Peter Senese: On Writing, Film, Heroes, and The I CARE Foundation

كيفية منع الدولي الأبوية اختطاف الأطفال عند السفر إلى المملكة العربية السعودية

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 12 Dec 2014 19:34:00 +0000

النموذج العالمي للموافقة على سفر الطفل الخاص بمنظمة I CARE متوافر الآن بالعربية

أطفال السفر دوليا يجب أن يكون استخدام نموذج موافقة الدولي للطفل سفر مؤسسة I CARE لمنع اختطاف الأطفال

النموذج العالمي للموافقة على سفر الطفل الخاص بمنظمة I CARE والذي تم وضعه من أجل منع أحد الأبوين من اختطاف الطفل عند قيام أحد الوالدين باحتجاز الطفل ظلماً في دولة أجنبية، أصبح الآن متوافراً باللغة العربية. يتناول نموذج السفر مسائل قانونية هامة تتعلق باتفاقية لاهاي 1980 لحماية الأطفال من الأختطاف . ويزود المحاكم في جميع أنحاء العالم المسؤولة عن مراقبة القضايا الدولية المحتملة المتعلقة باختطاف أطفال من قبل أحد والديهم وذات صلة بالدول العربية ، بأداة لمنع الاختطاف مُثبتة دولياً ومُنَفَذة في المحاكم وتلقى دعماً واسعاً من المجتمعات القضائية، الدبلوماسية و القانونية العالمية المُطَلِعة على الحالات العالمية لاختطاف الطفل من أحد والديه.

في دراسة مطولة أجرتها منظمة I CARE خلال صيف عام 2014 تم إجراء استطلاع على مئات من المحامين و القضاة في جميع أنحاء العالم حيث كانوا على اطلاع على الحالات الدولية لاختطاف أطفال من قبل أحد والديهم. أظهرت نتائج الدراسة بأن أكثر من 70% من حالات خطف الأطفال من قبل أحد والديهم من بين الدول الأربع و تسعين الموقعة على اتفاقية لاهاي 1980 لحماية الأطفال من الاختطاف تحدث عندما يقوم الأب\الأم باحتجاز الطفل ظلما خارج البلاد بدون موافقة الأم\الأب أو بدون أمر من المحكمة، مما يشكل انتهاكاً لحق الأم\الأب بحضانة الطفل وحق الطفل بالعيش في حضن أمه\أبيه. خَلُص الاستطلاع أيضا الى أن الغالبية العظمى من حالات “اتفاقية لاهاي 1980 لحماية الأطفال من الاختطاف” المرتبطة باحتجاز الطفل ظلما، يستخدم فيها عادة الأب\الأم المُختَطِف دفاعات الاختطاف المتاحة له بموجب المادة 12 و المادة 13 من اتفاقية لاهاي على أمل أن تقوم المحكمة الواقعة في الدولة التي تم فيها احتجاز الطفل ظلماً بإقرار تصرفهم بعدم إعادة الطفل الى دولة السلطة القضائية الأصلية التي يتبع لها.

الأمين العالم لمكتب لاهاي الدائم الدكتور كريستوف بيرناسكوني صَرَحَ أمام مئات من المحامين في Lawyers في أوروبا في مؤتمر “اختطاف الطفل من قبل أحد أبويه” المنعقد في قصر السلام في لاهاي في بداية ربيع عام 2014، وفي مؤتمر الأكاديمية الدولية لمحامي القضايا الزوجية المنعقد في نيويورك في أواخر ربيع 2014، بأن نموذج الموافقة على السفر الخاص بمنظمة I CARE مصمم تصميماً جيد للغاية ، ويستحق المنافسة، وأداة مفيدة جدا في منع اختطاف الأطفال ينبغي استغلالها عند سفر الأطفال خارج البلاد. اضافة لذلك، ممثلو مكتب لاهاي الدائم المتحدثون في ندوة الحوار لاهاي الخاصة بجمعية “سابورو بار” المنعقد في سابورو، اليابان، تحدثوا أمام منتدى الحضور الضخم من المحامين المختصين بقانون العائلات حول الفائدة الكبيرة لنموذج الموافقة على السفر الخاص بمنظمة I CARE.

