Congressman Smith seeking co-sponsors for Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2013
October 8, 2013
Cosponsor the Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2013
From: The Honorable Christopher H. Smith
Bill: H.R. 3212
Date: 10/8/2013
Cosponsor the Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2013
Co-Sponsors: James Moran, Michael Burgess, George Holding, Joseph Kennedy, Dan Lipinski, Mark Meadows, Juan Vargas, Brad Sherman, Frank Wolf
Organizations: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Bring Sean Home Foundation, BacHome, Kizuna Child-Parent Reunion, The Japan Children’s Rights Network, iChapeau Association, Children’s Rights Council of Japan, James Moran, Michael Burgess, George Holding, Joseph Kennedy, Dan Lipinski, Mark Meadows, Juan Vargas, Brad Sherman, Frank Wolf,
Dear Colleague,
I urge you to cosponsor the Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2013 (H.R. 3212). Please respond by Thursday, October 10, at 10 am.
Most, if not every, member of Congress has constituents suffering the pain of separation, crippling worry, and interminable waiting caused by international parental child abduction. More than one thousand outgoing international child abductions are reported to the State Department Office of Children’s Issues every year. Abducted children are at risk of serious emotional and psychological problems and have been found to experience anxiety, eating problems, nightmares, mood swings, sleep disturbances, aggressive behavior, resentment, guilt and fearfulness, and as adults may struggle with identity issues, personal relationships, and parenting.
In 1983, the U.S. joined the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Parental Child Abduction in order to have a non-criminal, legal framework for the quick and orderly resolution of abductions. However, 40% of abductions occur to countries where the Hague Convention does not apply. Even where it does apply, less than half of our children are coming home.
David Goldman and his son Sean know this only too well. Sean’s mother took him on a two week vacation to Brazil only to arrive and call Sean’s father to tell him that their marriage was over, that she was staying in Brazil, and that she was keeping Sean there regardless of David’s custody rights as his father. It was a textbook case of “wrongful retention” abduction—a clear violation of the Hague Convention. Although Brazil was a signatory to the Hague Convention and should have returned Sean to the United States within 6 weeks, David and Sean suffered numbing setbacks and delays in Brazil’s courts for 4 years. David was never allowed to see his son; Sean was deprived of his right to see his father. Even after David’s wife died and David was the only living parent, Brazil still would not return Sean to the United States.
The House of Representatives intervened and passed legislation (H. Res. 125) spotlighting the issue of international child abduction and calling on Brazil to abide by its commitments under the Hague Convention and immediately return Sean Goldman to the United States. There were multiple press conferences, congressional letters and trips to Brazil. Multiple levers were pulled and eventually Sean came home.
While the State Department’s cumulative case numbers are conceded to be incomplete and unreliable, we know there are at least one thousand new international abductions every year in which children are taken from the U.S. to a foreign country and separated from their American parent. All of these children need assertive intervention from our government.
To that end, I have introduced H.R. 3212, to empower the President to respond with a range of a dozen mutually reinforcing sanctions against a country that has been persistently non-cooperative in the resolution of abduction cases. My bill would also empower the Secretary of State to enter into Memoranda of Understanding with non-Hague countries for the quick and orderly return of American children who have been abducted to countries that are not signatories to the Convention, including the children of U.S. servicemen and women who are kidnapped from parents serving overseas. H.R. 3212 will also ensure that the State Department, which is already designated by U.S. law to facilitate Hague Convention cases, is more accountable to parents and is reporting all relevant information that will assist U.S. judges in determinations of custody and travel for children when abduction is a risk. The State Department must advocate on behalf of U.S. citizen and left-behind parents and their children.
Now is the time to act. We can and must do more when a country refuses to return abducted American children. We can and must do all we can to bring our children home.
If you have any questions about the Goldman Act, please feel free to contact Piero Tozzi at (202) 225-3765 or piero.tozzi@mail.house.gov or Allison Hollabaugh at ahollabaugh@mail.house.gov.
