Several years ago the concept of ‘international parental child abduction’, commonly referred to as IPCA, was as foreign to me as the remote possibility of actually seeing Mario, Luigi, or Dora The Explorer speaking Swahili while bouncing on a pogo stick in either Niger, the Congo, or Bantu. The act of IPCA was simply not one I was not familiar with, one I could not conceptually wrap my mind around. After all, what type of parent would purposefully internationally abduct a child, and in doing so act with such outlandish abuse and neglect? And what type of parent would want to cause their child severe mental, spiritual, and physical risk that is deeply associated with IPCA?

Unfortunately, and to my great surprise, several years ago I would soon find myself Chasing The Cyclone of IPCA under the rules of international law established by the Hague Convention. What I did not know at that time was that I would embark on an odyssey many individuals in society could not wrap their mind around either. Looking back, if someone was going to tell me just how bizarre and unbelievable of a journey I, like nearly every other targeted parent of abduction, would have to travel on in order to reunite with a kidnapped child, I truly would think that I had a better chance of tracking in the jungle with Dora the Explorer in the Congo Basin en route to Mario and Luigi’s new restaurant playfully named Toad. Seriously.

Unfortunately, the storms of IPCA hit my own family’s shores. When this occurred, I soon found myself Chasing The Cyclone of abduction. Life changed forever.

I know I am one of the few fortunate parents who weathered the severe storms.  I was fortunate enough to have the resources required to reunite with my child. And quite frankly, I was blessed and lucky.

Truth is, less than 10% of parents who have their child internationally abducted ever have that child returned. And the problem is much more severe than most everyone knows . . . unless you or someone close to you is a target of IPCA. This incidentally is growing at unthinkable leaps and bounds.

During the time I was Chasing The Cyclone, I made a promise to the God I believe in that if I was ever able to reunite with my child, I would one day try to help other parents and children targeted for IPCA by not simply raising awareness of the issue, but by lending my voice as a best-selling author and accomplished storyteller so new laws would be created to protect children. Humbly, and with great privilege, I continue to play my part in this arena.

Truth is, I know just how severe, dangerous, and heartbreaking of an issue IPCA is. One of my missions is to educate other parents of the warning signs of IPCA because, well, we’re only three degrees of separation from knowing another parent who is targeted for IPCA.

Imagine having your child disappear in a sea of 7 billion faces. This thought makes every parent shudder at such a notion.

Sadly, recent studies estimate that as many as 125,000 American children, 20,000 Canadian children, and a total of 200,000 defenseless children living in North America will be internationally, criminally abducted by one parent from another in contradiction to court orders over the next decade.

Alarmingly, only 10% of children abducted or illegally detained abroad will ever come home.

If you think this cannot happen to you, you might be mistaken.

Recently, the U.S. Census issued a report that 10% of all marriages in the United States are cross-cultural marriages, and further, that 18% of non-marriage relationships are cross-cultural. Clearly, our global society is becoming more connected, and this is a wonderful occurrence that should be celebrated. In our ability to celebrate this, we should also make sure that our children’s safety is secured.

Incidentally, the wrongful removal of a child from the country or illegal detention of a child in a foreign nation in contradiction of a court’s order is the criminal act of international parental child abduction as stated in the federal ‘International Parental Kidnapping Crimes Act’. Each state has its own criminal statutes concerning this act, which has been widely proclaimed by law enforcement and leading child therapists as child abuse.

To give you an idea of the magnitude of the size of this problem, think about five professional baseball stadiums filled with innocent children disappearing. Gone. Lost forever.

Now you might be thinking to yourself, well if it is a crime, then I will file a complaint with law enforcement and the police will go and get my child. Well, you surely are entitled and you should file a police report, but realistically if you think that your child is going to be brought home from another country because of a law enforcement action in your home state and country, you better think again. Truth is that the vast majority of nations will not uphold a pick-up order for parental abduction because of jurisdictional laws in their own country. Which means an action in the United States will have very little bearing in Japan, or Brazil, or Saudi Arabia, or in essence almost every country you can think of.

So what does a parent who has a child abducted do?

One of the remedies available to them is to turn to The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Parental Child Abduction of which the United States and Canada are signatory members. The Hague Convention in essence is an international treaty that established civil international court protocols parents who have had their child abducted can turn to for relief in order to bring their child home.

Perfect, right?

Wrong.

The truth is there exist many problems when thinking you can turn to the Hague Convention. The first issue is that many countries such as those found in Asia, Africa and the Middle East are not members of the convention. So, if your child is stolen to Japan for example, you do not have an international treaty to turn to. And using Japan as an instance, to the best of my knowledge no American child criminally abducted to Japan by the other parent has ever been returned to America by the Japanese government. Another example of this is to assume a child is stolen from Denver, Colorado to Nigeria (this is a recent case), well Nigeria is not a member of the convention. And in Nigeria, mothers have no real rights of custody. So, your ability to reunite with your child is very difficult.

