The number of international child abductions by parents increases every year.

So much so that the Office of Children’s Issues in the US State Department is one of the most rapidly expanding units in the State Department.

The Office is the so-called central authority under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.

Some American parents vented to Congress on Missing Children’s Day.

And one, whom it took five years to get his son back from Brazil, even long after the boy’s abducting mother died, lobbied for legislation enabling imposition of sanctions against countries that don’t comply with the Hague Convention.

There are currently no mechanisms for enforcing compliance with the Hague Convention – or punishing noncompliance.

The proposed legislation authorizes eighteen different sanctions for violation of the Hague Convention.

Read more in

• this AFP news article: International child abductions up sharply: US official

• this My Central New Jersey article: Dad promotes anti-abduction bill

• this Focus Information News Agency article: US ‘left-behind parents’ seek help to get kids back and

• this Hill article: Rep. Smith takes on child abduction