P.A.R.E.N.T. International

Dear Maureen and parents,
First I want to say thank you to Maureen, because it was only through her help, sage wisdom and advice that I was able to thwart the kidnapping of my son at the age of 5 months. I think the only real way to ensure the safety of our children is by preventing abduction. There need to be safeguards in effect in every US airport and border crossing, to make sure that a child is not removed without the consent of both parents, regardless of "nationality", since kids that are born here can be issued foreign passports. As all of us in this ugly situation know (many too late to save their own child), anyone with citizenship from another country can go to that country's embassy and get a passport for their child, custodial parent or not. (My ex went to the Iraqi embassy, and was granted a passport the same day without anything but a birth certificate and a picture, even though my son has my last name, not his). People who think our kids ar!
e protected by our country's government are foolish or ill informed. My heart goes out to all of you who have suffered the most greivous loss a parent can experience. If there is anything I can do from here in Michigan, please let me know. There is not a day that goes by that I don't thank God that he led me to Maureen in time. Again, thank you.Always in my prayers,Melissa White

My daughter has been illegally held in Spain since June of 2005 due to the negligence of the US courts in Wisconsin. As a result of the \"hague\" hearing that had no legal basis to occur in the U.S. my daughter was sent to Spain to the man that tried to kill me and almost killed her. As a result of his forgery, fraud and perjury Spain was found to be the jurisdiction for my child, despite the fact there was no legal basis for a hearing to occur in the U.S. in the first place. As a result, the Spanish courts gave my English husband custody and I lost contact with my child for over two years. She is now seven years-old. The state department does not help American parents because their interest is not in individual cases and how they can help children. Their interest is in making sure there are no foreign and international incidents between two countries over one small child. They will quash any press attention and they deliberately advice the justice departmen!
t to do nothing in regards to pursuing criminal charges against parents who kidnap children or abuse them. The entire family law system is broken at both a domestic and family court level. The only hope we have for our children is legislation and reform and actual enforcement. The U.S. is one of the few countries that actually enforce family law orders. Most other countries do not enforce family law orders and do not abide by the international treaty under the hague. There is no recourse to reprimand a country that does not follow the Hague... for even if a parent goes to the Hague court in Belgium to try and force a country to abide by the treaty, there is no enforcement by the Hague court. How can we possibly do anything right by our children when there is no accountability or enforcement when it comes to family court and our children? Our children deserve better, no matter what country we are from. Every tax payer should be ashamed of themselves for ignoring the !
plight of children for so long.

PS. Dawn - Yes the Central Authorities do all work the same. There are many loopholes in the Hague Convention as well -These loopholes can block the return of the child. But if I were you- I would be calling the Central Authorities case worker everyday till there was some new action or new trail date.Not sure of this helps??
Mary D

I am writing again to thank Maureen for her strength and friendship.

The first time I wrote, I asked that everyone participate in a writing campaign to President Obama, asking for the name "Sarah Elgohary" to be heard in the White House. I hope I did not sound like I am only doing this for my child, I am trying to get attention and action out of the U.S. government although many negative comments were made about their lack of help.(I agree, they do not want an "International incident") That is what the government is counting on, for us to be silent and go away, I am still fighting twelve years later and I am asking all of you to continue fighting, look at Maureen as an example.
Again, please write to the President, let's get this ball rolling. My letter to President Obama and the link will be pasted below and thanks to everyone, we need to reunite.
Mahalo,
Janet Greer-Sarah Elgohary's Mom

