Underwatch Research
Family Abduction Documents
- NCMEC Site This is the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s
site for downloading their publications or requesting a hard copy. All
searching parents should ensure all professionals involved in their
case receive the URL to this site. - Missing and Abducted Children: A Law Enforcement Guide to Case Investigation and
Program Management – For Law Enforcement Professionals This
is a Microsoft Word document from The National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children that is designed for law enforcement professionals
to aid in their investigative efforts. All searching parents should
ensure their investigating law enforcement professional, FBI Agent,
District Attorney, Victim Witness Advocate and all other related professionals
receive a copy. - Recovery and Reunification of Missing Children: A Team Approach (March
1995) This is a 75 page Microsoft Word document from The National Center
for Missing and Exploited Children that is designed to educate and assist
professionals who bear the primary responsibility of reuniting missing
children with their families. All recovering victim parents should provide
a copy of this document to all related professionals after the recovery.
We were particulary interested in the list of professionals listed in
the acknowledgements section. These are the movers and shakers of the
family abduction issue. - Missing and Exploited Children Comprehensive Action Program: What
To Do If You are Concerned That Your Chilld Might Be Kidnapped Written
by Gerald L. Nissenbaum, J.D., LL.M. (TAX) A good article on
family abduction prevention. (June 1994) - “The Kid is With a Parent, How Bad Can it Be?”: The Crisis of Family
Abductions An article written by NCMEC President Ernie Alen.
(1991)
International Family Abduction Issues
- The Epidemic of Parental Child-Snatching: An Overview Attempts to
Prevent Parental Child Abduction, Applicable United States Laws, and
the Hague Conventinon. by Hon. William Rigler. — A good overview
article on International parental kidnapping and the costs associated
with a recovery under the Hague Convention. - List of Countries that have ratified The Hague Convention.
- Full text of The Hague Convention.
- Full text of The Hague Convention.
- International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (Europe)
- International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act of 1993 18 U.S.C. 1204
This is the full text of PUBLIC LAW 103-173 at Bill Hilton’s HiltonHouse site. - State Department – Embassies This is a good list of United States
Embassies in each country and a list of the key foreign service officers
as of June 1997. - Statement of Mary A. Ryan Before Committee on International Relations U.S. House
of Reprensentatives Testimony on problems with the Hague Convetion.
A specific mention of Austria, Honduras, Mexico and Sweden.(October
1999). - International Forum on Parental Child Abduction Brochure
in Adobe Acrobat PDF.
Download a free copy of the
Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Legal — Domestic Violence Shelters
- Guidelines for Domestic Violence Advocates A revealing look at the advice given
by domestic violence workers and volunteers in California.
Family Abduction Legal Directory
- FBI description – A Web site that gives a good description of the FBI that outlines
their role in family abduction cases. - Martindale-Hubbell Lawyer Locator — This is a good guide for locating the name and
address of an attorney. - ABA Network Lawyer Locator — This site expands the capabilites of the
Martindale-Hubbell Lawyer Directory. - US Department of State — This Web site written in 1995 provides
a good description of the U.S. State Department.
Family Abduction Legislative Developments
- The Fagan Bill in Florida — This bill would virtually eliminate
the Children of the Underground Group. It would require the person who
took the children to notify law enforcement authorities from the child’s
previous home within 10 days, according to a draft of the bill. The
person would have to tell authorities why he or she took the child and
provide an address and phone number where the child is being held. Short
of a court order providing appropriate safeguards, this information
would remain confidential.
Protective Parent Legal Issues
- Morgan vs. Forteich
This is a classic 1989 legal analysis of child custody issues as they
relate to the family abduction crime. This analysis includes a quote
from Faye Yager who states, “no one is turned away for lack of resources.”
- Foretich to sue over law for Morgan President Clinton has
signed a measure that would allow Elizabeth Morgan to return to the
United States without fear of arrest, even though she fled the country
nine years ago during a bitter custody battle. Victim Parent Eric Fortich’s
Attorney Jonathan Turley will bring this matter to court as a violation
of the constitution and the Hague Convention.
Family Abduction Movies
- When Andrew Came Home Inspired by a true story, this movie
tells of a mother who must cope with the return of her son, who had
been missing for five years after being kidnapped by her ex-husband.
Family Abduction Prevention
Monitoring
- Ulocate.com A monitoring service that tracks cell phone activity of your children’s
phones and displays their location on a map. It is also possible to
setup an alert when the phone is used outside of a defined area. This
service supports the Motorola i730, i88s and i58sr on the Nextel network
and all models of the Benefon on the T-Mobile, AT&T, and Cingular networks.
Additional phones and carriers will be supported as they become GPS
compatible. - Family Abduction: Prevention and Response A publication of
the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. This publication
can be downloaded from their site (248 pages). Note: If you believe
your child(ren) could be kidnapped by your former spouse, it is imperative
that you download this guide and carefully read it. You should call
the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Center’s 24-Hour
Hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678). - Blocking the issuance of a U.S. Passport Information from the U.S. Department
of State of how to stop a U.S. passport from from being issued for your
child if you suspect they might be kidnapped abroad. Most U.S. citizens
will not leave the country without a valid U.S. Passport for their child. - Parental Kidnapping: Prevention and RemediesThis article
was prepared for the project “Obstacles to the Recovery and Return of
Parentally Abducted Children: Training, Technical Assistance, and Project
Resources.” The Project is directed by Linda K. Girdner, Ph.D., project
director, and Patricia M. Hoff, Esq., legal director, at the American
Bar Association Center on Children and the Law. Other research by Dr.
Janet Johnston, Judith Wallerstein Center for the Family in Transition,
and Dr. Linda Girdner, ABA Center on Children and the Law. (1997) - Parental Kidnapping:Profile of the Kidnapper and Steps for Prevention
One of the few white papers on the profile of a parental kidnapper and
steps that can be taken for prevention. - Parental Abduction of Children:An Overview and Profile of the Abduction
Prepared by: John Kiedrowski,M.A.(Crim.) C.H.S. Jayewardene,Ph.D.
and Marlene Dalley, Ph.D. of the MISSING CHILDREN’S REGISTRY, R.C.M.P.
in Ottawa, Ontario.(1994) - Prevention of Parent or Family Abduction of Children Through Early
Identification of Risk Factors This study was conducted by Dr.
Linda Girdner of the ABA Center for Children and the Law in collaboration
with the Center for the Family in Transition in Corte Madera, California.
This research has identified characteristics of families in which there
has been an abduction and compared a sample of these families with high-conflict
parents who have litigated custody.
Psychoglocial Effect on Children
- Parental Alienation White Paper by By Douglas Darnall, Ph.D.
Dr. Darnall’s white paper includes the most up to date information on
parental alienation syndrome. The document is provided at the PsyCare
Foundation site.