Sincerely,
CHRISTOPHER SMITH
Member of Congress
JIM MORAN
Member of Congress
Government of Japan Refuses 74 Kidnapping Letters
September 9, 2013
In a previous posting we had provided an email address to send your information to, but instead please submit your application via the following link:
Video of “Black Hole” protest on September 8
September 9, 2012
Here is a link to video of the protest at the Consulate-General of Japan booth at the Aki Matsuri festival at the Bellevue College Main Campus in Bellevue, WA:
http://www.bachome.org/wordpress/2012/09/the-government-of-japan-is-monitoring-bachome-org/
Call to action to support Senate Resolution 543-International Parental Child Abduction
August 24, 2012
Contact Your Senator About Intl. Child Abduction
Thursday, August 23rd, 2012
In 2011 at least 1367 American children were abducted by a parent to a foreign country. Most will never have a chance to come home to their families and communities in the U.S.
You can help today by emailing your U.S. Senator(s) and urging them to co-sponsor Senate Resolution 543 http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112sres543is/pdf/BILLS-112sres543is.pdf
Here’s how:
1) Use the chart below to find your Senator(s)
2) If they haven’t already co-sponsored, click the email link to their staff member
3) Email them* (Optionally you can call)
4) Ask your friends and family to do the same by sending them this link.
With your commitment to help we can create change to protect families in the future and help bring abducted children home now.
______________________________________________________________________________________
*HERE IS THE SUGGESTED EMAIL
Subject Line: S. Res 543- International Parental Child Abduction
I am a registered voter and a constituent. I would like the Senator to co-sponsor Senate Resolution 543
because American children need to be protected. In 2011 alone, at least 1367 American children were abducted by a parent to a foreign country.
Sincerely Yours,
[First & Last Name]
[City, State]
______________________________________________________________________________________
URGENT: The Deadline to Contact Your Senator(s) to Co-Sponsor S. Res 543 is in 16 days, 9 hours, 45 minutes
SENATOR INFO | STAFF MEMBER INFO | ||||||
First | Last Name | State | First | Last | e-mail address | Phone (202 Area Code) | S. Res. 543 Co-sponsor Status |
Mark | Begich | AK | David | Ramseur | david_ramseur@begich.senate.gov | 224-3004 | |
Lisa | Murkowski | AK | Nathan | Bergerbest | nathan_bergerbest@murkowski.senate.gov | 224-6665 | |
Richard | Shelby | AL | Kevin | Kane | kevin_kane@shelby.senate.gov | 224-5744 | |
John | Boozman | AR | Toni-Marie | Higgins | toni-marie_higgins@boozman.senate.gov | 224-4843 | |
Mark | Pryor | AR | Sarah | Holland | sarah_holland@pryor.senate.gov | 224-2353 | |
Jon | Kyl | AZ | Tim | Morrison | tim_morrison@kyl.senate.gov | 224-4521 | |
John | McCain | AZ | Elizabeth | Lopez | elizabeth_lopez@mccain.senate.gov | 224-2235 | |
Barbara | Boxer | CA | Ariana | Reks | ariana_reks@boxer.senate.gov | 224-3553 | Sponsor |