Abduction to non-signatory nations such as Japan and Nigeria are not the only problem. Many countries who are signatories do not comply with the spirit or intent of the Hague Convention. For example, countries such as Mexico, Brazil, and Germany are, but a few nations that present serious challenges for a parent trying to legally reunite with their child.

What else could go wrong? Well, I am only scratching the surface. Remember, a parental child abductor is an abductor. They purposefully and knowingly kidnapped a child and fled to another country where they sought refuge under another nation’s laws. And as I said, men and women appear to equally abduct: the abusive act against an innocent child is not bias to gender.

Adding a serious amount of fuel to the fire is the fact that in the United States, if your child is internationally parentally abducted, you, the Chasing Parent, are responsible for all financial costs associated with your recovery attempts, meaning you are responsible for all legal costs, private investigator costs (you may need to first find out where your child is), and every other cost you can think of.

Are you starting to become overwhelmed?

You should be, particularly when that number – 200,000 children possibly taken from North America looms large.

Personally, in lieu of the new Census Bureau statistics on cross-cultural relationships, I think the forecasted number of 200,000 is low.

Now you might be asking yourself, “Why is this occurring at such a large scale?”

There are a few immediate and straight-forward answers. First, as the recently published U.S. Census Report demonstrates, the rise of international child abductions is occurring because our world is becoming closer together and individuals from different nations and cultures enter into relationships and eventually have children. However, divorce is a reality for all partnership and marriage.

Unfortunately, there are many times when a divorcing or separating parent who was not born in the country where the child has habitual residence lives decides that they want to return to their country of origin. And when they do, they want to take their child with them. Which of course typically does not go over very well with the child’s other parent. And knowing that a court will typically not grant for the parent to take the child abroad if the other parent does not consent, the non-national parent will create a scheme to abduct the child.

Another serious problem is that all too often a judge and a court possessing a right of local jurisdiction of a child does not realize the true intent of another parent’s intent to abduct. Nor does the court realize and understand the complexity of international law and the reality that once a child is taken abroad, their court’s orders mean very little, if anything at all.

So what can you do if you are a parent who might have some concern about international parental child abduction?

In order to assist you, I have provided a List Of Warning Signs that I urge you to consider. If the abduction of your child is imminent, please view the list of actions provided on the Chasing The Cyclone Official Websites’ Imminent Action section.

Truth is no person is an expert on international parental child abduction. Cases go from crazy to bizarre to unbelievable. Yet that is the reality of international parental child abduction.

The key to protecting your children and yourself is to educate yourself. In order to help other parents do just that, I have created a handful of tools that may be of use. This includes creating the online educational documentary film titled ‘Chasing Parents’. I have also co-authored the most up-to-date and current resource guide on international child abduction titled ‘The World Turned Upside Down’, and I have recently published the novel ‘Chasing The Cyclone’ that I am pleased to say book critics are speaking very highly of. Here are a few review excerpts:

The highly influential New York Journal of Books said of Chasing The Cyclone, “Chasing The Cyclone is a well-written thriller . . . Senese shares myriad emotions by writing in the first-person as he weaves through the action in this suspense-filled story . . . This novel might also be considered a treatise on international child abduction. Cyclone, while full of actual strategies and resources to assist parents in international abductions, is above all else a love story about a father and son … From Los Angeles, to Canada, to New Zealand, and eventually, Macau, a special administrative region of China, Cyclone is rife with international intrigue and suspense. The protagonist, Paul Francesco, orchestrates a master plan that he hopes will reunite him with the love of his life – his son. Along the way he finds himself swamped in red tape and drenched in frustration. Filled with a plethora of powerful characters and puzzling predicaments and dead ends, the story moves quickly . . . Cyclone will leave you informed and satisfied . . . you will be reluctant to put down.”

The renown Guilty Pleasures Book Review, known as one of the nation’s top book critic book review sites by women for women said, “If I had to use one word to describe Chasing the Cyclone by Peter Thomas Senese it would be phenomenal. As in remarkable. Extraordinary. I have read many books over the years, for enjoyment, for education, because I had to, because I wanted to. I cannot think of any other book that comes close to making me feel as I did when I read this book. I believe these feelings will stick with me forever. This story, inspired by horrific events, is about the love between a father and a son. And that love is beautiful . . . Mr. Senese’s is evidenced by a large number of sworn testimonials by many thankful parents who Mr. Senese has directly helped in either reuniting with their own child or preventing their child from being internationally abducted. Establishing the I CARE Foundation and being closely involved in the rescue attempts of abducted children is but one of the many impactful acts of Mr. Senese. Clearly, ‘involved’ for Mr. Senese means financially, emotionally, legally, and investigative support. His selflessness is inspiring. He is hope.”

