The Philippines is not a party to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction
Hundreds of American parents face a similar plight, fighting from within the United States to bring home children they say were kidnapped and taken abroad by the other parent. The U.S. State Department is handling roughly 1,000 international parental kidnapping cases, including seven that involve children taken to the Philippines.
Many parents left behind face linguistic, cultural, geographical and legal barriers. Often, the spouse is a citizen, or can become a citizen, of the country to which he or she has fled and is entitled to that country’s protection.
The Philippines sees parental kidnapping as a custody dispute, not a crime. And the country isn’t party to the international treaty that created a process for resolving such disputes.
The Philippine government says it cooperates with U.S. law enforcement and consular officials to locate children alleged to have been abducted and check on their welfare. The officials also can help negotiate a return. But in many cases, the decision on whether the children should be sent back to the parent in the United States falls to the courts.
You should contact your local police station if your child has been taken overseas without your consent or if you fear your child will be abducted
There are 3 broad categories of child abduction:
- Abduction – where a child is taken overseas without the other parent’s consent – this may be a criminal offense.
- Wrongful retention – where a child has been retained in a foreign country following an overseas trip
- Threat of abduction – where there is a risk that a child will be taken overseas
ABP World Group - Parental Abduction Recovery & Kidnapping Recovery 