Diane | Feinstein | CA | Richard | Harper | richard_harper@feinstein.senate.gov | 224-3841 | Co-sponsor |
Michael | Bennet | CO | Sergio | Gonzales | sergio_gonzales@bennet.senate.gov | 224-5852 | |
Mark | Udall | CO | Casey | Howard | casey_howard@markudall.senate.gov | 224-5941 | |
Richard | Blumenthal | CT | Ethan | Saxon | ethan_saxon@blumenthal.senate.gov | 224-2823 | |
Joe | Lieberman | CT | ? | ? | ? | 224-4041 | |
Thomas | Carper | DE | Olivia | Hayden | olivia_hayden@carper.senate.gov | 224-2441 | |
Christopher | Coons | DE | Halie | Soifer | halie_soifer@coons.senate.gov | 224-5042 | |
Bill | Nelson | FL | Marin | Stein | marin_stein@billnelson.senate.gov | 224-5274 | |
Marco | Rubio | FL | Victor | Cervino | victor_cervino@rubio.senate.gov | 224-3041 | Co-sponsor |
Saxby | Chambliss | GA | Brandon | Bell | brandon_bell@chambliss.senate.gov | 224-3521 | |
Johnny | Isakson | GA | Chris | Sullivan | chris_sullivan@isakson.senate.gov | 224-3643 | |
Daniel | Akaka | HI | Nick | Ikeda | nick_ikeda@akaka.senate.gov | 224-6361 | |
Daniel | Inouye | HI | Mary | Yoshioka | mary_yoshioka@inouye.senate.gov | 224-3934 | |
Chuck | Grassley | IA | Kurt | Kovarik | kurt_kovarik@grassley.senate.gov | 224-3744 | |
Tom | Harkin | IA | Rosemary | Gutierrez | rosemary_gutierrez@harkin.senate.gov | 224-3254 | |
Mike | Crapo | ID | Ken | Flanz | ken_flanz@crapo.senate.gov | 224-6142 | |
James | Risch | ID | Chris | Socha | chris_socha@risch.senate.gov | 224-2752 | |
Richard | Durbin | IL | Ms. Erum | Ibrahim | erum_ibrahim@durbin.senate.gov | 224-2152 | |
Mark | Kirk | IL | Gretchen | Blum | gretchen_blum@kirk.senate.gov | 224-2854 | Co-sponsor |
Daniel | Coats | IN | Terry | Snell | terry_snell@coats.senate.gov | 224-5623 | |
Richard | Lugar* | IN | Keith | Luse | keith_luse@lugar.senate.gov | 224-4814 | Co-sponsor |
Jerry | Moran | KS | Jason | Wiens | jason_wiens@moran.senate.gov | 224-6521 | |
Pat | Roberts | KS | Theda | Owens | theda_owens@roberts.senate.gov | 224-4774 | |
Mitch | McConnell | KY | Reb | Brownell | reb_brownell@mcconnell.senate.gov | 224-2541 | |
Rand | Paul | KY | Brandon | Brooker | brandon_brooker@HSGAC.senate.gov | 224-4343 | |
Mary | Landrieu | LA | Libby | Whitbeck | libby_whitbeck@landrieu.senate.gov | 224-5824 | Co-sponsor |
David | Vitter | LA | Josh | Hodges | josh_hodges@vitter.senate.gov | 224-4623 | |
Scott | Brown | MA | William | Wright | william_wright@scottbrown.senate.gov | 224-4543 | |
John | Kerry** | MA | Jeremy | D’Aliosio | jeremy_d’aloisio@kerry.senate.gov | 224-2742 | Co-sponsor |
Benjamin | Cardin | MD | Katharine | Beamer | katharine_beamer@cardin.senate.gov | 224-4524 | Co-sponsor |
Barbara | Mikulski | MD | Erin | Neill | erin_neill@mikulski.senate.gov | 224-4654 | Co-sponsor |
Susan | Collins | ME | Peter | Halvorsen | peter_halvorsen@collins.senate.gov | 224-2523 | |
Olympia | Snowe | ME | Don | Green | don_green@snowe.senate.gov | 224-5344 | |
Carl | Levin | MI | Michael | Kuiken | michael_kuiken@armed-services.senate.com | 224-6221 | |
Debbie | Stabenow | MI | Doug | Messana | doug_messana@stabenow.senate.gov | 224-4822 | |
