Author Peter Thomas Senese is pleased to announce the E-book release of the international espionage thriller titled THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN on September 11h, 2011. Critics have praised THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN as an international financial espionage thriller steeped in the modern-day realities of our post 9-11 world, providing the story a visceral prescience teeming with realism and frightful possibilities of global cyber and biological terrorism, and Peter Senese as a masterful writer of international intrigue. Peter Senese's THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN is the first E-book release in a series of the best-selling author's previously hardcover releases of his noteworthy historical fiction novels, which include CLONING CHRIST, CHASING THE CYCLONE, PREDATORS GAMES (Winter, 2011), and QUEST (Spring, 2012).
Peter Senese commented on THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN, "For readers who enjoy fast-paced, multi-dimensional plots based upon historical events, substantial and thorough research, and plausible possibilities relevant to the world we live in today, THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN will take readers on a thrilling global geopolitical journey that begins in New York City's Wall Street, but soon darts into the hidden and unseen worlds that exists within nations that have highly questionable agendas towards the United States and the West, including but not limited to China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. And it is here, in these hidden worlds that disturbing plans that stand against America and the West's idea of liberty and freedom are carefully hatched and cultivated. Most concerningly, as each nation has become more reliant on one another in our global society, a new level of extraordinary vulnerability to our national security has been created, one perhaps we may not be prepared for. In THE DEN OF THE ASSASIN, I believe readers will find the uniquely accurate information on this subject that is carefully weaved through an intricate, entertaining storyline to be quite fascinating - and disturbing."
THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN opens in New York City, where an unassuming investment banker, Tyler Boxter, is preoccupied with his all-consuming career on Wall Street that acts as a personal shield against the trappings of life that hide guilt and pain and memories he doesn't want. In the midst of the biggest deal of his successful career, and unknown to Boxter, he is about to play a sophisticated but explosive game against a madman who is more savage and merciless than the winds of an atomic holocaust.
Once a mysterious theft leads Boxter from the sanctity of his Wall Street office and thrusts him into the dark world of international terrorism -- where zealot religious leaders stir and awaken hateful minds in the brutal desserts in the capitol of the Middle East's ancient, once mighty empire, where dark, sunken eyes eager to return to world-glory look into the abyss of Siberia's desolate terrains, where prisoners -citizens- who live on a remote peninsula in Asia would rather submit to isolationist cleansing than feel the wrath of a deceitful troll intent on destroying the ideals of the West - and where a city of scientists continue their unseen diabolical activity deep in the earth and protected by the menacing walls that surround the Forbidden City - knowing that what they have embarked upon is the West's greatest nightmare.
Peter Thomas Senese: writer, filmmaker, and dedicated child advocate will commence his E-book launch by releasing the highly praised, spine-tingling Post 9-11 financial espionage and geopolitical thriller that catapults the reader into a world of incomprehensible possibilities and insane apocalyptic challenges in Senese's intense, page-turning 'THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN', which will be released on September 11th, 2011. THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN is presently available in hardcover format from traditional retailers and online merchants. THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN was initially released in hardcover prior to the author's unexpected race into the cyclones of international child abduction. CHASING THE CYCLONE, inspired by Peter Thomas Senese's experiences in the horrific arena and depicts the horrific insanity of having a child internationally kidnapped, will be released in hardcover later on November 1st, 2011.
Reviewers of THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN have praised Peter Thomas Senese's storytelling. Renowned book critic Daniel Jolley commented: "This is one seriously good thriller. Billed as "a novel of international finance and espionage," Den of the Assassin is a super-realistic exploration of frightening possibilities, unsurpassed heroism, Lucifer-like evil, and terrorism of the worst kind ... The novel revolves around some kind of Day of the Jackal-like assassination plot, but the complexity of this novel stretches its tendrils deeply into international finance, the vagaries of the American legal and health care systems, international terrorism, diplomacy, intelligence, WMD, and cold-blooded murder - with a little romance thrown in just to stir up the pot a little more. Peter Thomas Senese does a masterful job traversing the inner hallways of diverse institutions as he slowly brings all of these diverse elements together for a slam-bang climax ... Peter Thomas Senese displays a wealth of knowledge of geopolitics, espionage, and international finance, describing all the technical intricacies of the story's elements and implications with great attention to detail -without ever letting the pace get bogged down or become confusing to the reader. He also keeps a number of secrets close to the vest, saving them for just the right time in the story. This serves to make the book thoroughly believable and increasingly suspenseful. There's no shortage of action here. What Tyler finds himself involved in is nothing less than a war, and he must fight to save not only himself, his friends, and his company, but his very country from an unimaginable catastrophe. The Father's network of agents and killers is as formidable as they come, and the security-related forces Tyler brings into the game are some of the best money can buy. In the end, though, the drama becomes deeply personal, as The Father and Tyler Boxter rush headlong toward a face-to-face encounter of epic proportions . . . Many a writer of thrillers seem to drop the ball somewhere in the middle of their novels, but Peter Thomas Senese's knowledge of geopolitics, international finance, and 21st century terrorist threats keeps the fires of detailed complexity and story evolution stoked and red-hot for the entire ride. Tyler Boxter is no James Bond, but Den of the Assassin proves to be just as exciting as any 007 caper - and much more realistic."
The best-Selling author Peter Senese's upcoming E-book series launch of selected publications from the novelist's previously released and upcoming international geopolitical thriller genre' publications will occur over a six month period and will include a total of four new edition E-book format releases that are intended to be translated and made available in multiple languages, allowing the growing number of readers who enjoy Mr. Senese's novels immediate and affordable access to his written works.
The gut-wrenching, inspirational theological thriller 'Cloning Christ' that jettisons readers to the spiritual and physical battlefront of good vs. evil in Peter Thomas Senese's electrifying, bone-chilling story of faith evolves around the global manhunt for Dr. Max Train, a once-devout, now faithless genomic scientist who may be in possession of the True Cross of Jesus of Nazareth. Cloning Christ will cause heart-racing readers to contemplate the challenges between science and faith while contemplating physical and spiritual issues we all face today in our pursuit to enrich the human condition and experience.
'Cloning Christ' will be released in E-book on October 15th, 2011.
Peter Thomas Senese's deeply personal novel, 'Chasing The Cyclone', the critically acclaimed heart-pounding international legal thriller of a father and son's unbowed and unbreakable love and belief in one another in lieu of a wicked international child abduction as told in a way very few writers ever could, and that was inspired by Peter Thomas Senese's unimaginable experiences as a parent chasing the cyclone of international child abduction, will released in hardcover and E-book on November 1st, 2011.
'Predator's Games' the riveting sequel of 'The Den of the Assassin', that propels readers into the shocking and deadly world of alternative energy speculation and depicts the world's power-nations conspiring against one another in an extremely dangerous and potentially cataclysmic quest to control what was once the unthinkable unfolds as unique characters initially introduced in 'The Den of the Assassin' race into real and startling possibilities evolving around advances in alternative energy and mankind's greed. 'Predator's Games' by Peter Thomas Senese will be released during the Thanksgiving Holiday Season.
QUEST, the sequel of CLONING CHRIST will be released during the early spring of 2012, and THE PRODUCTION is presently scheduled to be released in May, 2012.
In keeping true to the outspoken child abduction advocate's intent and desire to raise public awareness on the growing plague known as international parental child abduction, and staying steadfast to his desire to assist children and their parents at risk of being criminally kidnapped abroad, Peter Thomas Senese recently released the extensive and landmark resource guide on this subject he co-authored with renown child advocate Carolyn Vlk titled THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN. Mr. Senese and Ms. Vlk made the highly informative publication available free of charge via E-book on his personal websites (including www.peterthomassenese.com or www.chasingthecyclone.com) so that those individuals around the world who may need the contained information may have immediate access to it. THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN is also available from traditional E-book retailers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Peter Thomas Senese commented, "I am extremely pleased to announce the E-book publications of selected novels that readers from all over the world have embraced. It is indeed a very humbling experience to have such a large and diverse number of book lovers from Los Angeles to Christ Church to Beijing to St. Petersburg to Athens to Oslo to The Isle of Skye to New York, and from Anchorage to Cape Town and places in between to have interest in my novels.
"I am, as I will continue to be, extremely grateful for the worldwide reception my stories have received. This interest and appreciation supports my strong belief that society continues to evolve into global citizens, and with each and every passing day, the concerns or interests that one person shares in one part of the world has relevance to another person living on the other side of the planet. I think this is truly remarkable, particularly since one of the primary undercurrents of each of my books is the value of global citizenship. The other undercurrent - and I once thought this was a secret only a few readers realized, but in time I came to know how much I have been mistaken - is that if you hear the voice attached to the words in my novels, you will hear the voice of a parent who deeply loves his child. As I now have come to understand, a substantial number of my readers have heard and indentified with that voice. So perhaps these are two of the reasons why my writing continues to be embraced and evolve onto the global stage."
Not lost on Peter Thomas Senese, who splits his time between New York and Los Angeles is that 'THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN's E-book release falls a day after September 11th, 2011. Commenting from New York's Ground Zero where he was paying tribute on the ten year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on American soil, Peter Senese commented, "Having spent substantial time here, in and around New York's Ground Zero, losing many close friends and having had many other friends and family directly impacted by the malicious attacks or who were attached to the rescue operations, including an amazing heroic brother who was and is today with the FDNY, I was witness to the pain, suffering, and tragedy that occurred. But as you can see, on September 11th and the days that lead up to the unprovoked attacks against an innocent people that believe in freedom, an isolated group of men and women from around the world lost their faith in God and in each other. However, as those moments and days after these attacks occurred as has been demonstrated, mankind demonstrated an incredible belief in one another and in God. It was in our resolve, determination, and spirited remembrance for those who left this physical world, only to move on to His world, took place, that we were able to feel and see the love, the miracles, and the human connectivity of man's goodness. On a personal note, THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN, which is very much a New York book, I believe replicates the great spirit that surged forward that day and the days that ensued in New York City and the world thereafter. In fact, I wrote portions of this story on Wall Street; inside Trinity Church, inside Federal Hall, and from a historic building built in 1836 and was once the headquaters for National City Bank - Citibank. There is no question in the story that is THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN is there ever a failure to remember what occurred that day."
According to the Association of American Publishers, E-book sales represent the largest single format for book sales in the United States. Paperback sales are considered second, followed by hardcover book sales, both of which sales figures continue to decline.
Peter Senese added, "As an author who embraces my publishing independence, and having had considerable success, including having several of my books hit and stay on various publishing-industry best-seller lists, the ever-expanding use of e-book readers will allow for good writers with important issues that they desire to share with worldwide opportunity to reach audiences via e-book publications. Over the course of the past years, I have purposefully delayed the electronic release of my novels until I felt comfortable with the evolution of electronic distribution of my writings, and that my readership audience, who was accustomed to reading my books in hardcover format, would support my E-book publication. After receiving an incredible number of inquiries from book lovers all over the world expressing their desire to have my novels made available in E-book format and in multiple languages, I have become extremely comfortable that now is the time to launch selected books I have written on E-book format. This is very exciting!
Peter Thomas Senese is a storyteller focusing on messages in all formats that bespeak global connectivity.
