction and what to do if abduction is imminent. 

Families that are considered high-risk for international abduction include those where there a strained relationship between individual participants from a cross-cultural marriage (parents born in two different countries) whereas one of the parents has strong ties to another country, and have limited ties (such as financial assets) to the country where they are presently living in with the child and the child's other parent (or in existing divorce or separation cases, when the other parent is actively involved in the child's life). 

How It Works

In many instances of cross-border parental child abduction that occurs during the holiday season, generally the largest number of incidents takes place when one parent travels to another country with their child or children of a relationship accompanied by, or with the initial consent of the other parent. 

Generally, the travel takes place under a guise of a holiday trip abroad to visit family members of the parent intending to abduct. Of course, the targeted parent is clueless as to what is really going on.

The World Turned Upside Down

So for example, Father X was born and raised in the Middle East but married Woman Y, who is an American citizen. The couple lives in the United States, where their child was born and raised.

Unknown to the woman in the relationship, the husband wants to end the relationship and relocate back to his country of origin back in the Middle East. However, he has one problem: he knows that his wife will never allow for him to legally take the child with him.

So instead of announcing his true intent to separate, the husband will create critically important misdirection. Meaning, he will do everything possible to make his wife believe that he is happy and committed in the relationship.

I did say everything possible.

Why?

Because it is critical that she put her guard down and not suspect any foul play or scheme.

In the meantime, little things - that are really big things - may be taking place visibly or without knowledge of the targeted parent. There are many warning signs to look for, but if the subtleties are not carefully considered, then the would-be abductor will get away with their plan.

So the husband who is intending to abduct the child by wrongfully detaining the child abroad will continue to create a facade of being happily married and committed to the relationship while carefully laying out a plan to get the child abroad.

Eventually, and right about this time of the year, the would-be abductor makes the suggestion that it would be 'great' or 'nice' or 'meaningful' to travel abroad together or without the other parent (depending on reasonable circumstances) in order to see his parents, siblings, and extended family. And of course, all of this is in the best interest of the child of the partnership.

Now, since the wife may believe the husband is committed to their relationship and does not even consider that he may have intent to not return to their marital home, she more than likely is willing to consent to the holiday vacation.

Unfortunately for the mother and child, the trip takes place.

Unknown to both, the parent intending to abduct has already hatched a well-thought out plan, including what may be necessary to keep the child abroad while removing the other parent's rights to the child abroad.

Everything is deception - and everything must be considered.

For example: the husband may ship certain belongings like a crib or a stroller and other items of the child that may create the appearance the other parent knew he was relocating - and gave consent! Or, he may have begun to move his assets abroad.

Once abroad with his wife and child, the would-be abductor may make false accusations of child or spousal abuse (men and women both claim abuse in cases of of planned abduction), claims of drug use, or any other claim that may indicate that the child is at risk.

By stating the child is at risk, this could potentially allow a local court in the foreign country to grant him immediate custody of the child - even though the child's original jurisdiction is in the country they were born and raised. In addition, in cases where a Hague Application may be filed, the abductor has laid ground for an Article 13 Defense (which revolves around the best interest of the child and is also known as the 'Slander Defense'). In nearly every case of abduction, the parent intending to abduct has cleverly orchestrated a public defamation campaign against the other parent - one that is typically concealed under the veil of anonymity.  Additionally, there are malicious and untruthful claims of spousal or child abuse made (by both men and women, equally).

If it sounds complicated, it is.

It is important for individuals married or in a relationship with partners who originate from non-Hague countries such as those located in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East to understand that if you are traveling to nations located in these areas and the other parent intends to not return to the child to the country of original jurisdiction, there is a very good chance they will be successful in keeping the child abroad . . . and your contact will be limited or absolved completely. Additionally, it is important to pay careful attention to Hague-Convention non-complying countries such as Germany, Brazil, Mexico, and Poland.

Of course, if you ever plan to travel abroad and have been involved in a suspicious or strained relationship, please contact an attorney who is familiar with international parental child abduction prevention.

Additionally, I strongly advise you consider obtaining a court order prior to travel that the child is to be returned. However, remember - in countries that are not members of international treaties regarding abduction or do not comply to such said treaties - if a child is taken - it will be very costly and difficult to bring your child home.

So - if you have any suspicion that abduction might be planned - and this time of year is the planning period for the high number of Christmas Holiday Abductions that occur - seek the advice of a qualified lawyer - and do not let your child travel abroad under any circumstance. Pay attention to the warning signs and act now!