Al | Franken | MN | Jeff | Lomonaco | jeff_lomonaco@franken.senate.gov | 224-5641 | |
Amy | Klobuchar | MN | Marian | Grove | marian_grove@klobuchar.senate.gov | 224-3244 | |
Roy | Blunt | MO | Brian | Diffell | brian_diffell@blunt.senate.gov | 224-5721 | |
Claire | McCaskill | MO | Jason | Rauch | jason_rauch@mccaskill.senate.gov | 224-6154 | |
Thad | Cochran | MS | Will | Todd | will_todd@cochran.senate.gov | 224-5054 | |
Roger | Wicker | MS | Sarah | Drake | sarah_drake@wicker.senate.gov | 224-6253 | |
Max | Baucus | MT | Brittany | Beaulieu | brittany_beaulieu@baucus.senate.gov | 224-2651 | |
Jon | Tester | MT | Tony | McClain | tony_mcclain@tester.senate.gov | 224-2644 | |
Richard | Burr | NC | Cynthia | Ramos | cynthia_ramos@burr.senate.gov | 224-3154 | |
Kay | Hagan | NC | Rikkia | Ramsey | rikkia_ramsey@hagan.senate.gov | 224-6342 | |
Kent | Conrad | ND | Nathaniel | Luvtosky | nathaniel_luvtosky@conrad.senate.gov | 224-2043 | |
John | Hoeven | ND | Josh | Carter | josh_carter@hoeven.senate.gov | 224-2551 | |
Mike | Johanns | NE | Erin | Jeffery | erin_jeffery@johanns.senate.gov | 224-4224 | |
Ben | Nelson | NE | Ryan | Ehly | ryan_ehly@bennelson.senate.gov | 224-6551 | |
Kelly | Ayotte | NH | Brad | Bowman | brad_bowman@ayotte.senate.gov | 224-3324 | |
Jeanne | Shaheen | NH | Joel | Colony | joel_colony@shaheen.senate.gov | 224-2841 | |
Frank | Lautenberg | NJ | Allison | Peters | allinson_peters@lautenberg.senate.gov | 224-3224 | Co-sponsor |
Robert | Menendez | NJ | Ryan | Sellinger | ryan_sellinger@menendez.senate.gov | 224-4744 | |
Jeff | Bingaman | NM | Jeffry | Phan | jeffry_phan@bingaman.senate.gov | 224-5521 | |
Tom | Udall | NM | Matthew | Padilla | matthew_padilla@tomudall.senate.gov | 224-6621 | |
Dean | Heller | NV | Josh | Finestone | josh_finestone@heller.senate.gov | 224-6244 | |
Harry | Reid | NV | Jessica | Lewis | jessica_lewis@reid.senate.gov | 224-3542 | |
Kirsten | Gillibrand | NY | Elena | Broitman | elena_broitman@gillibrand.senate.gov | 224-4451 | Co-sponsor |
Chuck | Schumer | NY | Erin | Vaughn | erin_vaughn@schumer.senate.gov | 224-6542 | |
Sherrod | Brown | OH | Doug | Babcock | doug_babcock@brown.senate.gov | 224-2315 | |
Rob | Portman | OH | Brent | Bombach | brent_bombach@portman.senate.gov | 224-3353 | |
Tom | Coburn | OK | Jeremy | Hayes | jeremy_hayes@coburn.senate.gov | 224-5754 | |
James | Inhofe | OK | Joel | Starr | joel_starr@inhofe.senate.gov | 224-4721 | Co-sponsor |
Jeff | Merkley | OR | Will | White | will_white@merkley.senate.gov | 224-3753 | Co-sponsor |
Ron | Wyden | OR | Isaiah | Akin | isaiah_akin@wyden.senate.gov | 224-5244 | |
Robert | Casey | PA | Damian | Murphy | damian_murphy@casey.senate.gov | 224-6324 | |
Patrick | Toomey | PA | Dan | Adelstein | dan_adelstein@toomey.senate.gov | 224-4254 | |
Jack | Reed | RI | Carolyn | Chuhta | carolyn_chuhta@reed.senate.gov | 224-4642 | |
Sheldon | Whitehouse | RI | Ben | Weiner | ben_weiner@whitehouse.senate.gov | 224-2921 | |
Jim | DeMint | SC | Robert | Moore | robert_moore@demint.senate.gov | 224-6121 | |
