A. CEOS is a Section within the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice comprised of prosecutors. Prosecutors may bring criminal charges against parents who wrongfully abduct children abroad or attempt to do so, but prosecutors generally have no control over the return of children wrongfully removed from the United States or over further custodial decisions affecting the children. Rather, the U.S. Department of State handles the coordination of efforts with foreign officials and law enforcement agencies to effectuate the return of children to the United States. If the country to which the child has been removed is a signatory to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of Parental Child Abduction, in some circumstances, this treaty may facilitate the return of the child with the assistance of the State Department.

If your child has been wrongfully removed from the United States, you should contact the State Department's Office of Children's Issues immediately at (202)312-9700. You should also file a missing child report immediately with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-The-Lost (1-800-843-5678).

A. Taking the law into one's own hands is always a risky proposition. While you may believe that you know where your child is located and that you can easily rescue him or her, matters may be more complicated when you actually arrive in the foreign country. For example, the taking parent may have sought assistance from a foreign court, which may have issued a custody order in favor of the taking parent and contrary to the order of a United States Court. In such circumstances, your removal of your child from the foreign jurisdiction could result in civil, or even criminal sanctions against you by the foreign court. In addition, there have been circumstances in which taking parents filed false charges of child abuse against left behind parents, who then faced arrest and possible imprisonment when they arrived in the foreign country seeking their child. Needless to say, if you are imprisoned in a foreign country, you will be able to do little to facilitate your child's return. Moreover, taking parents who feel desperate enough may inflict harm on the child or an abandoned parent who has arrived to take back his or her child. All of these possibilities suggest that pursuing official channels to obtain the child's return is the least likely to result in harm to the taking parent and the child.

A. A recent amendment to the international parental kidnapping statute makes it a crime to attempt to wrongfully remove a child from the United States with the intent to obstruct a parent's custodial rights. If you suspect that your child's other parent has taken a substantial step toward removing your child from the United States, such as obtaining a passport for the child, obtaining airline tickets for the child, or departing for the airport with your child in an apparent effort to leave the country, or has engaged in any other conduct that raises your suspicions, you should contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation immediately. The Crimes Against Children coordinator at the FBI field office in your geographic region will be able to assist you. The contact information for the nearest FBI field office in your area is available at http://www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/fo.htm#cities.

A. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has created a program designed to match left-behind parents who are foreign nationals with attorneys practicing in the United States. This program, known as the International Child Abduction Attorney Network (ICAAN), is a valuable resource for parents new to the American legal system, and can substantially assist foreign parents who are seeking the return of their children in United States courts. For more information about this program, contact NCMEC's International Division at 1-800-The-Lost (1-800-843-5678).