Mr. Senese is actively involved in supporting issues that impact the lives of children, including demonstrative support of literacy programs and our nation's public libraries. He is actively engaged in numerous and extensive activities surrounding international child abduction prevention including the production of the groundbreaking documentary film on IPCA titled CHASING PARENTS, the publication of the landmark resource guide titled THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN and various actively evolving around legislation that will protect children and others from international child abduction or, malicious online impersonation.
To learn more about Peter Thomas Senese and his various writings, activities, child advocacy, or to order an autographed and dedicated copy of one of Peter's novels, please visit his official website (www.petersenese.com, www.thedenoftheassassin.info, www.chasingthecyclone.com, or www.peterthomassenese.blogspot.com). All of Peter Thomas Senese's books (print and E-book) are available through all traditional online and traditional bookstores as well as his personal website where consumers may order a signed and dedicated copy of one of Peter's books.
To read the press release click here
Showing posts with label peter thomas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label peter thomas. Show all posts
Monday, September 12, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
The WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN by PETER SENESE
I am very pleased to announce today the free E-book publication of THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN: International Parental Child Abduction by Peter Thomas Senese with special contributions by Carolyn Ann Vlk.
THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN by Peter Thomas Senese with Carolyn Ann Vlk is an extensive resource guide presently 315 pages in length containing significant information and landmark reports and research studies that will be useful for all individuals, including targeted parents, law enforcement officers, courts, and lawmakers interested in understanding and preventing international parental child abduction or human trafficking.
What is dynamic about THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN outside of the fact that the content and material contained within the book is that THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN takes shape in the form of a virtual E-book that is intended to be updated with new content, information, and material as relevant material and information becomes available. In essence, THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN is the foundation for a very unique cyber-library with the intent of providing critically important information for all individuals in need of information regarding child abduction.
In keeping with my goal of being able to offer to the world-at-large relevant, timely, and important information that may protect innocent children targeted for international abduction, it was my desire to make this extensive publication free-of-charge to all who desire to read it. THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN is available online as a free download in a PDF file format. Both Carolyn Ann Vlk’s and my child abduction prevention advocacy is done on a volunteer basis.
Making THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN free of charge is similar to the free extensive documentary film series titled ‘CHASING PARENTS: Racing Into the Storms of International Parental Child Abduction’ I have created that continues to educate a substantial number of individuals from around the world on the growing epidemic of criminal child abduction.
On behalf of Carolyn Ann Vlk and myself, I hope that the information contained in THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN will be of help to you.
Click Here To Read THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN BY PETER SENESE
Sincerely,
Peter Thomas Senese
THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN by PETER SENESE
I am very pleased to announce today the free E-book publication of THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN: International Parental Child Abduction by Peter Thomas Senese with special contributions by Carolyn Ann Vlk.
THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN by Peter Thomas Senese with Carolyn Ann Vlk is an extensive resource guide presently 315 pages in length containing significant information and landmark reports and research studies that will be useful for all individuals, including targeted parents, law enforcement officers, courts, and lawmakers interested in understanding and preventing international parental child abduction or human trafficking.
What is dynamic about THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN outside of the fact that the content and material contained within the book is that THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN takes shape in the form of a virtual E-book that is intended to be updated with new content, information, and material as relevant material and information becomes available. In essence, THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN is the foundation for a very unique cyber-library with the intent of providing critically important information for all individuals in need of information regarding child abduction.
In keeping with my goal of being able to offer to the world-at-large relevant, timely, and important information that may protect innocent children targeted for international abduction, it was my desire to make this extensive publication free-of-charge to all who desire to read it. THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN is available online as a free download in a PDF file format. Both Carolyn Ann Vlk’s and my child abduction prevention advocacy is done on a volunteer basis.
Making THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN free of charge is similar to the free extensive documentary film series titled ‘CHASING PARENTS: Racing Into the Storms of International Parental Child Abduction’ I have created that continues to educate a substantial number of individuals from around the world on the growing epidemic of criminal child abduction.
On behalf of Carolyn Ann Vlk and myself, I hope that the information contained in THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN will be of help to you.
Click Here To Read THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN BY PETER SENESE
Sincerely,
Peter Thomas Senese
Monday, November 8, 2010
‘Chasing Parents: Racing Into The Storms of International Parental Child Abduction’ Produced by Peter Senese adds ‘Prevent Departure Program’
Child abduction prevention advocates Carolyn Vlk and Peter Thomas Senese are pleased to announce the addition of the ‘Prevent Departure Program’ to the ‘CHASING PARENT: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction’ documentary film series produced by Pacifica TWST. According to the two advocates, the little-known ‘Prevent Departure Program’ may be one of America’s most useful and powerful tools capable of preventing international parental child abduction.
In a joint statement, Ms. Carolyn Vlk and Mr. Peter Senese said “ The ‘Prevent Departure Program’ may be one of the most important tools available for targeted parents at risk of having their child internationally abducted. It is critical that targeted parents and individuals at the forefront of this great battle understand its existence and potential implementation. It is our hope and anticipation that by creating this important segment in the ‘Chasing Parent’ documentary series, we have made accessible critical information parents and lawyers need in order to protect our nation’s children.”
Carolyn Ann Vlk, who drafted Florida’s ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ law, and Peter Thomas Senese, the author of ‘Chasing The Cyclone’ and the creator of the ‘CHASING PARENT’ educational documentary on international child abduction are committed to raising society’s awareness and understanding on the growing epidemic of international parental child abduction while also calling for new abduction prevention laws and having existing child abduction prevention laws fully implemented and utilized.
With over 1, 600 reported cases of U.S. child-citizens criminally abducted from America in 2009 alone (the year of the last reported data), it is clear that creating and enforcing child abduction prevention programs and laws are critical to protecting our nation’s defenseless children. Since 2006, the number of reported international child abductions has doubled. The vast majority of these children are never returned, as is best demonstrated that there are over 230 American children illegally detained in Japan due to their abduction. Japan has never returned a U.S. child-citizen abducted to their country.
The actual complete picture on international parental child abduction is much more grim.
As Carolyn Vlk and Peter Thomas Senese have pointed out in previous published reports, the number of actual international child abductions originating from the United States is substantially larger than what is reported due to a failure to weigh the large number of unreported international parental child abduction cases. This is discussed in the recently published report titled ‘Crisis in America: International Parental Child Abduction (2010 Updated).
The Prevent Departure Program may be used by the Department of State’s Office of Children’s Issues (OCI) in conjunction with the DHS in preventing the departure from the country of non-U.S. citizens considered to be either in the process or at high risk of abducting an American child-citizen.
The Prevent Departure Program documentary segment was directed by child advocate J.J. Rogers (D.G.A), and produced by Peter Senese and Carolyn Vlk. The film segment was narrated by Peter Thomas Senese.
To view the film segment of the Prevent Departure Program or to learn more about International Parental Child Abduction, please visit the official website of Chasing The Cyclone (www.chasingthecyclone.com).
At risk parents of child abduction or their lawyers should contact the Department of State’s Office of Children’s Issues Abduction Prevention Unit in Washington, D.C.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
florida Child Abduction Act Passes House Committee: Parents Of Over 200 U.S. Children Criminally Held In Japan Rally In D.C.
As Florida’s House Of Representative ‘Policy Council’ Unanimously Passes today the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ bill, the loving parents of over 200 criminally abducted children still in Japan are rallying this weekend in Washington DC in conjunction with the Cherry Blossom Festival, urging Japan to release their wrongfully detained children.
If Florida’s lawmakers needed to see first-hand the importance of Representative Darryl Rouson’s sponsored ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ bill, all that is needed is for these policymakers to look into the eyes or listen to the voices of the fathers and mothers of ‘Bring Abducted Children Home’ who are uniting and rallying this weekend in Washington, D.C. to demonstrate their disapproval and anger over Japan’s refusal to return over 200 United States children-citizens – many their own children – who were criminally detained in Japan.
Perhaps the lawmakers who sat on child advocate Representative Llorente’s ‘Policy Council’ had considered the fact that Japan has never returned an abducted child to the United States, when they unanimously voted on advancing Carolyn Ann Vlk’s authored ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ bill.
Next up for this critical bill that if made into law would allow courts to consider risk factors associated with a potential parental child abduction and to order remedies that would prevent such abduction from occurring, is for the House’s ‘Criminal and Justice Council’, to vote on the bill this Tuesday, April 13th, 2010. The council is chaired by Representative Snyder, who is known to be a defender and protector of children.
Representative Darryl Rouson, a lawmaker with a long and impressive history of advocating for children everywhere commented, “I am extremely pleased with the leadership that came out of Chairman Llorente’s ‘Policy Council’ this morning. Today marks the fifth legislative committee that the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ bill passed unanimously. Most of us policymakers in Tallahassee are parents or grandparents – we realize just how important it is to create laws that not only will protect our children, but will also protect the parents of our children who act in the best interest of our children. Prevention law is critical – and all you have to do is look at Washington, D.C. today and hear the pain in the voices of all of those loving parents who have had their children criminally abducted to Japan. And not one of our U.S. citizens has been returned home? This is beyond unthinkable. My prayers are with these illegally detained children and their parents as they fight the necessary fight to bring abducted children home! And this is why we, the lawmakers in Florida need to continue our expedite action of making the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ bill a law.”
Peter Thomas Senese, the author of the critically acclaimed ‘Chasing The Cyclone’ and producer of the groundbreaking documentary film ‘Chasing Parents’ said, “I am very pleased to see Representative Llorente’s leadership today as the ‘Policy Council’ passed unanimously the landmark bill my friend Carolyn Vlk authored. This bill will prevent many child abductions in Florida from happening. And by Florida demonstrating leadership, new laws will be passed in other states that will prevent abductions from occurring there. And that is why we’re all doing what we’re doing: to protect our innocent children from experiencing the cruelty of parental child abduction. As Representative Rouson pointed out, all you need to understand the nightmare that occurs in most every case is to look at the ordeal the parents of ‘Bring Abducted Children Home’ are doing this weekend in Washington, D.C. I mean, how could we not have preventive laws in place when countries like Japan have never returned a criminally parentally abducted child regardless if the abductor is a Japanese national or not? We need these laws, and we need them now. Fortunately, Representative Rouson realized that and acted. Unfortunately though, if lawmakers and the public in general had understood the reality of these types of abduction crimes, I am certain preventive laws would have been passed earlier, and parents like my friend William Lake, a Florida resident, would not be in D.C. protesting Japan’s shameful behavior. And on that note, I want to urge the public to look for and support the members of BAC Home who will be rallying this weekend during the Cherry Blossom Festival. They really need all the support they can receive.”
The cases of international abduction are endless. Each is different, yet they all have common threads that tie them together. Two of these threads are that a child that has been criminally abducted is removed from the child’s jurisdiction of habitual residency. The other is that the loving Chasing Parents left behind in the wake of their child’s abduction have limited resources available to bring their children home. Examples of this include loving parent Nigel Lewis’ pursuit of his abducted children Jasmyn and Cody, or Captain William Lake’s pursuit of his daughter Mary Victoria, or Commander Paul Toland’s desire to see his daughter Erika, or Doug Berg’s vigilance and endless effort to reunite with his children Gunnar and Kianna. Look at the action of Chris Savoie, who attempted to rescue his children Isaac and Rebecca, or the tragedy that Richard Wood faces in dealing with his daughter Tytiana, and son, Byron’s return. Sadly, the list goes on.