Lindsey | Graham | SC | Matt | Rimkunas | matt_rimkunas@graham.senate.gov | 224-5972 | |
Tim | Johnson | SD | Karen | Kunze | karen_kunze@johnson.senate.gov | 224-5842 | |
John | Thune | SD | Jason | VanBeek | jason_vanbeek@thune.senate.gov | 224-2321 | |
Lamar | Alexander | TN | Erin | Reif | erin_reif@alexander.senate.gov | 224-4944 | |
Bob | Corker | TN | Stacie | Oliver | stacie_oliver@corker.senate.gov | 224-3344 | |
John | Cornyn | TX | E. Grace | Smitham | grace_smitham@cornyn.senate.gov | 224-2934 | |
Kay Bailey | Hutchison | TX | Coalter | Baker | coalter_baker@hutchison.senate.gov | 224-5922 | |
Orrin | Hatch | UT | William | Castle | william_castle@hatch.senate.gov | 224-5251 | |
Mike | Lee | UT | Miriam | Harmer | miriam_harmer@lee.senate.gov | 224-5444 | |
Mark | Warner | VA | Manica | Noziglia | manica_noziglia@warner.senate.gov | 224-2023 | |
Jim | Webb | VA | Marta | McLellanRoss | marta_mclellanross@webb.senate.gov | 224-4024 | |
Patrick | Leahy | VT | Tim | Rieser | tim_rieser@leahy.senate.gov | 224-4242 | Co-sponsor |
Bernard | Sanders | VT | Huck | Gutman | huck_gutman@sanders.senate.gov | 224-5141 | |
Maria | Cantwell | WA | Spencer | Launer | spencer_launer@cantwell.senate.gov | 224-3441 | |
Patty | Murray | WA | Lauren Renee | Overman | lauren_overman@murray.senate.gov | 224-4607 | Co-sponsor |
Ron | Johnson | WI | Alan | Elias | alan_elias@ronjohnson.senate.gov | 224-5323 | |
Herb | Kohl | WI | Harry | Stein | harry_stein@kohl.senate.gov | 224-5653 | |
Joe | Manchin | WV | Mr. Lee | Garton | lee_garton@manchin.senate.gov | 224-3954 | |
John | Rockefeller | WV | Nate | Adler | nate_adler@rockefeller.senate.gov | 224-6472 | |
John | Barrasso | WY | Amber | Bland | amber_bland@barrasso.senate.gov | 224-6441 | |
Michael | Enzi | WY | Wendy | Gnehm | wendy_gnehm@enzi.senate.gov | 224-3424 |
https://www.facebook.com/events/455708434462771/
If you are in the Seattle area, come join in the protest at the Consulate-General of Japan booth at the Aki Matsuri festival at the Bellevue College Main Campus 3000 Landerholm Circle SE, Bellevue, WA 98007. Contact Jeffery Morehouse with any specific questions. We will meet up at the Tully’s Coffee at 3080 148th Ave SE, Bellevue, WA 98007 to hand out the “Black Hole” t-shirts in advance. |
Article about Patrick McPike & other cases
July 11, 2012
http://baltimorepostexaminer.com/parents-urge-japan-to-return-abducted-children/2012/07/10
Parents urge Japan to return abducted children

Imagine getting a phone call stating that your children have been kidnapped. Your spouse has taken your kids to Japan, using the country’s laws to maintain custody. Every day becomes an exhausting task of contacting government officials to help, but little is accomplished.
This scenario is very real to Patrick McPike and the parents of nearly 400 abducted U.S. children living in Japan. Including Japanese children, an estimated 10,000 have been abducted by parents within Japan.
Japan has never returned any of them.
McPike traveled with his family to Japan to complete an assignment for his company. His marriage strained and his wife did the unthinkable.
