United States Hague Abduction Convention Compliance Reports

Last updated

The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction , commonly referred to as the Hague Abduction Convention, is a multilateral treaty developed by the Hague Conference on Private International Law. The treaty provides an expeditious method of returning a child taken illegally from one country to another. It was concluded on October 25, 1980 [1]

Contents

As the US State Department would not voluntarily inform relevant actors[ vague ] about non-compliance of other countries in adhering to the convention, the US Congress enacted an annual reporting requirement obligating the State Department to publish a detailed annual report on the reliability and effectiveness of the Convention to protect and secure 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. [2]

The Compliance Reports have been issued for each year since 1999 with years 2002 and 2003 combined in a single report. [3]

Initial reports were criticized for lack of information on what Congress sought. Over time the reporting of the US State Department improved until they began releasing a full accounting of the numbers of abductions reported to the State Department each year and the number of children recovered.

From 2014 the US State department also released annual action reports (and one 90 day action report [4] ). [5]

Latest reports

As of July 2025 the latest annual report to be released is for 2025. [5] [6]

As of July 2025 the latest annual action report to be released is for 2024. [5] [7]

Congressional discord on reporting practices by the State Department

In April 1999, the US State Department, under congressional mandate, issued the 1999 Hague Compliance Report (1999 Report). Congress immediately, and harshly, criticized the State Department for violating nearly every paragraph of the law stating that State had violated their express intent in creating it. [2]

Congress imposed additional reporting requirements for the 2000 Hague Compliance Report (2000 Report) in section 202 of H.R. 3194, the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2000 declaring that State's April 1999 Report on the Abduction Convention had failed to provide information consistent with the intent of Congress in having a full accounting of cases and countries in violation of the Hague Convention and a listing of countries which were non-compliant with the Convention. [2]

Before submission of the 2000 Report to Congress, the Chairman of the Committee on International Relations, Congressman Benjamin A. Gilman of New York, wrote Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to remind her that the 1999 Report had "engendered a high level of criticism because of shortcomings in meeting the intent of Congress in mandating this report" adding that the amended Hague compliance legislation "emphasized the aspects that are of most importance to the Congress, and to the American people, in addressing the many concerns we have heard on this subject from our citizens." In similar fashion, the Chair and Founder of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children, Congressman Nick Lampson of Texas, also wrote Secretary Albright on September 15, 2000, to make it clear that "Congress takes this reporting requirement quite seriously" and express concern that "I have received word that the Department of State is considering submission of a 2000 report to Congress that I believe could be potentially more inaccurate and more incomplete with the statutory reporting requirements than the State Department's 1999 Report. Such a report would be unacceptable to Congress," and that, "I want to avoid any misunderstanding with the Department of State that might result in a deficient report and that would represent a step backward from the substantial efforts by Congress to improve compliance with the Hague Convention for the sake of American children and their parents, including major hearings by the Senate Foreign Relations (SFRC) and House International Relations Committees (HIRC), a unanimous Joint Resolution, statutory requirements to reform the Office of Children's Issues, the work of the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus and individual senators and representatives, and a General Accounting Office investigation (showing very low return rates to the U.S. of abducted or retained American children)." [2]

In regards to the Hague compliance report specifically, Lampson declared to Secretary Albright "I sincerely regret the two-year struggle with the State Department over this reporting requirement. Congressional efforts in 1999 to clarify, broaden, and extend the reporting requirements were made substantially more difficult by State Department opposition. Nevertheless, the legislation was substantially amended in ways that should eliminate the Department's violations of many paragraphs of the reporting requirement last year." Ignoring Congressional leaders, the US State Department issued the 2000 report in early October of that year and was still in blatant violation of five of the seven paragraphs in the amended reporting law. [2]

2010 Compliance Report

2010 Report Cover Report on the Compliance with the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (2010 edition - front cover).jpg
2010 Report Cover

The 2010 report covers the period from October 1, 2008, through September 30, 2009 (Fiscal Year of 2009.) During this period the US State Department received 1,135 new requests for assistance in the return of 1,621 children to the United States from other countries. In addition the State Department received 324 Convention applications involving 454 children abducted to the United States from Convention partners of the United States. [8]

