Response to international child abductions

It is the policy of the United States— to promote the best interest of children wrongfully abducted from the United States by— For each abduction or access case relating to a child whose habitual residence is in the United States that remains pending or is otherwise unresolved on the date that is 12 months after the date on which the Central Authority of the United States submits such case to a foreign country, the Secretary of State shall determine whether the government of such foreign country has failed to take appropriate steps to resolve the case. If the Secretary of State determines that such failure occurred, the Secretary should, as expeditiously as practicable— The Secretary of State may delay any action described in paragraph (1) if the Secretary determines that an additional period of time, not to exceed 1 year, will substantially assist in resolving the case. If the Secretary of State delays any action pursuant to paragraph (2) or decides not to take an action described in subsection (d) or (e) of section 9122 of this title after making the determination described in paragraph (1), the Secretary, not later than 15 days after such delay or decision, shall provide a report to the appropriate congressional committees that details the reasons for delaying action or not taking action, as appropriate. At the request of the appropriate congressional committees, the Secretary of State shall provide a detailed briefing, including a written report, if requested, on actions taken to resolve a case or the cause for delay. In carrying out subsection (b), the Secretary of State should— seek, to the fullest extent possible— if clause (i) is unsuccessful, to target subsequent actions— In addition to the guidelines under paragraph (1), the Secretary of State, in determining whether to take 1 or more actions under paragraphs (5) through (7) of section 9122(d) of this title or section 9122(e) of this title, shall seek to minimize any adverse impact on— When an individual who is an abducted child attains 16 years of age, a consular officer from a United States diplomatic mission in the country in which such individual resides shall, until either the left-behind parent seeking assistance or the individual (after attaining 18 years of age) requests the officer to cease, annually attempt to contact such individual, through welfare and whereabout visits and by engaging other agencies and foreign counterparts as necessary, to provide information, as relevant, on rights and privileges as a United States citizen, such as passports, and any eligible benefits from left-behind parent, such as G.I. educational and health benefits and to obtain a verified location of such individual.