“It seemed like a good opportunity to provide my wife’s family with an opportunity to spend some time with their grandchildren while they were still young,” McPike said. “When my assignment was up and it was time to come home, my wife abducted the children.”
McPike’s wife cut him off from communication with his two sons, Kai and Koh. The children became victims of Japanese law, which treats child abduction as a custody dispute rather than a felony crime. His wife is living in Japan, but could not be reached or found for comment.
Japan’s view of child abduction is different from the rest of the world. They are not a member of The Hague Convention – a treaty designed to return internationally abducted children to their home nations – and their courts favor one parent having sole custody. In 90 percent of cases, the rights go to the mother.
Japan is revising laws to open the possibility ratifying The Hague, but these changes may not be a total acceptance of The Hague in its current form.
“If we look at the domestic laws submitted by the government in order to execute the Convention, changes have been made with current Japanese public opinion and family court practices in mind, and it is questionable whether the intent of the Hague Convention has been incorporated,” said Takao Tanase, a professor who specializes in Japanese law.
During a U.S. Department of State briefing on U.S. child abductions to Japan, Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell spoke about persuading Japan to join The Hague.
“The President also very strongly affirmed the Japanese decision to enter into The Hague Convention,” Campbell said. “He asked that these steps be taken clearly and that the necessary implementing legislation would be addressed.
“This is a human tragedy, that unless you get to experience and get to know these brave parents, it’s just impossible to imagine,” Campbell said.
Getting Japan to join The Hague would be helpful, but McPike says it will not be enough, by itself, to bring back all the missing children.
“The Hague is not enforceable,” McPike said. “The decision to comply with a Hague return is determined by the courts of the abducting country. To solve the problem requires reform of the Japanese system. They need to hold courts and judges responsible for following the law. They need to enforce kidnapping laws consistently and they need to provide for joint-custody.”
There have also been concerns about the lack of action from the U.S. per policy, the U.S. Department of State has not formally requested from Japan the return of any abducted U.S. children.
Kai and Koh together laughing in happier times. (Courtesy photo.)
Susan Jacobs, a special adviser for children’s issues for the U.S. Department of State, said that individual cases are raised with the permission of parents and the parents are updated on these discussions. However, most parents say they have not been told of their personal cases being discussed with Japanese government officials.
Ironically, Japan refuses to return U.S. children but they want their own citizens who are abducted to be returned. From 1978-1981, about 16 Japanese teenagers were abducted by North Korea. Five of those children were returned and about six have died. The others are still missing. Japan has come to the U.S. and the U.N. asking for help to get North Korea to return these children.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama have met with Japanese families and assured they would provide help. Yet they have not met with any U.S. parents about their children being abducted to Japan, giving the appearance that they are more concerned with helping Japan.
Parents also question efforts by the U.S. Department of State because of the Mary Lake case.
In 2005, William Lake’s daughter was abducted by his ex-wife and taken to Japan. No one in the Lake family was Japanese, but William’s ex-wife knew of Japan’s custody laws.
On August 24, 2011, Mary Lake went to the U.S. Consulate in Japan and spoke with an official who told her to return home to her abductor since she did not have the money for a plane ticket to the states. Pressure was put on the U.S. Consulate and they aided Mary Lake’s effort to go home to her father the second time.
The return of Mary Lake gave parents of abducted children a small glimmer of hope for their own cases. For McPike and others like Jeffrey Morehouse and Randy Collins, getting their children back has become a daily job.
Morehouse and Collins serve as regional directors for Bring Abducted Children Home (BACHome), an organization established in 2010 to raise awareness of the missing U.S. citizen children kidnapped to in Japan.
Both men testified before the California State Senate Judiciary Committee for Senate Bill 1206 – Child Abduction Prevention. This is just one of many hearings they have attended to gather support.
During his testimony, Morehouse explained that he dropped his son Mochi off with his ex-wife for a parental visit in 2010. His ex-wife had threatened to kidnap Mochi before but the passport policy stated “when both parents have custody of the child, and the child is taken out of the country by one of the parents without consent of the other parent, it is punishable by criminal law.”