في تصريح سابق للأمين العام لمكتب لاهاي الدائم، “سنحت لي الفرصة للاطلاع على نموذج السفر ويجب أن أقول بأنه أثار انطباعي: هذه هي الوثيقة الأكثر شمولاً من نوعها من بين ما رأيته حتى الأن،وليس هناك أدنى شك في ذهني بأنها تمثل جهوداً قيمة وهامة لمنع اختطاف الأطفال. أنا أُثَمن جهودكم وأود تهنئتكم أنتم وفريق العمل الخاص بكم…من المثير للانطباع فعلا أن ترى مدى السرعة التي تمكن خلالها نموذج الموافقة على سفر الطفل الخاص بكم من تحقيق نتائج عملية ومدى اتقانكم لمراقبة آلية عمله – هذا رائع حقاً”.

بناءا على النجاح الذي برهنه عدد كبير من حالات سفر الأطفال الدولية بالاستفادة من نموذج السفر الخاص بمنظمة I CARE، فاننا ما زلنا نشهد أهمية الدور الذي يلعبه نموذج الموافقة عل السفر الموجه باتفاقية-لاهاي في مجال منع اختطاف الأطفال الدولي.

نحن ما زلنا متفائلين للغاية بان معدل اختطاف الاطفال دولياً من قبل أحد الوالدين سينخفض بنسبة كبيرة بفضل استخدام نماذج الموافقة على السفر الموجهة باتفاقية لاهاي.تشير البحوث الخاصة بنا بأن أكثر من 70% من حالات اختطاف الأطفال الدولية تحدث عندما يتم احتجاز الطفل ظلما خارج البلاد – وهو نفس سيناريو الاختطاف الأبوي الذي تمكن نموذج السفر الخاص بنا من حماية الأطفال منه بنجاح.

عملية إنشاء و استخدام نموذج الموافقة على السفر الخاص بنا تعتبر بسيطة: الطفل لديه الحق بمعرفة السحر و العيش في العالم بدون أن يقلق بشأن اختطافه من قبل أحد والديه. والأبوين المستهدفين في الاختطاف لديهم الحق بأن يقوم المجتمع بحماية أطفالهم من الاختطاف. نحن نؤمن بهذه الحقوق. ونستمر في عملنا و اخلاصنا.

CW Seymore's 'Shards Of Glass' Is A Triumphant Exodus From Tyranny To Freedom

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 01:53:00 +0000

CW Seymore's `Shards of Glass' is a courageous story of freedom that is more than a pleasantly written triumph over abuse and tyranny. `Shards of Glass' is a well-written rare treasure worthy of the highest praise for its ability to speak to each of us about how we may better enhance our own human experience and condition by embracing courage to break the bindings of what may appear to be preconceived `normal'. And it is here that CW Seymore brilliance as a writer shines most: written as an empowering autobiographical memoir revolving around how CW Seymore was able to break the emotional, spiritual, and physical chains of abuse that were part of her precondition - part of her `normal' childhood - `Shards of Glass' does so much more than provide lessons for those trying to escape abuse or who are trying to sustain independence: this is a story that speaks to each of our inner spirits about what is right and wrong, about finding strength in our own morals, ethics, and values, and, about how to use our faith to embrace the courage needed to enhance our own human condition as we create our own independence. It is a story that if you listen to carefully, will speak to your heart and somehow, it very well could enhance your own life experience for this is literary gift that gives its readers 'sight'.