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S WEBSITE POSTING (I email this every day)

http://www.whitehouse.gov/Contact/

Dear Mr. President,
I know you are a very busy man right now but I am asking for your help. My daughter, Sarah Elgohary, was kidnapped in 1997 from Honolulu, Hawaii at the age of three and taken to Egypt. (she was kidnapped by her non-custodial father, Magdy Elgohary) I have won custody in both the U.S. and Egypt yet I am still without my daughter. The family holding Sarah are considered rich by Egyptian standards and they have paid people for years to "look the other way" when Embassy officials came to inquire about my only child. The State Department has been working on my case for twelve years, same with the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. At present, I am working with Senator Richard Burr's office in North Carolina.
I am begging you Mr. President, to help my one small voice, I am devastated without my child, you are a father, imagine someone taking your daughter to a foreign land and you could not reach them or talk to them or hug them ever again? I need to see my daughter before I die, please help me. I need your intervention. I need you to stand up for me and bring my daughter home to America where she was born, it is her birth right. Again, I will beg you to bring Sarah home, my heart is broken.
Thank you for your time, I am very proud to have you as our President.
Janet L. Greer (828) 452-9133
15 Parkview Drive
Waynesville, North Carolina 28786
DOWSHA8@yahoo.com
Sarah Elgohary's Mother
Please Google the name Sarah Elgohary

I am not an expert but my experience with Egypt could help another parent. I could advise on a safe area to live in Egypt if you must go live there, I know plenty of Egyptian people who would gladly meet you at the airport and watch over you while you stay in the country, I know my way around Cairo and the rest of the country pretty well and have gotten by with my Arabic. I will always be available to help someone else who is in this unfortunate situation. In the meantime, we need to get Washington's attention, now.
Thanks,
Jan

I had the fortune to meet Maureen, Janet Greer and other parents during two years that I attended the Washington vigils. Those two women set the bar high for others who have and will follow behind them in the search of their children. There is another wave of parents who will unfortunately have to experience what they went through, but that thanks to their experience, compassion and constant efforts, will be able to navigate this scary and long journey.

To all you parents, especially Maureen and Janet I say - THANK YOU for being such an example to us all. You can always count on me to help in any way I am able to.

Marta S. Lewis
CT

I have some information that may be useful for others who have Egyptian cases. I learned that recently, First Lady Suzanne Mubarak, signed a Declaration involving child trafficing as well as child abduction. I will post a link below for a site you can email her.

http://www.womenforpeaceinternational.org/EN/index.aspx

The next link I will post will be the article about the Declaration, the ICMEC is also a part of this.

http://www.individual.com/storyrss.php?story=96637327&hash=1c943c7ea4298f6103fce0f6df4a5d69

I hope these links work and they will help, write every day to Mrs. Mubarak's website. More or less, ask her to put her money where her mouth is, in a nice way of course.

Maureen,

Thanks for providing this forum! I am inspired to see that you are not giving up the fight, even after so many years. I'm also inspired that the other parents who have posted here, many of whom I got to know from various events P.A.R.E.N.T. sponsored over the years, also have not given up on their children. My children were abducted in Japan in 1995, and we believe there are hundreds of American kids being held there. If anyone has a special interest in that region, I encourage you to visit the crcjapan.com website and also join the crc-japan yahoo group.

Walter

Dear Janet Greer,

Philippines is not a signatory of The Hague treaty.besides I do not live in the USA anymore.I won all court cases in the Philippines but in abstentia, since Raul Gonzales, the current DOJ secretary and my wife's uncle has contracts on my life. I was followed and had to go into hiding.

Wife wants the SSS child and survivor benefits and our community properties there.

Its all and always about money there.you know that child abduction is not only the most common form of kidnapping but also most common form of avenge in marital disputes

Media exposure of uncle's abuse of power ( he has lied in a letter to the US embassy ),would help now, but after the 2010 elections, I can clear my problems with immigration and try to visit my daughter in safety

Dear parents,

Without the advice from Maureen, her risk evaluation during 2 years my daughter would have been gone. Thank you Maureen!
I am now working on a change of law in Sweden and Europe to prevent child abduction based on the American research studies that caused law changes in the US specifying and implementing risk profiles and risk factors into the law for the courts to be obliged to consider.