Brett Weed, the Vice President of Children’s Rights Council – Oregon Chapter and a Chasing Parent left staring at Japan’s black hole said, “According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 16: “The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.” Both countries involved in international cases of abduction are in violation of this article if uncompromising efforts are not made in the recovery efforts of an abducted child.”
T. Miklia, another Chasing Parent said, “How much longer will the loss of U.S. children be considered good international policy and an acceptable by-product of U.S./Japan relations?”
Carolyn Ann Vlk, the author of ‘The Child Abduction Prevention Act’ sponsored by Representative Rouson and Senator Sobel added, “My heart breaks in learning of the tragedy after tragedy that each of these and many other parents must endure in the face of having a child abducted, particularly across international borders. I can’t imagine what it would be like to wake up every day and not see my child, who was an at-risk child. I hope and imagine that the lawmakers here in my state of Florida are not only listening to the voices of the loving parents in our state who are urging for this critical piece of legislation to be made into law, but I hope they hear the voices and see the faces of our friends in Washington this weekend. Surely, they will come to realize that the issue of parental child abduction is global in nature and perhaps more complex and heartbreaking than they could ever imagine. I urge the lawmakers in my wonderful state to pass the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ bill and share with the world that the crime of parental child abduction will not be tolerated in our state, and in civilized nations, for that matter. And finally, if you’re in Washington over the coming days, please take the time to visit the parents from ‘Bring Abducted Children Home’. They need your support. Their children desperately need your support.”
For more information on the Florida ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’, please visit www.floridachildabductionpreventinact.info. For more information on Bring Abducted Children Home, please visit www.bachome.org. For more information on ‘Chasing The Cyclone’, Peter Thomas Senese, or international parental child abduction, please visit www.chasingthecyclone.com.
If Florida’s lawmakers needed to see first-hand the importance of Representative Darryl Rouson’s sponsored ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ bill, all that is needed is for these policymakers to look into the eyes or listen to the voices of the fathers and mothers of ‘Bring Abducted Children Home’ who are uniting and rallying this weekend in Washington, D.C. to demonstrate their disapproval and anger over Japan’s refusal to return over 200 United States children-citizens – many their own children – who were criminally detained in Japan.
Perhaps the lawmakers who sat on child advocate Representative Llorente’s ‘Policy Council’ had considered the fact that Japan has never returned an abducted child to the United States, when they unanimously voted on advancing Carolyn Ann Vlk’s authored ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ bill.
Next up for this critical bill that if made into law would allow courts to consider risk factors associated with a potential parental child abduction and to order remedies that would prevent such abduction from occurring, is for the House’s ‘Criminal and Justice Council’, to vote on the bill this Tuesday, April 13th, 2010. The council is chaired by Representative Snyder, who is known to be a defender and protector of children.
Representative Darryl Rouson, a lawmaker with a long and impressive history of advocating for children everywhere commented, “I am extremely pleased with the leadership that came out of Chairman Llorente’s ‘Policy Council’ this morning. Today marks the fifth legislative committee that the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ bill passed unanimously. Most of us policymakers in Tallahassee are parents or grandparents – we realize just how important it is to create laws that not only will protect our children, but will also protect the parents of our children who act in the best interest of our children. Prevention law is critical – and all you have to do is look at Washington, D.C. today and hear the pain in the voices of all of those loving parents who have had their children criminally abducted to Japan. And not one of our U.S. citizens has been returned home? This is beyond unthinkable. My prayers are with these illegally detained children and their parents as they fight the necessary fight to bring abducted children home! And this is why we, the lawmakers in Florida need to continue our expedite action of making the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ bill a law.”
Peter Thomas Senese, the author of the critically acclaimed ‘Chasing The Cyclone’ and producer of the groundbreaking documentary film ‘Chasing Parents’ said, “I am very pleased to see Representative Llorente’s leadership today as the ‘Policy Council’ passed unanimously the landmark bill my friend Carolyn Vlk authored. This bill will prevent many child abductions in Florida from happening. And by Florida demonstrating leadership, new laws will be passed in other states that will prevent abductions from occurring there. And that is why we’re all doing what we’re doing: to protect our innocent children from experiencing the cruelty of parental child abduction. As Representative Rouson pointed out, all you need to understand the nightmare that occurs in most every case is to look at the ordeal the parents of ‘Bring Abducted Children Home’ are doing this weekend in Washington, D.C. I mean, how could we not have preventive laws in place when countries like Japan have never returned a criminally parentally abducted child regardless if the abductor is a Japanese national or not? We need these laws, and we need them now. Fortunately, Representative Rouson realized that and acted. Unfortunately though, if lawmakers and the public in general had understood the reality of these types of abduction crimes, I am certain preventive laws would have been passed earlier, and parents like my friend William Lake, a Florida resident, would not be in D.C. protesting Japan’s shameful behavior. And on that note, I want to urge the public to look for and support the members of BAC Home who will be rallying this weekend during the Cherry Blossom Festival. They really need all the support they can receive.”
The cases of international abduction are endless. Each is different, yet they all have common threads that tie them together. Two of these threads are that a child that has been criminally abducted is removed from the child’s jurisdiction of habitual residency. The other is that the loving Chasing Parents left behind in the wake of their child’s abduction have limited resources available to bring their children home. Examples of this include loving parent Nigel Lewis’ pursuit of his abducted children Jasmyn and Cody, or Captain William Lake’s pursuit of his daughter Mary Victoria, or Commander Paul Toland’s desire to see his daughter Erika, or Doug Berg’s vigilance and endless effort to reunite with his children Gunnar and Kianna. Look at the action of Chris Savoie, who attempted to rescue his children Isaac and Rebecca, or the tragedy that Richard Wood faces in dealing with his daughter Tytiana, and son, Byron’s return. Sadly, the list goes on.
Brett Weed, the Vice President of Children’s Rights Council – Oregon Chapter and a Chasing Parent left staring at Japan’s black hole said, “According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 16: “The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.” Both countries involved in international cases of abduction are in violation of this article if uncompromising efforts are not made in the recovery efforts of an abducted child.”
T. Miklia, another Chasing Parent said, “How much longer will the loss of U.S. children be considered good international policy and an acceptable by-product of U.S./Japan relations?”
Carolyn Ann Vlk, the author of ‘The Child Abduction Prevention Act’ sponsored by Representative Rouson and Senator Sobel added, “My heart breaks in learning of the tragedy after tragedy that each of these and many other parents must endure in the face of having a child abducted, particularly across international borders. I can’t imagine what it would be like to wake up every day and not see my child, who was an at-risk child. I hope and imagine that the lawmakers here in my state of Florida are not only listening to the voices of the loving parents in our state who are urging for this critical piece of legislation to be made into law, but I hope they hear the voices and see the faces of our friends in Washington this weekend. Surely, they will come to realize that the issue of parental child abduction is global in nature and perhaps more complex and heartbreaking than they could ever imagine. I urge the lawmakers in my wonderful state to pass the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ bill and share with the world that the crime of parental child abduction will not be tolerated in our state, and in civilized nations, for that matter. And finally, if you’re in Washington over the coming days, please take the time to visit the parents from ‘Bring Abducted Children Home’. They need your support. Their children desperately need your support.”
For more information on the Florida ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’, please visit www.floridachildabductionpreventinact.info. For more information on Bring Abducted Children Home, please visit www.bachome.org. For more information on ‘Chasing The Cyclone’, Peter Thomas Senese, or international parental child abduction, please visit www.chasingthecyclone.com.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Florida ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ Support Swells As State Lawmakers Realize Prevention Is Critical To Best Interest Of Children
Two Senate Committees and One House Committee have all voted unanimously to pass the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ bill.
Representative Marcelo Llorente, the Chairman of Florida’s House of Representatives’ Policy Council, is a compassionate advocate for children’s rights and their safety. As House Bill 787 and adjoining Senate Bill 1862 continue to gain unilateral bipartisan support in both of Florida’s legislative bodies, as best indicated by three unanimous committee votes of support (two in the Senate and one in the House), it is becoming clear lawmakers in Florida are demonstrating great leadership in advancing model legislation that would preempt the growing number of parental child abductions that occur in the state each year.
Next up for this promising legislative bill that would provide courts the ability and responsibility to consider risk factors associated with a potential parental child abduction, and, the ability to implement protocols and remedies that would preempt these criminal acts against children from occurring, is child advocate Chairman Llorente’s Policy Council. It is anticipated that Chairman Llorente, a rising star in Florida’s political arena who has aspirations to be elected the next mayor of Miami in 2011, will agenda Florida’s ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ in the coming days. Throughout his impactful political career, which included being elected one of Florida’s youngest lawmakers ever, Representative Llorente has demonstrated a long history of acting for the best interest of children in the state.
Florida resident and one of the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ bill’s lead supporters, Captain William Lake, has been fighting desperately for nearly six years for the legal return of his young daughter who was criminally abducted to the international child abduction safe-harbor nation of Japan said, “April 11th will be my daughter’s 13th birthday. Over six years of her life have been stolen from the two of us. I am both sad that this bill wasn’t around to help me and happy that the passage of this into law will help prevent this kind of theft happening to any other parent and victimized child. As the plague of divorce sweeps across our nation, it’s time for the family courts to realize that the best interest of the child is just that: the best interest of the child. This bill will safeguard our children’s safety and their inalienable rights to the love of a parent who is desirous and capable of providing nurturing love and support back to that child.”
Carolyn Ann Vlk, the indefatigable Floridian mother from St. Petersburg who has written the model legislation after realizing the state of Florida had limited laws that would assist in preventing her child from being internationally abducted by the child’s other parent after repeated threats made to do so said, “It is undeniable that all children should be guaranteed the right to protection from abuse, harmful influences and exploitation. The unanimous approval the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ has received at both the Senate and the House levels illustrates that the policy makers of Florida agree. I remain hopeful that SB 1862 and HB 787 will soon become model legislation that can be utilized by other states to create or improve their child abduction prevention laws. We ask that you recognize our children’s often silent voices and contact your legislators today in support of this critical legislation.”
‘Chasing The Cyclone’ author and the producer/narrator of ‘Chasing Parents: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction’ Peter Thomas Senese added, “It is common sense that preemptive action against any hardship may lead to a dramatic reduction or end all-together that hardship. In medicine, it is demonstrated and accepted that preemptive healthcare and healthy lifestyles reduces illness. In this same light, preemptive child abduction laws would dramatically reduce the number of crimes against both child and targeted parent. This is a common-sense bill for all involved, and the likely cost savings to the state would be substantial due to a reduction of resources allocated for court and law enforcement expenditures related to an actual abduction and the ensuing recovery efforts. Not mentioned is the massive – not substantial – but massive amount of money Chasing Parents who race across international borders would save when they attempt to rescue and bring safely home their child. Unfortunately, on international cases of child abduction, the victimized parent is on their own financially as there are limited government resources available to assist them in bringing their child home – even though these types of abductions typically break both state and federal law. Imagine that: your child is criminally stolen to a foreign country, and if you don’t have the financial resources to fight the fight, in more likelihood, you’ve lost your child. Now consider your child is stolen and taken outside of the country by the other parent, but you have no idea where the child is. Well, at that point, unless you privately raise an army to find your child, you will never see that son or daughter again. So, with great enthusiasm, I am very pleased to know that the lawmakers of Florida are listening to the voices of both abducted children and parents affected by the crime of abduction who have worked tirelessly to have this bill passed into law. The ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ is unquestionably in the best interest of the children of Florida. Finally, on a personal note I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the bill’s sponsors, Representative Darryl Rouson and Senator Eleanor Sobel, for their hard work and demonstrated leadership in their endless advocacy for children.”
