International Travel Child Consent Form Created To Stop Parental Child Abduction

NEW YORK, NY, June 13, 2013

The I CARE Foundation announced today the release of their "International Child Travel Consent Form" created to help prevent international parental child abduction due to the wrongful detention of a child traveling abroad with one parent.

Peter Thomas Senese, the Founding Director of the I CARE Foundation stated, "'The International Child Travel Consent Form' has been created using substantial 'Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction' case law. Specific attention and detail was focused on international abduction defenses associated with Articles 12, 13, and 20 of the international convention and incorporated into the travel consent document.  The tremendous, dedicated work of the I CARE Foundation's legal advisory board, many who happen to be members of the United States Department of State's Hague Convention Attorney Network, to create this unique and powerful abduction prevention tool is expected to significantly strengthen any targeted parent's legal position for an immediate return of their abducted child in cases of wrongfully detention commonly associated with international parental child abductions worldwide that occur during the summer school vacation period.  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. This is a potential game-changer not just for American children who are abducted, but for children of all nations."

International parental child abduction is a worldwide problem that is a severe act of child abuse.  According to a recent report issued by the Department of Justice, children who are abducted are often at high risk of significant acts of abuse and violence by the abducting parent, including murder.

During the summer vacation period, child abduction is prevalent. Often, children born from a multinational relationship are targeted for abduction when the marriage or partnership breaks down, or when one of the parents wants to end the relationship and that parent desires to return to their own country of origin.  So they create a clever scheme under the guise of a family vacation to visit relatives so that the other parent will consent to travel abroad. Often the targeted parent travels with them. Once abroad, the abducting parent often unleashes a carefully orchestrated scheme intended not only to remain abroad with the child, but often to permanently remove the other parent from the child's life.  

The legal defenses used by abductors to remain abroad have often enabled them to have a court sanction their abduction.

The I CARE Foundation's 'International Child Travel Consent Form' addresses many of the possible defenses an abductor may use.

The 'International Child Travel Consent Form' will be available in Spanish, French, German, and Italian in the coming days.

For more information about the 'International Child Travel Consent Form' and international parental child abduction please visit The I CARE Foundation official website (www.stopchildabduciton.org).

For attorneys interested in obtaining a full legal brief and framework of the travel consent form, please contact mediarelations@stopchildabduction.org.