Perhaps the highly respected New York City international family law attorney and I CARE Foundation board member Joel S. Walter said it best when he said, “Parents really need to understand of the possibility that IPCA is a real threat, particularly in cases where there are multi-cultural relationships or when one parent has demonstrated enough mental instability that they could conceivably use the child of the marriage as a pawn, and disappear to the other side of the world in order to cause hurt to the other parent.  The number of abductions occurring and predicted speaks for itself: we have a sizeable pandemic on our hands mothers and fathers alike need to protect their children.”

In parting, I would like to share with you that IPCA unfortunately is a much more widespread part of society’s fabric than any parent previously realized. The problem prior to the I CARE Foundation’s recent report on IPCA statistics is that nobody knew what the estimated child victim numbers were. We now have a good idea, and it is outrageous.

Remember, nearly every parent is blindsided that their child’s other parent would criminally internationally kidnap their child, and then soon find themselves in the helpless vortex of a legal system that rarely works to bring about a reunification.

Are there good people within the U.S. and Canadian government trying to bring about change? Absolutely. In fact, the individuals I know at the U.S. Department of State and Canada’s Ministry of Attorney General put their heart and energy every day into protecting children.

However, there are serious flaws in the systems available to parents.

The bottom line is in order to protect children from IPCA, parents need to be aware of its existence.

Truth is, IPCA is real, widespread, and touches the lives of millions of individuals each year: a number that is clearly growing.

Unlike Mario, Luigi, or Dora The Explorer, IPCA is real. You don’t need to drink Tom Wolf’s Koolaide to find yourself in the most horrific of storms.

Dorothy’s tornado brought her to the fictional land of Oz. The cyclone of IPCA is not as friendly: you will embark upon a journey your wildest nightmare could not imagine.

If you are interested in learning more about IPCA, please consider reading the international legal thriller that was deeply inspired by my own experiences that top book critics are being very generous to titled Chasing The Cyclone, or, you may read the most up-to-date resource guide on IPCA titled The World Turned Upside Down. I am pleased to also say that 100% of my e-book royalties are donated to the I CARE Foundation, which has created a few amazing miracles in the area of abduction reunification.

And remember, do not take any moment you have with your child or children for granted. Ever.

About The Author: Peter Thomas Senese is a child abduction prevention advocate and a successful chasing parent in accordance to the rules of international parental child abduction law established under the Hague Convention. Mr. Senese is the Founding Director of the not-for-profit International Child Abduction Research & Enlightenment (I CARE) Foundation. In his volunteer advocacy, Mr. Senese has provided testimony to various government committees and courts regarding child abduction. Under Mr. Senese’s guidance, the I CARE Foundation has built a national network of highly trained pro bono lawyers willing to assist parents and children who are either targeted for abduction or have been illegally abducted, and has led a secondary campaign recruiting attorneys to join the United States Department of State’s ‘Hague Convention Attorney Network’. In addition, the I CARE Foundation is behind two federal legislative initiatives that if passed is anticipated to dramatically reduce the number of child abductions and instances of human trafficking. The new legislative initiatives revolve around modification in the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, and, the implementation of Prevent Departure Program – II. In addition, Mr. Senese advocated for the passage of the State of Florida’s ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ (CAPA) that was enacted on January 1^st, 2011. Mr. Senese successfully sought for the implementation and dissemination of what was previously a widely underutilized federal child abduction prevention program; specifically, the ‘Prevent Departure Program’ (PDP) that is now highly utilized in order to protect targeted parents and their child from abduction in certain case scenarios. Mr. Senese advocated for the passage of both the states of California and New York’s online impersonation bills that are now law. Peter Thomas Senese is the creator/writer/producer of the educational documentary film series ‘Chasing Parents: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction’, a multi-best-selling geopolitical author whose upcoming world-wide book release that focuses on international child abduction titled ‘Chasing The Cyclone’ has been critically acclaimed as a call-to-arms against child abduction. Peter is the co-author of the highly informative, extensively researched book on IPCA titled ‘The World Turned Upside Down’. In addition, Peter is the writer of an extensive number of influential articles and essays pertaining to IPCA. He has created and oversees a comprehensive website dedicated to child abduction prevention and good parenting (www.chasingthecyclone.com) where numerous essays may be found, including the eye-opening report ‘Crisis In America: International Parental Child Abduction Today’ Peter co-authored with Ms. Carolyn Vlk. Dedicated to bringing about new child abduction prevention laws while creating dialogs that may reform certain government programs and protocols so that they may better serve targeted children and their parents, Peter Senese is a strong supporter of The Hague Convention and The Department of State’s Office Of Children’s Issues. Paramount to all things, Peter is a loving father deeply dedicated to raising his young son. 100% of Mr. Senese’s royalties generated from the sales of any of his e-books, including ‘Chasing The Cyclone’, ‘The Den of the Assassin’, and ‘Cloning Christ’ will be donated to the I CARE Foundation, which has used these monies to successfully reunite children internationally kidnapped or prevented an abduction from occurring.
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