Charles Hamilton, a Chasing Parent said, “My child was illegally internationally parentally kidnapped in December 1996 to Spain during a divorce in which the courts were alerted by me with substantial evidence that my former spouse was about to abduct my child. This included evidence of two one-way airline tickets in the name of my spouse and child. Unfortunately, the Spanish Embassy in Los Angeles issued my former spouse new passports, which made it very easy for my former spouse to steal my daughter, Dakota Carmen Hamilton. If preventive laws existed at the time, I am sure that the love of my life, my daughter, would not have been criminally abducted. Florida’s law is critical for the children of the state.”
Florida resident and writer of the groundbreaking Synclair-Cannon California state child abduction prevention law observed, “’The Child Abduction Prevention Act’ aims at hindering an escalating crime that victimizes thousands of children each year in Florida. Courts and legal experts concur that parental abduction is child abuse, yet the court system often ignores the blatant red flags of parental kidnappings. Because of the preemptive measures that HB 787/ SB 1862 offers, I believe Tallahassee has the answer to reduce the number of children illegally pulled away from their homes by giving the courts proper direction on how to stop this crime. This House and Senate bill must become law.”
According to various government and private institute reports, it is estimated that slightly under 400,000 parental child abductions occur in the United States each year. Of this, it is anticipated that nearly 10,000 international cases occur, many of which are not reported or accounted for.
Parental Child Abduction is a crime against innocent, defenseless children that are reliant upon laws in each state to protect their safety. The Florida ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ bill, if passed into law, will guard against child abduction in the state.
The children’s advocates and lawmakers who support this bill urge you to sign the petition in support of the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’. It can be found at www.floridachildabductionpreventionact.info
Representative Marcelo Llorente, the Chairman of Florida’s House of Representatives’ Policy Council, is a compassionate advocate for children’s rights and their safety. As House Bill 787 and adjoining Senate Bill 1862 continue to gain unilateral bipartisan support in both of Florida’s legislative bodies, as best indicated by three unanimous committee votes of support (two in the Senate and one in the House), it is becoming clear lawmakers in Florida are demonstrating great leadership in advancing model legislation that would preempt the growing number of parental child abductions that occur in the state each year.
Next up for this promising legislative bill that would provide courts the ability and responsibility to consider risk factors associated with a potential parental child abduction, and, the ability to implement protocols and remedies that would preempt these criminal acts against children from occurring, is child advocate Chairman Llorente’s Policy Council. It is anticipated that Chairman Llorente, a rising star in Florida’s political arena who has aspirations to be elected the next mayor of Miami in 2011, will agenda Florida’s ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ in the coming days. Throughout his impactful political career, which included being elected one of Florida’s youngest lawmakers ever, Representative Llorente has demonstrated a long history of acting for the best interest of children in the state.
Florida resident and one of the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ bill’s lead supporters, Captain William Lake, has been fighting desperately for nearly six years for the legal return of his young daughter who was criminally abducted to the international child abduction safe-harbor nation of Japan said, “April 11th will be my daughter’s 13th birthday. Over six years of her life have been stolen from the two of us. I am both sad that this bill wasn’t around to help me and happy that the passage of this into law will help prevent this kind of theft happening to any other parent and victimized child. As the plague of divorce sweeps across our nation, it’s time for the family courts to realize that the best interest of the child is just that: the best interest of the child. This bill will safeguard our children’s safety and their inalienable rights to the love of a parent who is desirous and capable of providing nurturing love and support back to that child.”
Carolyn Ann Vlk, the indefatigable Floridian mother from St. Petersburg who has written the model legislation after realizing the state of Florida had limited laws that would assist in preventing her child from being internationally abducted by the child’s other parent after repeated threats made to do so said, “It is undeniable that all children should be guaranteed the right to protection from abuse, harmful influences and exploitation. The unanimous approval the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ has received at both the Senate and the House levels illustrates that the policy makers of Florida agree. I remain hopeful that SB 1862 and HB 787 will soon become model legislation that can be utilized by other states to create or improve their child abduction prevention laws. We ask that you recognize our children’s often silent voices and contact your legislators today in support of this critical legislation.”
‘Chasing The Cyclone’ author and the producer/narrator of ‘Chasing Parents: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction’ Peter Thomas Senese added, “It is common sense that preemptive action against any hardship may lead to a dramatic reduction or end all-together that hardship. In medicine, it is demonstrated and accepted that preemptive healthcare and healthy lifestyles reduces illness. In this same light, preemptive child abduction laws would dramatically reduce the number of crimes against both child and targeted parent. This is a common-sense bill for all involved, and the likely cost savings to the state would be substantial due to a reduction of resources allocated for court and law enforcement expenditures related to an actual abduction and the ensuing recovery efforts. Not mentioned is the massive – not substantial – but massive amount of money Chasing Parents who race across international borders would save when they attempt to rescue and bring safely home their child. Unfortunately, on international cases of child abduction, the victimized parent is on their own financially as there are limited government resources available to assist them in bringing their child home – even though these types of abductions typically break both state and federal law. Imagine that: your child is criminally stolen to a foreign country, and if you don’t have the financial resources to fight the fight, in more likelihood, you’ve lost your child. Now consider your child is stolen and taken outside of the country by the other parent, but you have no idea where the child is. Well, at that point, unless you privately raise an army to find your child, you will never see that son or daughter again. So, with great enthusiasm, I am very pleased to know that the lawmakers of Florida are listening to the voices of both abducted children and parents affected by the crime of abduction who have worked tirelessly to have this bill passed into law. The ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ is unquestionably in the best interest of the children of Florida. Finally, on a personal note I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the bill’s sponsors, Representative Darryl Rouson and Senator Eleanor Sobel, for their hard work and demonstrated leadership in their endless advocacy for children.”
Charles Hamilton, a Chasing Parent said, “My child was illegally internationally parentally kidnapped in December 1996 to Spain during a divorce in which the courts were alerted by me with substantial evidence that my former spouse was about to abduct my child. This included evidence of two one-way airline tickets in the name of my spouse and child. Unfortunately, the Spanish Embassy in Los Angeles issued my former spouse new passports, which made it very easy for my former spouse to steal my daughter, Dakota Carmen Hamilton. If preventive laws existed at the time, I am sure that the love of my life, my daughter, would not have been criminally abducted. Florida’s law is critical for the children of the state.”
Florida resident and writer of the groundbreaking Synclair-Cannon California state child abduction prevention law observed, “’The Child Abduction Prevention Act’ aims at hindering an escalating crime that victimizes thousands of children each year in Florida. Courts and legal experts concur that parental abduction is child abuse, yet the court system often ignores the blatant red flags of parental kidnappings. Because of the preemptive measures that HB 787/ SB 1862 offers, I believe Tallahassee has the answer to reduce the number of children illegally pulled away from their homes by giving the courts proper direction on how to stop this crime. This House and Senate bill must become law.”
According to various government and private institute reports, it is estimated that slightly under 400,000 parental child abductions occur in the United States each year. Of this, it is anticipated that nearly 10,000 international cases occur, many of which are not reported or accounted for.
Parental Child Abduction is a crime against innocent, defenseless children that are reliant upon laws in each state to protect their safety. The Florida ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ bill, if passed into law, will guard against child abduction in the state.
The children’s advocates and lawmakers who support this bill urge you to sign the petition in support of the ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’. It can be found at www.floridachildabductionpreventionact.info
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
The Examiner Interviews Chasing The Cyclone author Peter Thomas.
Peter Thomas sits down with Barbara Thompson of the Examiner to discuss international parental child abduction, parenting in a post-abduction enviornment, and his upcoming book Chasing The Cyclone. For more information about Peter Thomas' Chasing The Cyclone, please visit http://www.chasingthecyclone.com/.
A few years ago, Peter Thomas was blissfully unaware of the storm known as parental abduction. Since he shared joint custody with his ex-wife, he didn't have as much time with his son as he would have liked, but every minute they spent together was an adventure. The father and son enjoyed a bond that would be the envy of many custodial parents.
When Peter's ex-wife suddenly abducted their son and took him overseas, Peter's life turned upside down. He literally went to the ends of the earth to protect his son and their right to a loving relationship with each other.
Peter's book Chasing the Cyclone: A Father's Unending Love for his Son will be available in bookstores in September so I recently spoke with him about the book and the challenges that chasing parents face. The interview is long but Peter makes some very important points that all parents need to consider.
Examiner: I'm sure you know that the story you tell in Chasing the Cyclone is pretty unbelievable to the uninitiated. Is the book an accurate portrayal of your story?
Peter Thomas: Most international child abductions are pretty unbelievable to begin with. I think this all starts with the fact that many judges fail to enforce the laws that they are governed to enforce, fail to recognize that their court rulings do not have much meaning in a foreign land, that their court orders typically are not enforceable overseas, and most importantly, fail to recognize the signs or warnings that an international child abduction is imminent.
In Chasing The Cyclone, I essentially followed what I was familiar with. Whatever author liberties I may have taken in writing this novel, I did in order to keep the tempo of the story moving and to further demonstrate the very real truth that when a parent kidnaps a child, what they are doing is completely putting the child's life at risk. The fact is abducted children, their Chasing Parents, and Recovery Agents have been murdered. And in China, children are abducted at such an alarming rate...there are no words for it.
But most of all, I think what you're actually asking is whether the parental bond between my son and I was portrayed accurately, and did the judicial system in Canada actually fail to recognize the risk my son was being placed into. So in this sense, everything was portrayed accurately.
Examiner: If you could go back to 3-4 years ago, before all this started, what, if anything, would you do differently? What advice would you give to a parent who suspects that their child is at risk for abduction? What about the parents who believe "This can't happen to us"?
Peter Thomas: The one thing that stands out quickly is that I would have tried much harder to enforce the co-parenting time my son and I were awarded by the courts. Unfortunately, my decision [not to take my ex-wife to court to enforce the parenting time] was based on not wanting to cause turmoil in my son's life. Knowing that my son could possibly be the target of any action I would take against his mother, I refrained from doing so while always hoping that his mother would eventually start acting responsibly and follow the court's orders. This was a mistake.
What I did not know I was doing at the time was giving my son's mother essentially a green light to further disobey the laws we were both governed by. So if I would have done anything differently, and I URGE other mothers and fathers who are denied access to their child: under no circumstance should you allow for this to occur. In the United States and in Canada, the denial of a child to either of their parents as ordered by a court of law is, in fact, a criminal act of abduction. Seek help from the courts, and do not relent when access is denied.
Tragically, no person expects or could ever be prepared for their child to be internationally abducted. There are hundreds of thousands of parents around the world who can testify to this. Nobody expects it to happen to them. And then the next thing you know, you're looking into the most dangerous storms you could ever imagine.
