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Read. Follow. Verify.Reviewing International Parental Child Abduction
Record date · January 1, 2018
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What This Bill Does
A House subcommittee hearing held on December 10, 2018, to examine the ongoing crisis of . The hearing focused on the effectiveness of the and the U.S. government's efforts to assist parents in recovering children taken to foreign countries.
The hearing highlights the government's role in enforcing international laws to recover children abducted by parents to foreign nations, affecting thousands of U.S. families annually.
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Left-behind parents
These parents are seeking the recovery of children who have been taken to foreign countries.
U.S. Government
The government is responsible for utilizing legal tools to address international abduction cases.
Key Facts
- The hearing was held on December 10, 2018, by the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.
- More than 450 new children are abducted internationally from the U.S. each year.
- Between 2008 and 2017, approximately 11,000 children were abducted internationally from the U.S.
- Since 1994, more than 400 U.S. children have been abducted to Japan.
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- The Japanese government has not returned a single American child to an American parent since 1994.
- The hearing featured testimony from three parents: Jeffery Morehouse, Juan Garaicoa, and Michelle Littleton.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How many children are abducted internationally from the U.S. annually?
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News Coverage
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Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Focus on Japan
The hearing specifically highlights a long-standing failure to resolve abduction cases involving Japan, noting zero returns since 1994.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.govinfo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment20Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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