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“URGING COMPLIANCE WITH HAGUE CONVENTION ON CIVIL ASPECTS OF INTERNATIONAL CHILD ABDUCTION” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E831 on May 25, 2000.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
URGING COMPLIANCE WITH HAGUE CONVENTION ON CIVIL ASPECTS OF
INTERNATIONAL CHILD ABDUCTION
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speech of
HON. TILLIE K. FOWLER
of florida
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, May 23, 2000
Mrs. FOWLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 293, which urges all parties to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction to comply with this important treaty.
Too many countries that have signed this compact fail to live up to its principles. Whether by design or passivity, these countries act as obstacles to reuniting parents with their kidnapped children. This not only occurs with rogue nations that ignore basic human rights; but even some of our closest allies.
I first became acquainted with this issue several years ago when a constituent of mine lost his only daughter to his German ex-wife. She was only 15-months old. For the next four years, he followed the Hague Convention to the letter, going to court in the United States and Germany to seek custody and visitation with his little girl and paying child support. Though a German court eventually awarded him visitation rights, his wife refused to comply and the German courts failed to enforce their own orders.
I was shocked at the impudence of the German government in its application of the Hague Convention. But, I was even more outraged at the failure of our own government to act as an aggressive advocate on behalf of American parents. The U.S. State Department left him to fend for himself, which his ex-wife appeared to have all of Germany fighting for her. I wrote to Secretary Albright, our Ambassador to Germany, and others seeking assistance, but my efforts were rebuffed as well. This happens to thousands of American parents every year, with similar responses.
Today's resolution says with firm resolve that the U.S. Congress will stand with these left-behind parents and fight for their children. When we unite with these parents in even a simple ``sense of Congress'' resolution, things can change and these nations will take notice.
Because of all the publicity that has been generated by this resolution and this issue, my constituent's ex-wife finally complied with the court-ordered visitation. He saw his little girl for the very first time in nearly four years last week. As he puts it, ``I can't see her very often, she doesn't speak English, and hardly knows who I am, but I feel like I just won the lotto.''
That is what this is all about. I urge all of my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 293.
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