So parents have to be mindful about the possibility of an international abduction, particularly when their is a separation or divorce, and one of the partners has strong ties or a desire to relocate to another country.
There are no fool-proof warning signs that your spouse or ex-spouse is thinking of taking your child across international borders, with or without your permission and knowledge. However, there are in fact many signs and signals that can provide you with insight that your spouse or former spouse is intending to abduct your child. Most of all, trust your instincts.
If you have reason to believe that your spouse is in the process or is contemplating the abduction of your child, you must not wait: contact your local police and a lawyer familiar with family law and custody matters. You may need to file an ex parte (an Emergency without notice filing) motion to the court of jurisdiction where the child lives, seeking court intervention prior to when the abduction or wrongful retention occurs. Under most laws, the judge will have to hear your application so long as you present enough strong and credible evidence that your spouse or ex-spouse is planning to take your child across state or international borders. I have put together a list of preventive tips for parents concerned about international parental abduction.
Examiner: If you could speak to a parent who is considering taking their child and going underground, either internationally or domestically, what would you say to that parent?
Peter Thomas: A child's heart is filled with innocence. It's open to give and to receive love, it is unmarked by the scars that etch themselves onto our personae, our fabric, if you will, as we journey through life. Their innocence is sacred.
Fundamental to the rights of ‘innocence' that all children are entitled to is the right of a child to freely know the love and goodness of both parents. As parents, it is our privilege to love our children, however, it is a child's right to know both of their parents' love. Sadly, we see all too often during times of divorce and separation the selfish and destructive act of a parent trying to remove and destroy a child's right to an open and loving relationship with the other parent by denying the child physical access to the other parent or by talking negatively about the other parent to that child. In these instances, the child is used as a pawn in a power struggle, and as a tool to punish or cause hurt to the other parent. Innocence is destroyed.
When either parent uses a child to cause hurt and pain toward the other parent, what they are doing is destroying the child's fabric. All loving parents should refrain from using a child in any matters that are between the two former partners.
Most importantly, if a parent is thinking about taking their child and disappearing either domestically or internationally, I have one very strong piece of advice: you greatly risk damaging your child's overall short and long-term mental health while also placing your child in grave physical danger. I strongly advise any parent thinking of this to dismiss any notion you may have that as long as your child is with you, your child is safe because you love your child. The fact is, your child has a bond to the other parent. Moreso, you do in fact place your child's physical safety in great jeopardy when you go on the run and disappear.
I also want to address something very important to me: I have two female family members who have been victims of serious and intolerable abuse, and so I can deeply empathize with any person who believes they need to flee from the other partner in order to prevent ongoing abuse to either themselves or their child from occurring. I really do empathize with all victims of abuse. Their situation is a perpetual living hell, and I can understand why a victim of abuse would want to run to the other side of the world in order to protect their and their child's life and safety. However, it is so important that any relocation is done legally. This means that an abused person who thankfully has realized that they will no longer tolerate abuse must take all legal action necessary within the child's legal jurisdiction in order to prevent the abuser from being a threat. Then, and if that person is still desirous of leaving the jurisdiction where the child was raised, they should follow the rules of law and seek a court's oder allowing them and their child to leave.
Finally, under no circumstance should any person illegally and criminally remove their child either domestically or internationally.
Examiner: Your decision to allow your son's mother to remain active in his life is admirable. How have you managed to put your own anger, fear, etc. behind you in order to facilitate a relationship between them? Given your diminished confidence in the courts, what measures would you recommend that a parent take in order to ensure a previously abducted child's safety?
Peter Thomas: None of it is easy. I still live with the daily concern that both my son and I are at risk. However, I had a decision to make, and it dealt with my child's rights. What I believed all along, and what I fought for, was that my son had the right to know the love of both of his parents. That includes me. And that includes his mom. So, in the end, it was his right to know the love of both me and his mother that I had to protect. Did I mention that none of this is easy? It is not easy, but we're both learning how to co-exist for our son's sake. We both realize the importance of this.
I think what we are both trying to focus on at this time in our life is raising our child to the best of our abilities. That is the most important issue. And I want to make this clear; I believe that my former spouse deeply loves our child the way that I do. And our child is greatly benefiting from receiving unencumbered love from the both of us. The whole process is a learning process; there is no blueprint available, but I think we're both trying our best for our son's sake.
Fortunately, I have been very blessed in my life and have been touched by two amazing individuals that have taught me about forgiveness. The first, and I do not want to dismiss this, is the lessons I have learned about forgiveness due to my Christian faith and the teaching of Jesus. The second individual who has guided me is my adopted grandfather, Rabbi Morton Kohn. He was an Auschwitz survivor who watched the majority of his family die in the camps. I never met a person who embraced love and forgiveness more than my grandfather. And so, I decided a while ago, that if he could learn how to forgive, so too would I.
And you know what, forgiving someone really is amazing. So it would be right to say that I have forgiven. But I have not forgotten.
On that note, the most important responsibility I have as a parent to my son is to ensure his safety. I have a responsibility to him to never allow him to go through what he did. The way I have done this is to have a keen awareness of all aspects of his life. I address this in further detail in my article Parenting in a Post-Child Abduction Environment.
Examiner: What would you like to say to the general public who believes that stories like yours (and David Goldman's, and Michael McCarty's, and so many others!) are anomalies. The people who believe that parental abduction is not really kidnapping and is no more than a custody dispute?
Peter Thomas: For anyone who thinks that the international parental abduction of a child is a minor matter closer to a child custody issue than the criminal act, the federal law titled The International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act (IPKCA) of 1993 makes it very clear that international parental child abduction is a serious and dangerous crime. Additionally, the federal Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution (UFAP)-Parental Kidnapping law was created to allow for federal law enforcement to aid local and state law enforcement when state criminal charges are filed against an abducting parent (each state has criminal laws regarding parental child abduction).
The facts are that once a child is abducted, the amount of abuse directed toward the child is incredible. Acts of child abuse in the form of waves of parental alienation typically directed at the child by the kidnapping parent do deteriorate the child's identity and sense of self. The failure of the child from receiving their inalinable right of love from the Chasing Parent left behind may cause severe short and long-term physchological damage. And most importantly, there exists a grave danger that the child just might not survive the abduction experience.
So for anyone who thinks that parental kidnapping is a custody case, I ask you to imagine what your perception would be if your child was kidnapped outside of the country, and the only thing you know is that your child is gone, and you have no idea where your child is. Is it still a custody case? Absolutely not.
There is one other thing I want to mention here: if your child is abducted, you better have a whole lot of money because you're going to need it. The fact is that presently, there is limited financial support for Chasing Parents who are searching for their criminally internationally abducted child. The U.S. laws must change immediately. The act of international child abduction is both a state and national criminal act in the United States. Yet, only if it is a stranger-abduction will the full force and weight of the U.S. government be used to search for and attempt to bring the child home. The laws and the action related to the law are contradictory. Yet, I do not know of one government official, one child physchologist, or one expert in the area of child abduction who believes that parental child abduction is not as severe as a stranger abduction.
Examiner: You list some organizations on your website including Team HOPE and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. What other resources would you recommend for chasing parents or would you ask the general public to support?
Peter Thomas: I think what is most important right now is that the general public reach out to the legislative leaders and petition them to support Congressman Chris Smith's International Child Abduction Prevention Act of 2009, and any related legislation that will eventually come out of the Senate. Much praise needs to be heaped on Congressman Smith. He is a true advocate of children and Chasing Parents.
In addition, when the U.S. Congress agreed to become a signatory of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, it did so with the mandate that there would be no financial assistance provided to Chasing Parents. However, and contradicting this, when the Office of Children's Issues was created within the U.S. Department of State, Congress essentially mandated this office to use all of its available resources to aid in the recovery of criminally abducted children who have been illegally detained abroad.
Most Chasing Parents lose everything trying to recover their child. Their lives are ambushed. They are forced to race into the unknown storms they could never have anticiapted or desired to race into. There is no roadmap. There is not financial aid. The courts have limited understanding or completed research on this growing criminal crime against children.
It all must change.
Examiner: How is the documentary coming along?
Peter Thomas: There have been many supportive Chasing Parents who are anxious to participate in the documentary. It is a complete learning process since this issue is very delicate. Unquestionably, we need to get this right. So, prudence is critical. However, we're actively researching, writing, reviewing tapes, and preparing interviews - while all along thinking carefully through what format will best raise awareness to the general public about the severity of international child abduction, and what specifically could be done both short and long-term that would reduce the number of abductions from occuring, with the eventual hope that every abducted child is brought home. I think that what JJ Rogers, who is directing Chasing Parents: Racing Into the Storms of International Parental Child Abduction, and I realize is that we have one real opportunity to do this right, and with the same type of effort that I put into writing Chasing The Cyclone. Our hope is to preview the documentary at several of the film festivals in 2010. But again, right now we are concerning ourselves with the material and creating the right message in the right format.
************************************************************************************************
Chasing The Cyclone by Peter Thomas Official Website. Click Here.
Chasing The Cyclone Book Review by The Examiner. Click Here.
Chasing The Cyclone by Peter Thomas blog in Espanol. Click Here.
Chasing The Cyclone by Peter Thomas blog in Italiano. Click Here.
Chasing The Cyclone by Peter Thomas blog in Frances. Click Here.
A few years ago, Peter Thomas was blissfully unaware of the storm known as parental abduction. Since he shared joint custody with his ex-wife, he didn't have as much time with his son as he would have liked, but every minute they spent together was an adventure. The father and son enjoyed a bond that would be the envy of many custodial parents.
When Peter's ex-wife suddenly abducted their son and took him overseas, Peter's life turned upside down. He literally went to the ends of the earth to protect his son and their right to a loving relationship with each other.
Peter's book Chasing the Cyclone: A Father's Unending Love for his Son will be available in bookstores in September so I recently spoke with him about the book and the challenges that chasing parents face. The interview is long but Peter makes some very important points that all parents need to consider.
Examiner: I'm sure you know that the story you tell in Chasing the Cyclone is pretty unbelievable to the uninitiated. Is the book an accurate portrayal of your story?
Peter Thomas: Most international child abductions are pretty unbelievable to begin with. I think this all starts with the fact that many judges fail to enforce the laws that they are governed to enforce, fail to recognize that their court rulings do not have much meaning in a foreign land, that their court orders typically are not enforceable overseas, and most importantly, fail to recognize the signs or warnings that an international child abduction is imminent.
In Chasing The Cyclone, I essentially followed what I was familiar with. Whatever author liberties I may have taken in writing this novel, I did in order to keep the tempo of the story moving and to further demonstrate the very real truth that when a parent kidnaps a child, what they are doing is completely putting the child's life at risk. The fact is abducted children, their Chasing Parents, and Recovery Agents have been murdered. And in China, children are abducted at such an alarming rate...there are no words for it.
But most of all, I think what you're actually asking is whether the parental bond between my son and I was portrayed accurately, and did the judicial system in Canada actually fail to recognize the risk my son was being placed into. So in this sense, everything was portrayed accurately.
Examiner: If you could go back to 3-4 years ago, before all this started, what, if anything, would you do differently? What advice would you give to a parent who suspects that their child is at risk for abduction? What about the parents who believe "This can't happen to us"?