Åsa de Graaff

I have 2 boys returned from Iran after 7 years of abduction, they were both abused while there. I can help to give information regarding Iran to whom ever has abducted child there. I also can emotionally be a friend and a supporter. you can also speak to my boys regarding their abduction. I am writting a book regarding this matter and need to be in touch with an editor and publisher.
thanks
Susan Allaie

Everybody! Old friends and new friends!
I have been reading all of your postings, and it strikes me that the pain many of you have been feeling for years and years now is just as real and just as raw as it was when your children were first stolen. My heart goes out to all of you as I read your stories again after all these years. I am also amazed at the fighting spirit that many of you are continuing to exhibit as you face your life's biggest battle. I am proud to know so many of you because you are all, in my eyes, heroes. You all inspire me to continue my own quest to return my daughter, Heidi, from Saudi Arabia. Some days I lose hope and think of the futility of it all; but then I read of your courage, and that reinvigorates me. I am so happy that Maureen has put P.A.R.E.N.T. back together again; we need each other to bolster our resolve.
A big thank-you to you, Maureen!
I like Janet's idea of writing the new president; with a new regime in place, we have a renewed chance of success. We need to start an online petition about our American children illegally taken abroad; having their names and the offending countries in the email would help too. The petition needs to go to the President, Hillary Clinton, law enforcement leaders, INTERPOL, the leaders of foreign offending countries, and all of our legislators. Certainly, with all of the relatives, friends, and other contacts we have, we can get this petition to reach a million or more names, at which time we forward it to the above-mentioned authorities. We've all signed those kinds of electronic petitions, where you add your name at the bottom, then send it on to everyone you know. Let's do one for our kids! Whether it gets read or not is another matter, but with some publicity from the major media, our cause might get some play.

Thanks Janet

This is good support and networking

can you give me Ayads' new email address and telephone number ? With media, its always about talking to the right person

Abuse of power exposure could bring my estranged wife to allow me at least a Yahoo messenger chat with my daughter or a photo, both of which she refuses, claiming it would help me kidnap her, when she is the abductor. Our daughter is raised by her aunt and mom is fooling around in the nightclubs of Manila, but Philippines law says the mom has custody of minors until the age of 7, unless unfit. Our daughter cannot choose after age of 7 if she doesnt 'know me. That is the conspiracy

you can email me direct: frankybaby43@yahoo.com

Cheers

Franklin

Dear Parents and supporters,
I am hoping everyone is aware of the petition to President Obama that is up for all to sign. Please do not think this is all about my daughter Sarah, it is for ALL of our kids who are gone....we need to get signatures, lots of them, see if you can get others to participate by signing, send them the link. Please, we need to get this petition going. I thank evveryone in advance for their help.
Jan

Reading people’s stories is
disheartening. My support and love goes out to all the parents
who are looking for their children.

I have so many comments where do I start?

1. Concerning the Philippines
I will get the info of a former
Ambassador and perhaps he can help.

2. Many consulates in the US and Canada,(Australia and NZ) after children are born,
give a letter stating the father is the custodial parent of the children (home country)
The father must be a citizen and, requests it.
This is their right of the embassies and according to their family laws. – They do give them out routinely.

3. The Central Authorities are all different and many of them are ineffective and do not
Provide much cooperation or assistance.
So we need to do more education and prevention (outside the USA too) – the judges, public need to become more sensitized that The Hague Convention does NOT prevent child abduction –and that indeed it is a horrific experience for any child ( and parent).

Mary D

My 16 year old son, Jhevan Jordon Blake, (born January 27, 1993) was kidnapped by his father, Andrew Lawrence Blake ( born August 1, 1962) and his step mother, Christine Mitto-Blake from Jamaica and taken to Atlanta, Georgia in July 2008.

Despite having legal custody of the child by court order, his father was still somehow able to procure a green card for the child through the US embassy. Doesn't the embassy check custodial rights before issuing visas? I contacted them, and they simply suggested that I seek legal advice.

I have reported the child missing to my local law enforcement, and they have sought the assistance of the International Police (Interpol), yet to date, no word from my son.

