David Goldman Testifies at hearing on International Child Abduction
Reads Letter to Secretary of State Clinton from 83 Left-Behind Parents

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 24, 2011 – At a Congressional hearing today on international child abduction, David Goldman, President of the Bring Sean Home Foundation (BSHF), read aloud an open letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signed by left-behind parents and family members of 117 American children abducted to, and retained, in 25 countries. The letter was presented to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights, chaired by Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ), as part of Mr. Goldman’s prepared testimony. Mr. Goldman’s complete testimony, including the letter, can be found here.

The letter states that “the continued retention of our children violates international law, ethical norms, and human decency. Put simply, our children have been stolen from us.” It goes on to state “there is an urgent need for change, not only to prevent more of our nation's children from being abducted across international borders, but also to effectuate the expeditious and safe return of our abducted children." According to BSHF Executive Director Mark DeAngelis, “the letter shows that these abductions are not isolated incidents and gives a voice to those parents who were not invited to speak at the hearing.”

In his testimony, David Goldman, whose son Sean was returned from Brazil after being illegally retained there for more than 5 1/2 years, addressed the flagrant injustice inherent in the present system. Under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, Sean should have been returned to New Jersey within six weeks of his abduction. Goldman credited the return of his son to the extraordinary interventions made by Congressman Smith and Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), and direct appeals to their Brazilian counterparts by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama. The majority of the other left-behind parents, however, do not receive the support that David did from their government, and their abducted children remain in unlawful retention indefinitely. Also testifying at the hearing were left-behind parents with children abducted to Japan, Mexico, Turkey, Russia, and Egypt.

The number of international abductions continues to increase at an alarming rate. According to the U.S. State Department, in the last three years alone there have been 4,728 American children abducted to other countries. The Bring Sean Home Foundation hopes that this hearing will be the catalyst for lawmakers and the current Administration to come together and pass legislation to strengthen our country’s laws to prevent future abductions and persuade non-compliant countries to return abducted American children more expeditiously.

Founded in 2009, the Bring Sean Home Foundation advocates for the return of children who have been abducted across international borders. More information can be found at the Foundation's website: www.BringSeanHome.org

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