Child abduction prevention advocates Carolyn Vlk and Peter Thomas Senese are pleased to announce the addition of the ‘Prevent Departure Program’ to the ‘CHASING PARENT: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction’ documentary film series produced by Pacifica TWST. According to the two advocates, the little-known ‘Prevent Departure Program’ may be one of America’s most useful and powerful tools capable of preventing international parental child abduction.
In a joint statement, Ms. Carolyn Vlk and Mr. Peter Senese said “ The ‘Prevent Departure Program’ may be one of the most important tools available for targeted parents at risk of having their child internationally abducted. It is critical that targeted parents and individuals at the forefront of this great battle understand its existence and potential implementation. It is our hope and anticipation that by creating this important segment in the ‘Chasing Parent’ documentary series, we have made accessible critical information parents and lawyers need in order to protect our nation’s children.”
Carolyn Ann Vlk, who drafted Florida’s ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ law, and Peter Thomas Senese, the author of ‘Chasing The Cyclone’ and the creator of the ‘CHASING PARENT’ educational documentary on international child abduction are committed to raising society’s awareness and understanding on the growing epidemic of international parental child abduction while also calling for new abduction prevention laws and having existing child abduction prevention laws fully implemented and utilized.
With over 1, 600 reported cases of U.S. child-citizens criminally abducted from America in 2009 alone (the year of the last reported data), it is clear that creating and enforcing child abduction prevention programs and laws are critical to protecting our nation’s defenseless children. Since 2006, the number of reported international child abductions has doubled. The vast majority of these children are never returned, as is best demonstrated that there are over 230 American children illegally detained in Japan due to their abduction. Japan has never returned a U.S. child-citizen abducted to their country.
The actual complete picture on international parental child abduction is much more grim.
As Carolyn Vlk and Peter Thomas Senese have pointed out in previous published reports, the number of actual international child abductions originating from the United States is substantially larger than what is reported due to a failure to weigh the large number of unreported international parental child abduction cases. This is discussed in the recently published report titled ‘Crisis in America: International Parental Child Abduction (2010 Updated).
The Prevent Departure Program may be used by the Department of State’s Office of Children’s Issues (OCI) in conjunction with the DHS in preventing the departure from the country of non-U.S. citizens considered to be either in the process or at high risk of abducting an American child-citizen.
The Prevent Departure Program documentary segment was directed by child advocate J.J. Rogers (D.G.A), and produced by Peter Senese and Carolyn Vlk. The film segment was narrated by Peter Thomas Senese.
To view the film segment of the Prevent Departure Program or to learn more about International Parental Child Abduction, please visit the official website of Chasing The Cyclone (www.chasingthecyclone.com).
At risk parents of child abduction or their lawyers should contact the Department of State’s Office of Children’s Issues Abduction Prevention Unit in Washington, D.C.
