I CARE Foundation Creates Special Commission To Report On Groundbreaking Hague-Convention-Oriented International Parental Child Abduction Prevention Initiatives
New York, New York (PRWEB) July 23, 2013 -- The I CARE Foundation has announced today the creation of a Special Commission created to steward the global implementation of the recently released "international Travel Child Consent Form' and report to leadership of the Hague Conference how effective the new abduction prevention tool was in stopping international child kidnappings based upon the wrongful retention of a child abroad established under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects Of International Child Abduction.
The I CARE Foundation's Special Commission will consist of highly knowledgeable child abduction prevention advocate stakeholders in Hague-signatory member states, including attorneys, judges, law enforcement officers, and policy administrators. The focus and responsibility of the Special Commission is to steward the existence and implementation of the I CARE Foundation's travel consent form around the world that is steep in Hague-oriented language and case law in an effort to prevent abduction. In addition, the Special Commission will share its findings with the Hague Conference on International Private Law, with the goal that the Hague leadership will implement a universal policy similar to what has originated in the non-government organization sector.
The Secretary General of the Hague Conference On International Private Law, Mr. Christophe Bernasconi, shared his insight on the I CARE Foundation's initiative and support of the 'International Travel Consent Form, when the Secretary General commented to I CARE Foundation Founding Director Peter Thomas Senese, "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."
Conceptually created at an I CARE Foundation conference held at the United Nations attended by Turkey's Honorable Judge Selma Nilhan Tekinalp, a world renown child advocate and leading authority on Hague abduction law as part of the International Visitor Leadership Program, the I CARE Foundation's International Travel Child Consent Form' has significant support in courtrooms around the world as demonstrated by Judge Tekinalp's perspective. "The judiciary has an absolute responsibility to prevent against international parental child abduction. In cases when a parent wrongfully takes or detains a child in a foreign country without court order or consent society must understand that this is never a child custody case but a case of kidnapping. The grave and severe abuse to children of abduction at the hands of their kidnapping parents is devastating and only now coming into public light. From the I CARE Foundation sponsored conference at the United Nations I participated in, and discussed with Mr. Peter Thomas Senese numerous issues revolving around how we may prevent abduction, I am pleased to share that the 'I CARE Foundation's International Travel Child Consent Form' has the worldwide potential to dramatically reduce global child abduction. This agreement is deep in Hague law, and strikes at the core of abductor statements who may attempt to mislead courts into sanctioning a kidnapping established under the rules of the Hague Convention. I welcome the creation of the Special Commission."
Mr. James Westman, formally a high-ranking senior officer with Canada's Royal Canadian Mounted Police with an extensive investigatory background in national intelligence, counter-intelligence, and child abduction and trafficking and who's dedication to protecting innocent children from abduction is at the very core of the I CARE Foundation's initiatives added, "The creation of the Special Commission that will report the findings and implementation of the International Travel Child Consent Form will hopefully convey the importance of having a Hague-centric platform for children traveling abroad. As a senior federal law enfacement officer, and then later, in my work in the private sector dealing with child abduction, it is clear the vast majority of abusive international parental child abductions occur due to the wrongful retention of a child. What is unique about our I CARE Foundation doctrine is that it cuts to the chase of wrongful retention legal matters created under the rules of the Hague Convention. This new tool, once shared and implemented worldwide very well could become the singular most important international child abduction prevention tool operating on a global scale ever created. I expect that when the Special Commission shares our findings with the leadership of the Hague Conference, our findings will show a significant reduction in abduction cases related to international travel, and, there very well should be a drastic reduction in time targeted parents spend attempting to reunite with their abducted children."
Peter Thomas Senese, the Founding Director of the I CARE Foundation added, "It is deeply rewarding to know that from all appearances and initial data, the 'International Travel Child Consent Form' will have a dramatic and significant impact on preventing international child abductions around the world. In a short time, the doctrine not only has been embraced and utilized by a large number of families around the world, but not one child who traveled internationally under this consent form has been wrongfully detained thus far. Naturally the summer is still on us; however, so far, the data is very encouraging. I look forward to partaking in the Special Commission's study and reporting our findings with the Secretary General."
Silvia A. Sejas Pardo, a highly respected Argentinean and Spanish international lawyer based in Spain and who is a Founding Member of FASIM, an international association of attorneys dedicated to preventing child abduction commented, "The creation of the Special Commission is a critical step in furthering the global utilization of the 'International Travel Child Consent Form' into courts everywhere. We as lawyers who are on the front-line in the fight to stop abduction not only must embrace this clever and sophisticated tool, but we must share of its high merit with lawyers and the judiciary around the world. If we do, we will prevent many abductions."
Carolina Marín Pedreño is a partner at the prestigious London-based law firm of Dawson Cornwell, Carolina Marín Pedreño is the Founding Member of FASIM, an international association of attorneys based in Barcelona created to prevent and assist with international child abduction cases. Additionally, Carolina is the Secretary of the British and Spanish Law Association, a member of the Spanish Association of Family Lawyers, AEAFA, Resolution, Reunite: International Child Abduction Centre, the Society of British and Argentine Lawyers, and the Association of Lawyers for Children, added, "The positive feedback of the Secretary General is extremely welcome as it highlights the potential of the I CARE Foundation's 'International Travel Child Consent Form as an international instrument to prevent and reduce cases of child abduction globally. The I Care Foundation has created a wonderful tool, but it is essential that the judiciary and child abduction practitioners around the world now use the Consent Form in international cases; only then will a body of case law develop in each jurisdiction that will enshrine the importance of the Form and lead to a significant decrease in international child abduction. I welcome the creation of the Special Commission and look forward to sharing our findings with the Hague Conference's leadership."
Mexico's Carlos Alvarado is a partner at the International Law Group and considered one of the most knowledgeable international family law attorneys in Mexico. Mr. Alvarado was responsible for codifying and translating the I CARE Foundation's travel consent form into Spanish. Mr. Alvarado added, "The creation of the I CARE Foundation Special Commission is a very significant event for it further demonstrates the significant progress of the 'International Travel Child Consent Form'. There is no question in my mind that when fully implemented, we will see a sizable decline in child abductions. On this note, society must remember that when a parent internationally abducts a child, this is not a child custody case, but a kidnapping. And as reported last month by the U.S. Department of Justice, children who are abducted by one parent face high degree threats of violence and possible murder. I look forward to sharing the findings of the Special Commission with the leadership of the international community."
Jennifer Cluff, considered one of the world's top parent blog writers and who is responsible for the I CARE Foundation's social media outreach added, "Over the course of two years since my involvement with the I CARE Foundation, it still shocks me to realize just how big of a pandemic international parental child abduction is. However, I know first-hand the outreach efforts of our I CARE Foundation family to raise awareness of abduction so that kidnappings may be prevented has a large and measurable impact on stopping kidnappings. As a mother and child advocate, the creation of the Special Commission in order to further share light of the I CARE Foundation's findings could once again protect a large number of children around the world."
Elisabeth Hirsh, a highly respected human rights activist and child advocate who has assisted the I CARE Foundation in global outreach stated, "The creation of a Special Commission to formally value the contribution of the I CARE Foundation's Travel Consent Form' is a critical step in preventing these terrible kidnappings. It is critical that society continue to create abduction prevention tools in order to protect innocent children."
To learn more about the 'International Travel Child Consent Form' please visit the I CARE Foundation: http://www.stopchildabduction.org/Child_Travel_Consent_Form.html
Maria Gina, I Care Foundation, http://www.stopchildabduction.org/, 310-882-3967, [email protected]
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