Peter Thomas: The one thing that stands out quickly is that I would have tried much harder to enforce the co-parenting time my son and I were awarded by the courts. Unfortunately, my decision [not to take my ex-wife to court to enforce the parenting time] was based on not wanting to cause turmoil in my son's life. Knowing that my son could possibly be the target of any action I would take against his mother, I refrained from doing so while always hoping that his mother would eventually start acting responsibly and follow the court's orders. This was a mistake.
What I did not know I was doing at the time was giving my son's mother essentially a green light to further disobey the laws we were both governed by. So if I would have done anything differently, and I URGE other mothers and fathers who are denied access to their child: under no circumstance should you allow for this to occur. In the United States and in Canada, the denial of a child to either of their parents as ordered by a court of law is, in fact, a criminal act of abduction. Seek help from the courts, and do not relent when access is denied.
Tragically, no person expects or could ever be prepared for their child to be internationally abducted. There are hundreds of thousands of parents around the world who can testify to this. Nobody expects it to happen to them. And then the next thing you know, you're looking into the most dangerous storms you could ever imagine.
So parents have to be mindful about the possibility of an international abduction, particularly when their is a separation or divorce, and one of the partners has strong ties or a desire to relocate to another country.
There are no fool-proof warning signs that your spouse or ex-spouse is thinking of taking your child across international borders, with or without your permission and knowledge. However, there are in fact many signs and signals that can provide you with insight that your spouse or former spouse is intending to abduct your child. Most of all, trust your instincts.
If you have reason to believe that your spouse is in the process or is contemplating the abduction of your child, you must not wait: contact your local police and a lawyer familiar with family law and custody matters. You may need to file an ex parte (an Emergency without notice filing) motion to the court of jurisdiction where the child lives, seeking court intervention prior to when the abduction or wrongful retention occurs. Under most laws, the judge will have to hear your application so long as you present enough strong and credible evidence that your spouse or ex-spouse is planning to take your child across state or international borders. I have put together a list of preventive tips for parents concerned about international parental abduction.
Examiner: If you could speak to a parent who is considering taking their child and going underground, either internationally or domestically, what would you say to that parent?
Peter Thomas: A child's heart is filled with innocence. It's open to give and to receive love, it is unmarked by the scars that etch themselves onto our personae, our fabric, if you will, as we journey through life. Their innocence is sacred.
Fundamental to the rights of ‘innocence' that all children are entitled to is the right of a child to freely know the love and goodness of both parents. As parents, it is our privilege to love our children, however, it is a child's right to know both of their parents' love. Sadly, we see all too often during times of divorce and separation the selfish and destructive act of a parent trying to remove and destroy a child's right to an open and loving relationship with the other parent by denying the child physical access to the other parent or by talking negatively about the other parent to that child. In these instances, the child is used as a pawn in a power struggle, and as a tool to punish or cause hurt to the other parent. Innocence is destroyed.
When either parent uses a child to cause hurt and pain toward the other parent, what they are doing is destroying the child's fabric. All loving parents should refrain from using a child in any matters that are between the two former partners.
Most importantly, if a parent is thinking about taking their child and disappearing either domestically or internationally, I have one very strong piece of advice: you greatly risk damaging your child's overall short and long-term mental health while also placing your child in grave physical danger. I strongly advise any parent thinking of this to dismiss any notion you may have that as long as your child is with you, your child is safe because you love your child. The fact is, your child has a bond to the other parent. Moreso, you do in fact place your child's physical safety in great jeopardy when you go on the run and disappear.
I also want to address something very important to me: I have two female family members who have been victims of serious and intolerable abuse, and so I can deeply empathize with any person who believes they need to flee from the other partner in order to prevent ongoing abuse to either themselves or their child from occurring. I really do empathize with all victims of abuse. Their situation is a perpetual living hell, and I can understand why a victim of abuse would want to run to the other side of the world in order to protect their and their child's life and safety. However, it is so important that any relocation is done legally. This means that an abused person who thankfully has realized that they will no longer tolerate abuse must take all legal action necessary within the child's legal jurisdiction in order to prevent the abuser from being a threat. Then, and if that person is still desirous of leaving the jurisdiction where the child was raised, they should follow the rules of law and seek a court's oder allowing them and their child to leave.
Finally, under no circumstance should any person illegally and criminally remove their child either domestically or internationally.
Examiner: Your decision to allow your son's mother to remain active in his life is admirable. How have you managed to put your own anger, fear, etc. behind you in order to facilitate a relationship between them? Given your diminished confidence in the courts, what measures would you recommend that a parent take in order to ensure a previously abducted child's safety?
Peter Thomas: None of it is easy. I still live with the daily concern that both my son and I are at risk. However, I had a decision to make, and it dealt with my child's rights. What I believed all along, and what I fought for, was that my son had the right to know the love of both of his parents. That includes me. And that includes his mom. So, in the end, it was his right to know the love of both me and his mother that I had to protect. Did I mention that none of this is easy? It is not easy, but we're both learning how to co-exist for our son's sake. We both realize the importance of this.
I think what we are both trying to focus on at this time in our life is raising our child to the best of our abilities. That is the most important issue. And I want to make this clear; I believe that my former spouse deeply loves our child the way that I do. And our child is greatly benefiting from receiving unencumbered love from the both of us. The whole process is a learning process; there is no blueprint available, but I think we're both trying our best for our son's sake.
Fortunately, I have been very blessed in my life and have been touched by two amazing individuals that have taught me about forgiveness. The first, and I do not want to dismiss this, is the lessons I have learned about forgiveness due to my Christian faith and the teaching of Jesus. The second individual who has guided me is my adopted grandfather, Rabbi Morton Kohn. He was an Auschwitz survivor who watched the majority of his family die in the camps. I never met a person who embraced love and forgiveness more than my grandfather. And so, I decided a while ago, that if he could learn how to forgive, so too would I.
And you know what, forgiving someone really is amazing. So it would be right to say that I have forgiven. But I have not forgotten.
On that note, the most important responsibility I have as a parent to my son is to ensure his safety. I have a responsibility to him to never allow him to go through what he did. The way I have done this is to have a keen awareness of all aspects of his life. I address this in further detail in my article Parenting in a Post-Child Abduction Environment.
Examiner: What would you like to say to the general public who believes that stories like yours (and David Goldman's, and Michael McCarty's, and so many others!) are anomalies. The people who believe that parental abduction is not really kidnapping and is no more than a custody dispute?
Peter Thomas: For anyone who thinks that the international parental abduction of a child is a minor matter closer to a child custody issue than the criminal act, the federal law titled The International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act (IPKCA) of 1993 makes it very clear that international parental child abduction is a serious and dangerous crime. Additionally, the federal Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution (UFAP)-Parental Kidnapping law was created to allow for federal law enforcement to aid local and state law enforcement when state criminal charges are filed against an abducting parent (each state has criminal laws regarding parental child abduction).
The facts are that once a child is abducted, the amount of abuse directed toward the child is incredible. Acts of child abuse in the form of waves of parental alienation typically directed at the child by the kidnapping parent do deteriorate the child's identity and sense of self. The failure of the child from receiving their inalinable right of love from the Chasing Parent left behind may cause severe short and long-term physchological damage. And most importantly, there exists a grave danger that the child just might not survive the abduction experience.
So for anyone who thinks that parental kidnapping is a custody case, I ask you to imagine what your perception would be if your child was kidnapped outside of the country, and the only thing you know is that your child is gone, and you have no idea where your child is. Is it still a custody case? Absolutely not.
There is one other thing I want to mention here: if your child is abducted, you better have a whole lot of money because you're going to need it. The fact is that presently, there is limited financial support for Chasing Parents who are searching for their criminally internationally abducted child. The U.S. laws must change immediately. The act of international child abduction is both a state and national criminal act in the United States. Yet, only if it is a stranger-abduction will the full force and weight of the U.S. government be used to search for and attempt to bring the child home. The laws and the action related to the law are contradictory. Yet, I do not know of one government official, one child physchologist, or one expert in the area of child abduction who believes that parental child abduction is not as severe as a stranger abduction.
Examiner: You list some organizations on your website including Team HOPE and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. What other resources would you recommend for chasing parents or would you ask the general public to support?
Peter Thomas: I think what is most important right now is that the general public reach out to the legislative leaders and petition them to support Congressman Chris Smith's International Child Abduction Prevention Act of 2009, and any related legislation that will eventually come out of the Senate. Much praise needs to be heaped on Congressman Smith. He is a true advocate of children and Chasing Parents.
In addition, when the U.S. Congress agreed to become a signatory of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, it did so with the mandate that there would be no financial assistance provided to Chasing Parents. However, and contradicting this, when the Office of Children's Issues was created within the U.S. Department of State, Congress essentially mandated this office to use all of its available resources to aid in the recovery of criminally abducted children who have been illegally detained abroad.
Most Chasing Parents lose everything trying to recover their child. Their lives are ambushed. They are forced to race into the unknown storms they could never have anticiapted or desired to race into. There is no roadmap. There is not financial aid. The courts have limited understanding or completed research on this growing criminal crime against children.
It all must change.
Examiner: How is the documentary coming along?
Peter Thomas: There have been many supportive Chasing Parents who are anxious to participate in the documentary. It is a complete learning process since this issue is very delicate. Unquestionably, we need to get this right. So, prudence is critical. However, we're actively researching, writing, reviewing tapes, and preparing interviews - while all along thinking carefully through what format will best raise awareness to the general public about the severity of international child abduction, and what specifically could be done both short and long-term that would reduce the number of abductions from occuring, with the eventual hope that every abducted child is brought home. I think that what JJ Rogers, who is directing Chasing Parents: Racing Into the Storms of International Parental Child Abduction, and I realize is that we have one real opportunity to do this right, and with the same type of effort that I put into writing Chasing The Cyclone. Our hope is to preview the documentary at several of the film festivals in 2010. But again, right now we are concerning ourselves with the material and creating the right message in the right format.
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Chasing The Cyclone by Peter Thomas Official Website. Click Here.
Chasing The Cyclone Book Review by The Examiner. Click Here.
Chasing The Cyclone by Peter Thomas blog in Espanol. Click Here.
Chasing The Cyclone by Peter Thomas blog in Italiano. Click Here.
Chasing The Cyclone by Peter Thomas blog in Frances. Click Here.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Slander and Defamation: The Tools Of A Parental Child Abductor by Peter Thomas, author of Chasing The Cyclone
Many Chasing Parents throughtout the world know all to well one of the difficult techniques used by an abductor and the abductor's lawyers in order to break the spirit, will, and financial resources of the parent left behind in the wake of the criminal act that is international parental child abduction is to slander that person's name and reputation while implementing as many legal stall tactics as possible before the courts.
I write from personal experience: I am a Chasing Father who successfully recovered my child when he was abducted and taken half-way across the world.
Strategically speaking, nearly every lawyer who has represented a Hague case on behalf of a Chasing Parent will agree that it is critical to keep a narrow focus on whether a parent's custody rights were denied by the other parent in international cases, and by doing so, wrongfully detained the child from their rights of a child/parent relationship and purposefully breached the custody order of a previous court.
