The United States has announced a new visa-restriction policy targeting foreign officials and other individuals accused of obstructing efforts to resolve international parental child-abduction cases.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the restrictions would apply to individuals deemed responsible for, or complicit in, delaying the resolution of such cases. Their immediate family members could also face visa restrictions.
The policy covers foreign government officials, judges, judicial administrators and law-enforcement personnel who intentionally obstruct efforts to resolve abduction cases or fail to implement laws, policies or court orders aimed at securing the return of children to their country of habitual residence.
The US State Department said international parental child abduction involves the wrongful removal or retention of a child outside their country of habitual residence in violation of custody rights. The department works through legal and diplomatic channels, including the Hague Abduction Convention, to facilitate the return of children.
The new measure is relevant to Pakistan, which is a party to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and a treaty partner of the United States under the convention.
However, the policy does not impose blanket visa restrictions on citizens or officials from any particular country. Its application depends on the US government’s determination that an individual meets the criteria set out in the policy.
The measure could also affect cases involving countries outside the Hague Convention framework. The United States has previously engaged with foreign governments through diplomatic and consular channels over international parental child-abduction cases.
Rubio said the policy would provide Washington with an additional mechanism to hold individuals accountable and encourage compliance with international obligations. The State Department said it would continue efforts to prevent international parental child abductions and facilitate the safe return of children to their countries of habitual residence.
