,,iii #aaeth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #dca ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #ab1 #bjah ,mr4 ,grassley 7for himself1 ,mrs4 ,feinstein1 ,mr4 ,cruz1 and ,mr4 ,menendez7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,supporting the goals and ideals of ,international ,parental ,child ,abduction ,month and expressing the sense of the ,senate that ,congress should raise awareness of the harm caused by international parental child abduction4 ,whereas thousands of children in the ,united ,states have been abducted from the ,united ,states by parents1 separating those children from their parents who remain in the ,united ,states2 ,whereas it is illegal under section #abjd of title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code1 to remove1 or attempt to remove1 a child from the ,united ,states or retain a child 7who has been in the ,united ,states7 outside of the ,united ,states with the intent to obstruct the lawful exercise of parental rights2 ,whereas more than #fjj children experienced international parental child abduction during #bjae2 ,whereas1 during #bjaf1 one or more cases of international parental child abduction involving children who are citizens of the ,united ,states were identified in #ajf countries around the world2 ,whereas the ,united ,states is a party to the ,convention on the ,civil ,aspects of ,international ,child ,abduction1 done at the ,hague1 ,october #be1 #aihj 7,,tias #aafgj7 7referred to in this preamble as the ,hague ,convention on ,abduction71 which-- 7#a7 supports the prompt return of wrongly removed or retained children2 and 7#b7 calls for all participating parties to respect parental custody rights2 ,whereas a significant number of children who were abducted from the ,united ,states have yet to be reunited with their custodial parents2 ,whereas1 during #bjaf1 #ac countries were identified under the ,sean and ,david ,goldman ,international ,child ,abduction ,prevention and ,return ,act of #bjad 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #iaja et seq47 as engaging in a pattern of noncompliance2 ,whereas1 during the #bj-year period ending on the date of enactment of this resolution1 the ,national ,center for ,missing and ,exploited ,children has provided assistance for more than #f1jjj international family abduction cases involving children wrongfully removed from or retained outside of the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the ,supreme ,court of the ,united ,states has recognized that family abduction-- 7#a7 is a form of child abuse with potentially devastating consequences for a child1 that may include negative impacts on the physical and mental well-being of the child2 and 7#b7 can cause a child to experience a loss of community and stability1 leading to loneliness1 anger1 and fear of abandonment2 ,whereas1 according to the #bjaj ,report on ,compliance with the ,hague ,convention on the ,civil ,aspects of ,international ,child ,abduction by the ,department of ,state1 research shows that an abducted child is at risk of significant short- and long-term problems1 including anxiety1 eating problems1 nightmares1 mood swings1 sleep disturbances1 and aggressive behavior2 ,whereas international parental child abduction has devastating emotional consequences not only for the child but also for the parent from whom the child is separated2 ,whereas the ,united ,states has a history of promoting child welfare through institutions including-- 7#a7 in the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services-- 7,a7 the ,administration for ,children and ,families2 and 7,b7 the ,children's ,bureau2 and 7#b7 in the ,department of ,state1 the ,office of ,children's ,issues2 ,whereas ,congress has signaled a commitment to ending international parental child abduction by enacting the ,international ,child ,abduction ,remedies ,act 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #ijja et seq471 the ,international ,parental ,kidnapping ,crime ,act of #aiic 7,public ,law #ajc-agc2 #ajg ,stat4 #aiih71 and the ,sean and ,david ,goldman ,international ,child ,abduction ,prevention and ,return ,act of #bjad 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #iaja et seq472 ,whereas1 in #bjab1 the ,senate adopted ,senate ,resolution #edc1 #aabth ,congress1 agreed to ,december #d1 #bjab1 which-- 7#a7 condemned international parental child abduction2 7#b7 urged countries identified by the ,department of ,state as noncompliant with the ,hague ,convention on ,abduction to fulfill the commitment those countries made to implement the ,hague ,convention on ,abduction2 and 7#c7 expressed the sense of the ,senate that the ,united ,states should-- 7,a7 pursue the return1 by all appropriate means1 of each child abducted by a parent to another country2 7,b7 if a child is abducted by a parent and not returned to the ,united ,states1 facilitate access to the abducted child for the parent remaining in the ,united ,states2 and 7,c7 where appropriate1 seek the extradition of the parent that abducted the child2 ,whereas all #ej ,states and the ,district of ,columbia have enacted laws criminalizing parental kidnapping2 ,whereas1 in #bjaf1 the ,prevention ,branch of the ,office of ,children's ,issues of the ,department of ,state-- 7#a7 fielded #b1ecg inquiries from the general public relating to preventing a child from being removed from the ,united ,states2 and 7#b7 enrolled #d1jhg children in the ,children's ,passport ,issuance ,alert ,program1 which-- 7,a7 is one of the most important tools of the ,department of ,state for preventing international parental child abduction2 and 7,b7 allows the ,office of ,children's ,issues to contact the enrolling parent or legal guardian to verify whether the parental consent requirement has been met when a passport application has been submitted for an enrolled child2 ,whereas1 the ,department of ,state cannot track the ultimate destination of a child through the use of the passport of the child issued by the ,department of ,state if the child is transported to a third country after departing from the ,united ,states2 ,whereas a child who is a citizen of the ,united ,states may have another nationality and may travel using a passport issued by another country1 which-- 7#a7 increases the difficulty in determining the whereabouts of the child2 and 7#b7 makes efforts to prevent abductions all the more critical2 ,whereas1 in #bjaf1 the ,department of ,homeland ,security1 in coordination with the ,prevention ,branch of the ,office of ,children's ,issues of the ,department of ,state1 enrolled #aca children in a program aimed at preventing international parental child abduction2 ,whereas1 the ,department of ,state1 through the ,international ,visitor ,leadership ,program and related initiatives with global partners of the ,united ,states1 has reduced the number of children who have been reported abducted from the ,united ,states by #be percent during the past #b years2 and ,whereas the ,united ,states should continue to play a leadership role in raising awareness about the devastating impacts of international parental child abduction by educating the public about the negative emotional1 psychological1 and physical consequences to children and parents victimized by international parental child abduction3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate recognizes and observes ,international ,parental ,child ,abduction ,month during the period beginning on ,april #a1 #bjah1 and ending on ,may #a1 #bjah1 to raise awareness of1 and opposition to1 international parental child abduction4