Abductions between Hague Convention partners
Outgoing casesIncoming cases
Convention countryNew casesNumber
of children
New casesNumber
of children
Flag of Argentina.svg Argentina 1011812
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia 16291422
Flag of Austria.svg Austria 4546
Flag of the Bahamas.svg Bahamas 78712
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium 2223
Flag of Belize.svg Belize 5811
Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg Bosnia-Herzegovina 1125
Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil 243179
Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria 6600
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada 741042939
Flag of Chile.svg Chile 4556
Flag of Colombia.svg Colombia 23311010
Flag of Costa Rica.svg Costa Rica 111335
Flag of Cyprus.svg Cyprus 1200
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic 3400
Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark 1247
Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg Dominican Republic 1621810
Flag of Ecuador.svg Ecuador 182447
Flag of El Salvador.svg El Salvador 131633
Flag of Estonia.svg Estonia 2300
Flag of Finland.svg Finland 1200
Flag of France.svg France 9121215
Flag of Germany.svg Germany 50711820
Flag of Greece.svg Greece 5733
Flag of Guatemala.svg Guatemala 71212
Flag of Honduras (2022-).svg Honduras 182612
Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary 3522
Flag of Iceland.svg Iceland 1100
Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland 1111
Flag of Israel.svg Israel 141933
Flag of Italy.svg Italy 91467
Flag of North Macedonia.svg Macedonia 3411
Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico 30947475120
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands 47710
Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand 7911
Flag of Norway.svg Norway 5711
Flag of Panama.svg Panama 101623
Flag of Peru.svg Peru 101477
Flag of Poland.svg Poland 141722
Flag of Portugal (official).svg Portugal 2222
Flag of Romania.svg Romania 2500
Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovakia 2333
Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa 1213711
Flag of Spain.svg Spain 8967
Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden 61057
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland 68510
Flag of Turkey.svg Turkey 4622
Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine 2445
Flag of Uruguay.svg Uruguay 3411
Flag of Venezuela.svg Venezuela 101545
Totals8281194324488
Abductions between non-convention countries
Outgoing cases
Non-convention countryNumber of new casesNumber of children
Flag of Algeria.svg Algeria 11
Flag of Bangladesh.svg Bangladesh 57
Flag of Barbados.svg Barbados 33
Flag of Belarus.svg Belarus 11
Flag of Bolivia.svg Bolivia 33
Flag of Cambodia.svg Cambodia 11
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China 99
Flag of Egypt.svg Egypt 1218
Flag of Ethiopia.svg Ethiopia 33
Flag of Ghana.svg Ghana 1217
Flag of Guinea.svg Guinea 11
Flag of Guyana.svg Guyana 33
Flag of Haiti.svg Haiti 58
Flag of India.svg India 3441
Flag of Iraq.svg Iraq 58
Flag of Jamaica.svg Jamaica 1620
Flag of Japan.svg Japan 2334
Flag of Jordan.svg Jordan 1223
Flag of Kenya.svg Kenya 910
Flag of Lebanon.svg Lebanon 68
Flag of Malaysia.svg Malaysia 23
Flag of Morocco.svg Morocco 78
Flag of the Netherlands Antilles (1986-2010).svg Netherlands Antilles 12
Flag of Nicaragua.svg Nicaragua 68
Flag of Nigeria.svg Nigeria 914
Flag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan 1424
Flag of the Philippines.svg Philippines 2025
Flag of Russia.svg Russia 1621
Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Saudi Arabia 512
Flag of Senegal.svg Senegal 23
Flag of Sierra Leone.svg Sierra Leone 44
Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore 35
Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea 67
Flag of Syria (2025-).svg Syria 58
Flag of the Republic of China.svg Taiwan 36
Flag of Thailand.svg Thailand 44
Flag of The Gambia.svg The Gambia 46
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago 914
Flag of Tunisia.svg Tunisia 45
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg United Arab Emirates 79
Flag of Palestine.svg West Bank 13
Flag of Yemen.svg Yemen 49
Flag of Zambia.svg Zambia 11
Totals307427

The report also included a summary of the State Department's efforts to resolve 81 unresolved applications for the return of abducted American children under the Convention from 18 treaty partner countries that remained unresolved in spite of having been prior to April 1, 2008.

Countries with unresolved applications filed before April 1, 2008
CountryNumber unresolved
Argentina 1
Austria 1
Bermuda 1
Brazil 7
Canada 1
Colombia 1
Czech Republic 1
Ecuador 1
France 1
Greece 1
Honduras 1
Israel 2
Mexico 53
New Zealand 1
Spain 1
Switzerland 3
Turkey 1
Venezuela 1

In a sharp departure from previous practice the State Department listed three countries as not compliant and only one country as "Demonstrating Patterns of Noncompliance," whereas, in the 2009 report, it listed seven countries in the latter category. Commenting on this "astonishing" occurrence, international family law authority Jeremy Morley noted

Does this mean that our treaty partners are becoming more compliant with the terms of the treaty? Or that the State Department is backing off from criticising other countries in this regard? I wish it were the former but suspect that it is the latter." [9]

The report itself did not explain or acknowledge this dramatic shift in the status of "Country Noncompliance Placement."

Countries not compliant
Brazil
Honduras
Mexico
Countries Demonstrating Patterns of Noncompliance
Bulgaria

2009 Compliance Report

2009 Report Cover Report on the Compliance with the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (2009 edition - front cover).jpg
2009 Report Cover

The 2009 report covers the period from October 1, 2007, through September 30, 2008 (Fiscal Year 2008.) During this period the United States Department of State was notified of 1,082 new outgoing IPCA cases involving 1,615 children. Of these, 776 were abductions to Convention partner countries. Additionally State received 344 Convention applications concerning abductions to the United States involving 484 children.

