,,iv #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #hda ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,february #g1 #bjbj,mr4 ,panetta 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,bacon1 ,mr4 ,cisneros1 ,mr4 ,crenshaw1 ,mr4 ,harris1 ,mr4 ,hudson1 ,ms4 ,jayapal1 ,mr4 ,levin of ,michigan1 ,mr4 ,malinowski1 ,mr4 ,mc,govern1 ,mr4 ,meadows1 ,mr4 ,posey1 ,mr4 ,rogers of ,kentucky1 ,mr4 ,smith of ,washington1 ,mr4 ,suozzi1 and ,mr4 ,swalwell of ,california7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,oversight and ,reform ,,resolution ,supporting the recognition and observation of ,april as ,international ,parental ,child ,abduction ,month to raise awareness of1 and opposition to1 international parental child abduction4 ,whereas more than #i1jjj children in the ,united ,states have been abducted and removed from the country by one of their parents between #bjjh and #bjae1 separating those children from parents remaining 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 nearly #hjj children experienced international parental child abduction during #bjah2 ,whereas1 during #bjah1 over #ajg countries were involved in one or more cases of international parental child abduction relating to children who are ,united ,states citizens2 ,whereas the ,united ,states is a party to the ,convention on the ,civil ,aspects of ,international ,child ,abduction1 done at ,the ,hague1 ,october #be1 #aihj1 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 have been abducted from the ,united ,states have yet to be reunited with their custodial parents2 ,whereas1 during #bjah1 nine 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 ,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 child1 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 ,child and ,families2 and 7,b7 the ,children's ,bureau2 and 7#b7 in the ,department of ,state1 the ,office of ,children's ,issues2 ,whereas1 over the previous #bj years1 the ,national ,center for ,missing and ,exploited ,children has provided professional assistance and support services for international family abduction cases involving children wrongfully removed from or retained outside of the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the ,coalition to ,end ,international ,parental ,child ,abduction1 through dedicated advocacy and regular testimony1 has highlighted the importance of this issue to ,congress and called on successive administrations to take concerted action to stop international parental child abduction2 ,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 ,whereas ,congress calls upon the ,department of ,state to fully utilize the tools available under the ,sean and ,david ,goldman ,international ,child ,abduction ,prevention and ,return ,act of #bjad 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #iaja et seq47 to negotiate1 and make publicly available1 bilateral agreements or memorandums of understanding1 with countries not party to the ,hague ,convention on ,abduction to resolve abduction and access cases1 and to negotiate1 and make publicly available1 bilateral agreements or memorandums of understanding1 regarding open abduction and access cases predating the ,hague ,convention on ,abduction with countries that have thereafter become a party to the ,hague ,convention on ,abduction2 ,whereas all #ej ,states and the ,district of ,columbia have enacted laws criminalizing parental kidnapping2 ,whereas1 in #bjah1 the ,prevention ,branch of the ,office of ,children's ,issues of the ,department of ,state-- 7#a7 fielded over #e1bjj inquiries from the general public relating to preventing a child from being removed from the ,united ,states2 and-- 7#b7 enrolled over #d1gjj 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 ,whereas 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 #bjah1 the ,department of ,homeland ,security1 in coordination with the ,prevention ,branch of the ,office of ,children's ,issues of the ,department of ,state1 enrolled #bcf children in the ,prevent ,abduction ,program1 which is aimed at preventing international parental child abduction through coordination with ,customs and ,border ,patrol officers at airport1 seaport1 and land border ports-of-entry2 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 ,house of ,representatives supports the recognition and observation of ,international ,parental ,child ,abduction ,month to raise awareness of1 and opposition to1 international parental child abduction4