The primary purpose of The Hague Court is to determine if a right of custody was denied from a previous court order, and if so, to return the child and their abducting parent (this is done usually on a voluntary basis) to the court of original jurisdiction so the court of original jurisdiction can determine what is in the child's best interest, including matters of custody and visitation.
The test from the start is to ask the question: Did the abducting parent violate the custody laws of another court by removing the child from the country of original jurisdiction illegally and, by doing so, was there a denial of the Chasing Parent's legal rights of custody to that child?
Under this premise, The Hague Convention's Central Authority's court located in the country that the abduction has taken place will typically pay attention to the narrow focus and intent of the Treaty: was a previous court order regarding custody breached? If so (and there are no dangerous consequences to the child [the best interest of the child]), then typically the Hague Court will order for the child to be returned to his or her original jurisdiction.
But this is not always the case.
Section 13 of The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction reads:
Article 13
Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding Article, the judicial or administrative authority of the requested State is not bound to order the return of the child if the person, institution or other body which opposes its return establishes that –
a) the person, institution or other body having the care of the person of the child was not actually exercising the custody rights at the time of removal or retention, or had consented to or subsequently acquiesced in the removal or retention; or
b) there is a grave risk that his or her return would expose the child to physical or psychological harm or otherwise place the child in an intolerable situation.
The judicial or administrative authority may also refuse to order the return of the child if it finds that the child objects to being returned and has attained an age and degree of maturity at which it is appropriate to take account of its views.
In considering the circumstances referred to in this Article, the judicial and administrative authorities shall take into account the information relating to the social background of the child provided by the Central Authority or other competent authority of the child's habitual residence.
This is the 'defense' Article, the mantra if you will, used by every abducting parent and their lawyer in order to defend against the act of abduction. Article 13 is always used to defend the serious criminal action of abduction by doing two things:
A) By attempting to create a picture to the courts and the public that returning the child to their original jurisdiction is in fact an act that will cause dire and unnecessary hardship to the child, and that such hardship is cruel and will have both short and long-reaching consequences for the child.
B) The abducting parent and their lawyer will attempt to portray the left behind parent in as much as an unfavorable light as possible. This typically includes a great deal of mud-slinging in court, whereas the abducting parent will make false accusations against the other parent including drug use, violence, abuse, non-interest, non-support, criminal behavior, sexual abuse, pedophilia, death-threats, etc.
Typically, these false statements will also find their way on the Internet, where, under any blog forum, a person can log on and write a scandalous statement or story under an assortment of alias names. They then follow-up that scandalous story or post with another alias blog post and essentially attempt to support the lie already posted on line.
And herein rests one of the great problems for the Chasing Parent: the Internet holds very little accountable. It is extremely difficult to have removed slander and defamatory statements under many websites own operating policies. Add in the fact that many slanderous remarks will be made under alias or anoynomous names, and you must now consider that Chasing Parent do not even have a clue as to where to begin to serve legal documents in order to have the defamation removed. In the end, the Chasing Parent's name and reputation are damaged, regardless of the court's final ruling.
It is noteworthy to point out that nearly every international parental child abduction that occurs is well planned out. So, if the Internet is going to be used to support false allegations that a would-be abducting parent intends to use in court as a means to defend against their act of criminal abduction - make no mistake about it - slander and defamation very well could begin before the actual abduction takes place.
The slander scheme supports the defense of Article 13 Subsection B of the Convention because the abductor's defense will be able to find 'public' support that demonstrates the Chasing Parent is in fact detrimental to the child's safety. Of course, proving this scheme before a court may be a whole other issue. Nevertheless, nearly every Chasing Parent is not immune to slander and defamation. Needless to say, it is in the best interest of the abducting parent and that person's advisors to do everything possible - including attempting to portray the Chasing Parent as a bad person - in order to defend agains their own criminal act of child abduction.
This is an Article 13 subsection A defense.
The reality for most Chasing Parents and their children victimized by the multiple crimes that surround and include international child abduction is that they do not have the financial resources necessary to fight the fight. Combine this with the abducting parent's attempt to beat-down the spirit of the Chasing Parent by a campaign of slander, not to mention the difficulties in fighting an international legal case, and you the conclusion is easy to make: Abducting Parents (who typically abduct a child in order to cause pain and suffering to the other parent), are unstable and dangerous - to both the abducted child and the Chasing Parent.
I write from personal experience: I am a Chasing Father who successfully recovered my child when he was abducted and taken half-way across the world.
Strategically speaking, nearly every lawyer who has represented a Hague case on behalf of a Chasing Parent will agree that it is critical to keep a narrow focus on whether a parent's custody rights were denied by the other parent in international cases, and by doing so, wrongfully detained the child from their rights of a child/parent relationship and purposefully breached the custody order of a previous court.
The primary purpose of The Hague Court is to determine if a right of custody was denied from a previous court order, and if so, to return the child and their abducting parent (this is done usually on a voluntary basis) to the court of original jurisdiction so the court of original jurisdiction can determine what is in the child's best interest, including matters of custody and visitation.
The test from the start is to ask the question: Did the abducting parent violate the custody laws of another court by removing the child from the country of original jurisdiction illegally and, by doing so, was there a denial of the Chasing Parent's legal rights of custody to that child?
Under this premise, The Hague Convention's Central Authority's court located in the country that the abduction has taken place will typically pay attention to the narrow focus and intent of the Treaty: was a previous court order regarding custody breached? If so (and there are no dangerous consequences to the child [the best interest of the child]), then typically the Hague Court will order for the child to be returned to his or her original jurisdiction.
But this is not always the case.
Section 13 of The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction reads:
Article 13
Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding Article, the judicial or administrative authority of the requested State is not bound to order the return of the child if the person, institution or other body which opposes its return establishes that –
a) the person, institution or other body having the care of the person of the child was not actually exercising the custody rights at the time of removal or retention, or had consented to or subsequently acquiesced in the removal or retention; or
b) there is a grave risk that his or her return would expose the child to physical or psychological harm or otherwise place the child in an intolerable situation.
The judicial or administrative authority may also refuse to order the return of the child if it finds that the child objects to being returned and has attained an age and degree of maturity at which it is appropriate to take account of its views.
In considering the circumstances referred to in this Article, the judicial and administrative authorities shall take into account the information relating to the social background of the child provided by the Central Authority or other competent authority of the child's habitual residence.
This is the 'defense' Article, the mantra if you will, used by every abducting parent and their lawyer in order to defend against the act of abduction. Article 13 is always used to defend the serious criminal action of abduction by doing two things:
A) By attempting to create a picture to the courts and the public that returning the child to their original jurisdiction is in fact an act that will cause dire and unnecessary hardship to the child, and that such hardship is cruel and will have both short and long-reaching consequences for the child.
B) The abducting parent and their lawyer will attempt to portray the left behind parent in as much as an unfavorable light as possible. This typically includes a great deal of mud-slinging in court, whereas the abducting parent will make false accusations against the other parent including drug use, violence, abuse, non-interest, non-support, criminal behavior, sexual abuse, pedophilia, death-threats, etc.
Typically, these false statements will also find their way on the Internet, where, under any blog forum, a person can log on and write a scandalous statement or story under an assortment of alias names. They then follow-up that scandalous story or post with another alias blog post and essentially attempt to support the lie already posted on line.
And herein rests one of the great problems for the Chasing Parent: the Internet holds very little accountable. It is extremely difficult to have removed slander and defamatory statements under many websites own operating policies. Add in the fact that many slanderous remarks will be made under alias or anoynomous names, and you must now consider that Chasing Parent do not even have a clue as to where to begin to serve legal documents in order to have the defamation removed. In the end, the Chasing Parent's name and reputation are damaged, regardless of the court's final ruling.
It is noteworthy to point out that nearly every international parental child abduction that occurs is well planned out. So, if the Internet is going to be used to support false allegations that a would-be abducting parent intends to use in court as a means to defend against their act of criminal abduction - make no mistake about it - slander and defamation very well could begin before the actual abduction takes place.
The slander scheme supports the defense of Article 13 Subsection B of the Convention because the abductor's defense will be able to find 'public' support that demonstrates the Chasing Parent is in fact detrimental to the child's safety. Of course, proving this scheme before a court may be a whole other issue. Nevertheless, nearly every Chasing Parent is not immune to slander and defamation. Needless to say, it is in the best interest of the abducting parent and that person's advisors to do everything possible - including attempting to portray the Chasing Parent as a bad person - in order to defend agains their own criminal act of child abduction.
This is an Article 13 subsection A defense.
The reality for most Chasing Parents and their children victimized by the multiple crimes that surround and include international child abduction is that they do not have the financial resources necessary to fight the fight. Combine this with the abducting parent's attempt to beat-down the spirit of the Chasing Parent by a campaign of slander, not to mention the difficulties in fighting an international legal case, and you the conclusion is easy to make: Abducting Parents (who typically abduct a child in order to cause pain and suffering to the other parent), are unstable and dangerous - to both the abducted child and the Chasing Parent.
'Chasing Parents: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction' Is A Call To Arms Against Growing Worldwide Epidemic
For Peter Thomas Senese, the near four-year journey leading up to his upcoming international release of the documentary film titled 'CHASING PARENTS: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction' has been one filled with a full array of great challenges and extraordinary accomplishments.
The film has two main goals. The first is to provide a blueprint for other Chasing Parents on what to do and how to act if their own child is internationally abducted. The second, and a more formidable goal,is to educate society on the grave issues surrounding international parental child abduction while providing insight on necessary legal reform that could help prevent the criminal international abduction of children.
The acclaimed author, who writes under the names Peter Senese or Peter Thomas, unexpectedly raced into the brutal and at times deadly storms, other Chasing Parents encounter in the wake of the international abduction of their defenseless child. For Peter Thomas Senese, the most difficult challenge he faced was coping with the concern over his child's safety while navigating the long and complex road he would have to endure in order to protect his young son. The triumphs, and there have been many, include first and foremost, what every Chasing Parent desires most: the safe recovery and return of their child.
'CHASING PARENTS: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction' is one of the very first documentary films that extensively addresses the full scope of the massive, but seldom spoken crisis stolen children and their Chasing Parents left behind in the aftermath of the criminal abduction of their child must face. The film has two main goals. The first is to provide a blueprint for other Chasing Parents on what to do and how to act if their own child is internationally abducted. The second, and a more formidable goal,is to educate society on the grave issues surrounding international parental child abduction while providing insight on necessary legal reform that could help prevent the criminal international abduction of children.
Unfortunately, and tragically, there exists a growing worldwide epidemic that destroys the lives of most who cross its path, including innocent children, and its name is International Parental Child Abduction (IPCA). Each year, tens of thousands of children are abducted by one parent from another and taken across international borders without the knowledge and permission of the other parent. Many of these children never come home. Many disappear. Some are lost forever.
In the United States, it is believed that there are over 11,000 internationally criminally abducted children who have not been brought home. This number is believed to be significantly higher because it does not include a large number of cases not filed with the United States Central Authority due to either technicalities (previously including military personnel who were unable to file while living abroad, and presently including dual parent green-card holders, political asylum cases, etc.), or the prevalent feeling of hopelessness felt by many parents based upon the extremely high recovery cost, a complex legal maze, and belief that there exists nationalistic prejudices in foreign countries. This equates to the belief that it is nearly impossible to recover their abducted child.
