What happens in one of the parents kidnaps the child and leaves the country?
What happens in one of the parents kidnaps the child and leaves the country? When a U.S. citizen child is kidnapped and taken to another country, the State Department’s Office of Children’s Issues works with U.S. embassies and consulates throughout the world to help the child and the parent looking for the child. But, even when a child is taken across international borders, child custody disputes are private legal matters between the parents, and the State Department has little or no power. It is very important, if your child is at risk of being abducted by the other parent, that you have a clear custody order that specifies what the other parent can and cannot do in terms of traveling with your child. But, even if you have a court order, U.S. laws and court orders are not usually recognized in the foreign country and therefore are not directly enforceable abroad. Fortunately, the Hague Convention, which has been signed by many countries, is an international treaty that applies to chil