The Portland consulate violated the policy and provided his ex-wife with the passport for Mochi. Six days later he received a phone call from the police telling him his wife and child were missing. His wife kidnapped their son to Japan.
“In that moment, my life was shattered,” Morehouse said. “My days became consumed with dealing with local law enforcement, the U.S. Department of State, Japanese consular officials and anything I could think of to find my little boy.
“Every morning I wake up twice. The first time, I rush out of bed and prepare to get him ready for school. I can hear his voice in my head and my heart skips a beat. And then I really wake up and realize he’s still missing. The ongoing nightmare continues. The last time I held his hand, the last time I heard his voice was on Father’s Day 2010 and I’m still spending every day trying to locate my son.”
Morehouse, Collins and the other members of BacHome continue to exhaust their resources to locate their children.
They recently wrote a letter in advance of Clinton’s July 8 trip to Japan. Urging officials to help return their children, it was addressed to the Prime Minister to the Los Angeles consulate, four other Japanese consulates, members of the media, the Department of State, White House Office staff, all U.S. Senate offices, and members of the House of Representatives.
During Clinton’s visit about 40 parents of abducted children in Japan participated in a rally attempting to secure her help in pressuring Japan to address the issue of child custody.
Parents will continue to fight and hope that those in charge take notice and urge Japan to return their children.
“Imagine that tomorrow your child is going to be abducted,” Collins said. “What would you do today to prevent that from happening tomorrow?”
“I haven’t seen or heard from my son in almost four years. I don’t know what he’s thinking. But I did everything my government told me I was supposed to do to protect my son. I did everything that the courts told me to do to protect my son. Nobody protected my son.”
Japan–The Grinch That Stole Christmas
December 17, 2011
Very well written, by Douglass Berg of Bachome:
http://www.bachome.org/wordpress/2011/12/japan-the-grinch-that-stole-christmas/
Left-behind parents send letter to Joe Biden
August 22, 2011
http://www.prurgent.com/2011-08-19/pressrelease190498.htm
BACHome (Bring Abducted Children Home) parents and members sent Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., a letter concerning his upcoming meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister. BACHome is urging the Vice President to publicly address the ongoing issue of children taken from the United States and abducted to Japan. At the time of BACHome’s letter to Vice President Biden, there were 123 known active cases, involving 173 American children who remain detained in Japan by their abducting parent.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / PRURGENT BACHome (Bring Abducted Children Home) parents and members sent Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., a letter concerning his upcoming meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan. BACHome is urging the Vice President to publicly address the ongoing issue of children taken from the United States and abducted to Japan. BACHome is also encouraging the Vice President to discuss this heartbreaking and grave issue while in his private meeting with the Prime Minister. Currently the U.S. Department of State has been successful in resolving zero cases. At the time of BACHome’s letter to Vice President Biden, there were 123 known active cases, involving 173 American children who remain detained in Japan by their abducting parent. Neither diplomatic or political means nor the Japanese courts have been able to come to a positive resolution concerning not just American citizens abducted to Japan, but from other countries as well. The closed-door negotiations between the U.S. Department of State and the Japanese governmen have come to a crawl. During his testimony at a July 28th Congressional hearing, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Dr. Kurt Campbell made a comparison to the similar problem we had with Germany in the 1990s and how it was resolved. At that time, U.S. President Clinton stepped in making strong, public statements, which then lead Germany to take action and resolve open cases. Today, the Obama Administration finds itself experiencing the same ongoing problem with Japan. BACHome and other parents hope Vice President Biden will take up a similar leadership role during his trip to Japan. Vice President Biden will be meeting with Prime Minister Naoto Kan, between August 22nd and August 24th. The Prime Minister is scheduled for a future visit to the United States, in September 2011. |
Contact Info
BACHome PO Box 16254 Arlington, VA 22215
Phone: (703) 300-3411
Website: http://www.bachome.org |