The highly educational and eye-opening film consists of seven main segments: Part I - Introduction, Part II - Warning Signs, Part III - Abduction in Progress, Part IV - Parental Alienation and Child Abduction, Part V - Post Abduction Reunification, Part VI - Reform and Change, and Part VII - Laws and Credits.
The now completed production and upcoming release of this invaluable documentary is, for Peter Thomas Senese, the completion of a three-part educational project he promised to create once his journey of chasing the cyclones of international parental child abduction ended. They include the creation of a highly education website (www.chasingthecyclone.com), publication of a insightful book (titled 'Chasing The Cyclone'), and the now completed documentary. It is the Writer -Producer's hope and aspiration to increase local and global dialog concerning prevention, education, and accountability of all legal systems, institutions, and governments responsible to uphold laws pertaining to the welfare and safety of children.
The children's advocate, writing under his first and middle name, Peter Thomas, will release 'Chasing The Cyclone' in the late spring, 2010. Reviewers and critics are praising 'Chasing The Cyclone' as an extraordinary, masterfully written story of a father's love for his son, and heralding Peter Thomas Senese as a writer of great distinction. 'Chasing The Cyclone', written in the form of a novel, was inspired by the author's experiences as a Chasing Parent.
"Chasing The Cyclone will shake the audience, this exciting cautionary thriller grips readers from the onset ..." Amazon # 1 Reviewer, Harriet Klausner
"Peter Thomas now opens the windows on the magnitude of these tragedies in his excellent Chasing The Cyclone ... As if the fast paced energy of this story weren't enough to satisfy the reader, Peter Thomas demonstrates his quality as a writer of distinction on many levels ..." this impossible to put down book ... Amazon # 3 Reviewer, Dr. Grady Harp
"Chasing The Cyclone isn't just a powerful novel, it's a call to arms against a growing epidemic that is tearing lives apart ... a superb, can't put down novel, though; it is a book with a purpose ... Peter Thomas has become an outspoken advocate on this issue ... I would go so far as to encourage every loving parent to read this book, as the bond between this father and son is one to be emulated ..." Amazon # 14 Reviewer, Daniel Jolley
"Chasing The Cyclone is a must read. You will not be able to put it down. It may very well change the way you look at life, child custody ... I cannot endorse this book enough ..." The Examiner
"[In Chasing The Cyclone] Peter Thomas masterfully reveals the disturbing world of an abducted child ... Peter has taken the tragedy of his child's abduction and the remarkable efforts he implemented in order to reunite with his child, and worked not only to share it in a manner that seeks to educate the reader, but has embraced his experience to provide relief for other families caught in this global epidemic ..." Maureen Dabbagh: Parent International
Peter Thomas Senese fully supports The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Parental Child Abduction. However, as he points out in both Chasing The Cyclone and in CHASING PARENTS: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction, the grave failures in the areas of research and education, combined with an inept global approach toward prevention, has taxed the international judicial system created via The Hague Convention. Extending the difficulties many Chasing Parents face is the fact that many nation-signatories of The Hague Convention fail to enforce the rules of the international treaty they signed. Additionally, many nations, including those in the Middle East and Asia have not signed the international treaty, which creates near-impossible hurdles for Chasing Parents seeking the lawful return of their abducted child from non-signatory nations. Accountability is critical, yet there appears to be limited accountability throughout the system. This is something Senese heavily weighs in on.
Segments of CHASING PARENTS: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction are presently available for preview at Chasing The Cyclone's official website, www.chasingthecyclone.com.
Peter Thomas Senese points out that CHASING PARENTS: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction was made possible due to other Chasing Parents, children of abduction, and leading government and private sector experts working in the area of IPCA's eagerness to contribute to this desperately needed film. Peter Thomas Senese also would like to express a special thanks to Mr. Ken Connelly, children's advocate, speaker, and author of 'Throwing Stones' for the substantial contributions he made toward the production and information conveyed in this film.
The filmmaker strongly points out that making this film would have been impossible if not for the assistance he received from key individuals at the U.S. Department of State - Office Of Children's Issues, Canada's Ministry of Attorney General, and New Zealand's Ministry of Justice when he was Chasing The Cyclone.
Pacifica and Peter Thomas Senese intend to offer complimentary DVD's of this film to all requesting government agencies and institutions, courts, educators, and organizations that provide outreach to child-victims and their families upon its release later this Spring. It is Peter Thomas Senese's hope that the film will be used as a resource tool that will increase awareness and educate others in order to bring about reform and change in the name of the best interest of children everywhere.
To preview CHASING PARENTS: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction please visit www.chasingthecyclone.com or www.petersenese.com.
The film has two main goals. The first is to provide a blueprint for other Chasing Parents on what to do and how to act if their own child is internationally abducted. The second, and a more formidable goal,is to educate society on the grave issues surrounding international parental child abduction while providing insight on necessary legal reform that could help prevent the criminal international abduction of children.
The acclaimed author, who writes under the names Peter Senese or Peter Thomas, unexpectedly raced into the brutal and at times deadly storms, other Chasing Parents encounter in the wake of the international abduction of their defenseless child. For Peter Thomas Senese, the most difficult challenge he faced was coping with the concern over his child's safety while navigating the long and complex road he would have to endure in order to protect his young son. The triumphs, and there have been many, include first and foremost, what every Chasing Parent desires most: the safe recovery and return of their child.
'CHASING PARENTS: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction' is one of the very first documentary films that extensively addresses the full scope of the massive, but seldom spoken crisis stolen children and their Chasing Parents left behind in the aftermath of the criminal abduction of their child must face. The film has two main goals. The first is to provide a blueprint for other Chasing Parents on what to do and how to act if their own child is internationally abducted. The second, and a more formidable goal,is to educate society on the grave issues surrounding international parental child abduction while providing insight on necessary legal reform that could help prevent the criminal international abduction of children.
Unfortunately, and tragically, there exists a growing worldwide epidemic that destroys the lives of most who cross its path, including innocent children, and its name is International Parental Child Abduction (IPCA). Each year, tens of thousands of children are abducted by one parent from another and taken across international borders without the knowledge and permission of the other parent. Many of these children never come home. Many disappear. Some are lost forever.
In the United States, it is believed that there are over 11,000 internationally criminally abducted children who have not been brought home. This number is believed to be significantly higher because it does not include a large number of cases not filed with the United States Central Authority due to either technicalities (previously including military personnel who were unable to file while living abroad, and presently including dual parent green-card holders, political asylum cases, etc.), or the prevalent feeling of hopelessness felt by many parents based upon the extremely high recovery cost, a complex legal maze, and belief that there exists nationalistic prejudices in foreign countries. This equates to the belief that it is nearly impossible to recover their abducted child.
The highly educational and eye-opening film consists of seven main segments: Part I - Introduction, Part II - Warning Signs, Part III - Abduction in Progress, Part IV - Parental Alienation and Child Abduction, Part V - Post Abduction Reunification, Part VI - Reform and Change, and Part VII - Laws and Credits.
The now completed production and upcoming release of this invaluable documentary is, for Peter Thomas Senese, the completion of a three-part educational project he promised to create once his journey of chasing the cyclones of international parental child abduction ended. They include the creation of a highly education website (www.chasingthecyclone.com), publication of a insightful book (titled 'Chasing The Cyclone'), and the now completed documentary. It is the Writer -Producer's hope and aspiration to increase local and global dialog concerning prevention, education, and accountability of all legal systems, institutions, and governments responsible to uphold laws pertaining to the welfare and safety of children.
The children's advocate, writing under his first and middle name, Peter Thomas, will release 'Chasing The Cyclone' in the late spring, 2010. Reviewers and critics are praising 'Chasing The Cyclone' as an extraordinary, masterfully written story of a father's love for his son, and heralding Peter Thomas Senese as a writer of great distinction. 'Chasing The Cyclone', written in the form of a novel, was inspired by the author's experiences as a Chasing Parent.
"Chasing The Cyclone will shake the audience, this exciting cautionary thriller grips readers from the onset ..." Amazon # 1 Reviewer, Harriet Klausner
"Peter Thomas now opens the windows on the magnitude of these tragedies in his excellent Chasing The Cyclone ... As if the fast paced energy of this story weren't enough to satisfy the reader, Peter Thomas demonstrates his quality as a writer of distinction on many levels ..." this impossible to put down book ... Amazon # 3 Reviewer, Dr. Grady Harp
"Chasing The Cyclone isn't just a powerful novel, it's a call to arms against a growing epidemic that is tearing lives apart ... a superb, can't put down novel, though; it is a book with a purpose ... Peter Thomas has become an outspoken advocate on this issue ... I would go so far as to encourage every loving parent to read this book, as the bond between this father and son is one to be emulated ..." Amazon # 14 Reviewer, Daniel Jolley
"Chasing The Cyclone is a must read. You will not be able to put it down. It may very well change the way you look at life, child custody ... I cannot endorse this book enough ..." The Examiner
"[In Chasing The Cyclone] Peter Thomas masterfully reveals the disturbing world of an abducted child ... Peter has taken the tragedy of his child's abduction and the remarkable efforts he implemented in order to reunite with his child, and worked not only to share it in a manner that seeks to educate the reader, but has embraced his experience to provide relief for other families caught in this global epidemic ..." Maureen Dabbagh: Parent International
Peter Thomas Senese fully supports The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Parental Child Abduction. However, as he points out in both Chasing The Cyclone and in CHASING PARENTS: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction, the grave failures in the areas of research and education, combined with an inept global approach toward prevention, has taxed the international judicial system created via The Hague Convention. Extending the difficulties many Chasing Parents face is the fact that many nation-signatories of The Hague Convention fail to enforce the rules of the international treaty they signed. Additionally, many nations, including those in the Middle East and Asia have not signed the international treaty, which creates near-impossible hurdles for Chasing Parents seeking the lawful return of their abducted child from non-signatory nations. Accountability is critical, yet there appears to be limited accountability throughout the system. This is something Senese heavily weighs in on.
Segments of CHASING PARENTS: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction are presently available for preview at Chasing The Cyclone's official website, www.chasingthecyclone.com.
Peter Thomas Senese points out that CHASING PARENTS: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction was made possible due to other Chasing Parents, children of abduction, and leading government and private sector experts working in the area of IPCA's eagerness to contribute to this desperately needed film. Peter Thomas Senese also would like to express a special thanks to Mr. Ken Connelly, children's advocate, speaker, and author of 'Throwing Stones' for the substantial contributions he made toward the production and information conveyed in this film.
The filmmaker strongly points out that making this film would have been impossible if not for the assistance he received from key individuals at the U.S. Department of State - Office Of Children's Issues, Canada's Ministry of Attorney General, and New Zealand's Ministry of Justice when he was Chasing The Cyclone.
Pacifica and Peter Thomas Senese intend to offer complimentary DVD's of this film to all requesting government agencies and institutions, courts, educators, and organizations that provide outreach to child-victims and their families upon its release later this Spring. It is Peter Thomas Senese's hope that the film will be used as a resource tool that will increase awareness and educate others in order to bring about reform and change in the name of the best interest of children everywhere.
To preview CHASING PARENTS: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction please visit www.chasingthecyclone.com or www.petersenese.com.