I do receive emails from his email address, which were obviously written by his father with malicious content, with the intention to destroy my relationship with my son. His father has some weird obsession for me. Can anyone in the USA help me? My email contact is mercij64@gmail.com.

"MAMA CRIED"-ALLISON KRAUSS AND UNION STATION
Momma loved us, every one.
Every daughter, every son.
She gave herself so happily,
That's just the way she was, you see.

From dawn to dark she'd find a chore.
And work it 'til it was no more.
And every day until she died,
In the evening, Momma cried.

Momma cried;
There was mourning in the evening.
And Momma cried;
'Cos her little girl was gone.

Her little girl was snatched away.
She was there and then just gone one day.
And Momma blamed herself, I'd say,
But all of us had debts to pay.

Momma cried;
There was mourning in the evening.
And Momma cried;
'Cos her little girl was gone.

I did my best to cheer her pride.
That day that something broke inside.
I swore I'd find her and I tried.
In the evening, Momma cried.

Momma cried;
There was mourning in the evening.
And Momma cried;
'Cos her little girl was gone.

Momma cried;
There was mourning in the evening.
And Momma cried;
'Cos her little girl was gone.

DOWSHA ON YOU TUBE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfLMYWGRIbw

My ex partner who was born in Australia and is an Australian citizen married a Philippine national. Feb 2009 my ex asked if she could take our 5 yr old daughter chloe to the Philippines. I agreed on the basis it would only be for a month so I signed the application so chloe could obtain an Australian passpor.
My ex partner is still in the Philippines and says she will bring our daughter back when she wants to.
We have court orders in place made by the Australian Federal Courts and my ex is now in contravention of these orders.
Philippines are not a member of the Hague convention. I was wondering if you could shed some light on the Philippine laws and if they would recognise the family court orders made here and the fact that my daughter is an australian citizen so I can have her returned to Australia.

Maureen,
thank you for pointing out this site. My heart goes out to all who have lost their children by means of abduction. My granddaughter was abducted to Brazil. I am looking for contacts or reliable networking in Brazil. If anyone has knowlege of such, please post. Thank you

Hello,
I posted before looking for Brazil contacts or other LBP's who have had children abducted to Brazil. If anyone has info to share or if you know of anyone who has recovered a child from Brazil, please email me @ sandee@nc.rr.com. Thank you

I just read a number of the posts and the frustration by those parents is most unfortunate. I work child abductions and child homicides so I have seen the apin first hand. I wish I had the answer but don't. If I can ever be of assistance to anyone do not hesitate to contact me.

Michael A. Keller
Chief of Police (ret)
FBI NA176
Keller Consulting Group
Police Consulting Services
Project ALERT & Team ADAM consultant to the
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Alexandria VA. 1.800.THE.LOST
703.296.8584 NCMEC Cell
361.779.5501 Personal Cell
361.758.9165 Fax
NCMEC mkeller@ncmec.org
Business mkeller@kellerconsultants.com
Website www.kellerconsultants.com

My son Sage was abducted to Mexico in June of '08 by my then and current wife who ran off with a man she worked with and with whom she was having an affair. I have been to courts in Mexico three times and to Washington, DC twice. I have spent the last year and a half litigating for my son's return under the Hague Convention and have lawyers in the US in Mexico. I have obtained an "immediate return order" from the supreme court of the Mexican state where my son is held which has become mired down in seemingly endless federal appeals. I continue the legal battle for my son in federal courts and pray for their prompt resolution. During this time I have acquired, albeit against my will, a deep understanding of this issue -- particularly as it pertains to Mexico. I would be happy to offer my experience and advice to anyone seeking it as the average parent entering into this netherworld will need to navigate through numerous local, federal and international agencies and if they are depending on the State Dept. to prepare them for this arduous journey they will be woefully unprepared for the task at hand and mis-steps can result in the loss of huge amounts of time and money -- if not the loss their children. In closing I ask that everyone contact their congressman as left behind parents and ask them to support Congressman Smith's legislation on International Child Abduction currently designated as HR 3240 of '09.