Office of Children's Issues: Difference between revisions

The '''Office of Children's Issues''' is an agency of the [[Bureau of Consular Affairs]], which in turn is part of the U.S. [[Department of State]]. The Office of Children's Issues was created in 1994 under the leadership of [[Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs]] Mary Ryan and that of her successor [[Maura Harty]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2002/August/20020807094906bjohnson@pd.state.gov0.2198755.html |title=State Department Noon Briefing, August 6, 2002 |publisher=america.gov |date=2002-08-06 |access-date=2010-08-31}}</ref>  The Office of Children's Issues is divided into three units — a Prevention unit, which seeks to prevent international child abductions; an Abduction unit, which responds to abductions seeks to facilitate a return of abducted children; and an Adoption unit.

{{main|United States Hague Abduction Convention Compliance Reports}}In recognition of the fact that the U.S. State Department would not voluntarily inform [[United States Congress|Congress]], U.S. courts, law enforcement authorities, family law attorneys or the general public about the gross noncompliance of foreign countries in adhering to the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction, Congress enacted an annual reporting requirement obligating the State Department to publish a detailed annual report on the reliability and effectiveness of the Convention in protecting and securing the return of abducted American children in foreign countries.  It was hoped that the law would make available a unique and vitally important source of information to parents, courts, governments and attorneys worldwide.<ref name="Johnson">{{cite web|url=http://www.findthekids.org/pdf/johnson.pdf |title=THE HAGUE CHILD ABDUCTION CONVENTION: DIMINISHING RETURNS AND LITTLE TO CELEBRATE FOR AMERICANS |publisher=NYU Journal of International Law and Politics, 33 N.Y.U. J. Int ' l L. & Pol. 125 |year=2000 |access-date=2010-04-20}}</ref>