As a party to the Hague Convention of 25 October 1980 on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (Convention), the United States is committed to the principle that generally the courts in a child’s place of habitual residence are best positioned to resolve matters of custody, and that abducted children should be promptly returned to their country of habitual residence. The Department of State works with our Convention partner countries to strengthen compliance with the Convention and address issues of mutual concern. Likewise, we advocate with countries that have not joined the Convention to develop the institutions and procedures required to resolve international parental child abductions and to become party to the Convention. The 2020 Annual Report on International Child Abduction illustrates the Department of State’s efforts to prevent and resolve international parental child abductions during 2019.