[10]

Top ten destinations for abducted American children in 2009
Outgoing cases
Convention countryNumber of new CasesNumber of children
Mexico 316533
Canada 5783
United Kingdom 4152
Japan 3757
India 3545
Germany 3449
Dominican Republic 2539
Brazil 2125
Australia 1826
Colombia 1722

As in years 2007 and 2008 the report included Honduras as fully "Not Compliant" with a list of countries "Demonstrating Patterns of Noncompliance."

Countries Not Compliant
Honduras
Countries Demonstrating Patterns of Noncompliance
Brazil
Chile
Greece
Mexico
Slovakia
Switzerland
Venezuela

2008 Compliance Report

2008 Report Cover Report on the Compliance with the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (2008 edition - front cover).png
2008 Report Cover

[11]

Countries Not Compliant
Honduras
Countries Demonstrating Patterns of Noncompliance
Brazil
Bulgaria
Chile
Ecuador
Germany
Greece
Mexico
Poland
Venezuela

2007 Compliance Report

2007 Report Cover Report on the Compliance with the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (2007 edition - front cover).jpg
2007 Report Cover

[12]

Countries Not Compliant
Honduras
Countries Demonstrating Patterns of Noncompliance
Brazil
Bulgaria
Chile
Colombia
Germany
Greece
Mexico
Poland

2006 Compliance Report

[13]

Noncompliant Countries
Austria
Ecuador
Honduras
Mauritius
Venezuela
Countries Not Fully Compliant
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Greece
Mexico
Panama
Turkey
Countries of Concern
Hungary
Poland
Romania
Spain
The Bahamas
Enforcement Problems
Germany
Israel
Poland
Sweden
Switzerland

2005 Compliance Report

[14]

Noncompliant Countries
Austria
Colombia
Ecuador
Honduras
Mauritius
Panama
Turkey
Countries Not Fully Compliant
Chile
Greece
Mexico
Countries of Concern
Hungary
Poland
Romania
Switzerland
The Bahamas
Enforcement Problems
France
Germany
Greece
Israel
Poland
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland

2004 Compliance Report

[15]

Noncompliant Countries
Austria
Colombia
Ecuador
Honduras
Mauritius
Mexico
Turkey
Countries Not Fully Compliant
Romania
Switzerland
Countries of Concern
Greece
Hungary
Israel
Panama
Poland
The Bahamas
Enforcement Problems
Germany
Israel
Poland
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland

2002 and 2003 Compliance Report

[16]

Noncompliant Countries
Austria
Honduras
Mauritius
Mexico
Panama
Countries Not Fully Compliant
Switzerland
Countries of Concern
The Bahamas
Colombia
Germany
Poland
Spain
Enforcement Problems
Germany
Israel
Spain
Switzerland

2001 Compliance Report

[17]

Noncompliant Countries
Austria
Honduras
Mauritius
Panama
Countries Not Fully Compliant
Mexico
Countries of Concern
The Bahamas
Colombia
Germany
Poland
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland

2000 Compliance Report

[18]

Noncompliant Countries
Austria
Honduras
Mauritius
Panama
Countries Not Fully Compliant
Germany
Mexico
Sweden
Countries of Concern
Colombia
Poland
Switzerland
Enforcement Problems
Canada
Germany
Israel
Spain
Switzerland

1999 Compliance Report

Noncompliant Countries [19]
Austria
Honduras
Mauritius
Mexico
Sweden

See also

References

  1. "Hague Abduction Convention text". Hcch.net. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "THe Hague Child Abduction Convention: Diminishing Returns and Little to Celebrate for Americans" (PDF). NYU Journal of International Law and Politics, 33 N.Y.U. J. Int ' l L. & Pol. 125. 2000. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  3. "US State Dept. Compliance Reports". Travel.state.gov. Archived from the original on April 8, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  4. "Action Report on International Child Abduction" (PDF). July 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 9, 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 "Annual Reports on International Child Abduction". travel.state.gov.
  6. "Annual Report on International Child Abduction" (PDF). 2025. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 2, 2025.
  7. "Report to Congress on Specific Actions Taken Against Countries Determined to have been Engaged in a Pattern of Noncompliance in Cases of International Child Abductions" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2024.
  8. "2010 Compliance Report" (PDF). Travel.state.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 28, 2010. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  9. "2010 Hague Abduction Convention Compliance Report". internationalfamilylawfirm.com. May 21, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
  10. "2009 Compliance Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 18, 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  11. "2008 Compliance Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 28, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  12. "2007 Compliance Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 18, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  13. "2006 Compliance Report" (PDF). Travel.state.gov. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  14. "2005 Compliance Report" (PDF). Travel.state.gov. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  15. "2004 Compliance Report" (PDF). Travel.state.gov. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  16. "2002,2003 Compliance Report" (PDF). Travel.state.gov. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  17. "2001 Compliance Report" (PDF). Travel.state.gov. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  18. "2000 Compliance Report" (PDF). Travel.state.gov. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  19. "1999 Compliance Report" (PDF). Travel.state.gov. Retrieved April 20, 2010.