Previous to reading `Shards of Glass' I had never heard of `Generational Abuse'. If you're not familiar with the term, it is abuse witnessed or endured by your parents, grandparents, or guardians ingrained in who they are. It is a learned behavior that is considered acceptable, even `normal', as it moves from generation to generation, creating a cycle of abuse for future generations. Tragically, CW Seymore's experience of generational abuse as shared in `Shards of Glass' included witnessing and somehow surviving domestic violence; severe physical abuse; mental degradation; sexual abuse, molestation and rape. And despite being part of the cycle of accepting `normal' experienced in her family life, CW was able to break free of from the chains and learn how to sustain her freedom by living unbowed to her morals, ethics, and values which is who she is. Bravo!

Now, if you are fortunate the way I have been not to experience generational abuse or any form of severe abuse, let me assure you that `Shards of Glass' is so much more than a declaration of independence against abuse. CW Seymore has written an incredible story about how each of us should live in courage to be who we are by listening to our own inner spirit which guides towards enhancing and experiencing the magic in life. This is a story that spoke to me about breaking certain conditions experienced in my own generational cycle passed down to me, as it is a story of lessons that reinforce the importance of finding our own voice.

CW Seymore's `Shards of Glass' is a manifesto and blueprint to live in freedom readers everywhere will connect to as it is a call-to-arms to live in `uhuru': to live in freedom by living unbowed within the morals, ethics, and values you innately possess through courage found in your faith.

With the highest of compliments, CW Seymore's `Shards of Glass' is a very special, important, and well-written book about inner freedom I highly recommend to everyone for it is a blueprint to liberty. Personally, 'Shards of Glass' I have found such great value in this publication that it will be placed in my very special collection of cherished books I call 'Literary Treasures Of Freedom', where CW Seymore's inspirational story will accompany 'Unbowed', written by Africa's first woman to win the Noble Prize, Dr. Wangari Maathai, as well as 'My Justice' written by the empowering Patricia McKnight.

Do yourself a favor: pick up a copy of 'Shards of Glass': it could very well change your view of the world and how you interact in it for the better as it is a story, more than anything about finding and holding life's magic through finding courage and freedom.

- Peter Thomas Senese -
Best-Selling Author and Founding Director of the I CARE Foundation

Reflections On My 47th Year - The Life Of Peter Thomas Senese

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 02 Aug 2013 17:17:00 +0000

So I woke up this morning looking at a field of beautiful palm trees while listening to the roaring sound of a waterfall.

It was a perfect way to celebrate the last day of a particularly good, satisfying, and deeply meaningful year that was my 47th.

In looking back and reflecting on all the things that occurred this year, I am pleased and thankful for the year that has been. Many goals and desires have been achieved, while others that I have set out to accomplish are in a real process of coming to fruition.

In particular, my volunteer advocacy to protect children from international kidnapping is showing significant and tangible results. Truth is, the I CARE Foundation has helped bring home many abducted children while preventing a much larger number of abductions. And recently, we have released an absolute game-changing abduction prevention tool that will protect many thousands of childrens' lives. In fact, this new tool is already working around the world.

There is very little I can compare to the happiness I feel knowing that a child of abduction has been safely brought home or spared from a terrible fate. It is due to the joy I know that my own personal commitment to helping other families remains steadfast. In this unbowed determination to help others, I know that the roots of the work previously conducted will impact many for years to come.

As I think about my life as an author who writes international espionage thrillers, I have come to realize that in many ways my ability to research and write has allowed me to help many children around the world. Certainly, I am looking forward to releasing several of my novels . . . and that has become an important goal for my upcoming 48th year. This included releasing Chasing The Cyclone in hardcover, along with Predators Games and Quest.

Most of all, when I look at this past 47th year, there is something that stands out more than anything and that is that I have a remarkable amount of love and meaningful friendships in my life.

To each of you who have added such deep meaning and value to my life this year, I would like to express my deep thanks and gratitude.

My 47th year was one that I truly embraced the concept of Uhuru. It is something I intend to do tomorrow, when I welcome my 48th year on this magical planet we all share.

I CARE Foundation's International Travel Child Consent Form Gives Lawyers A Tool To Protect Children From Abduction

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 17 Jul 2013 21:52:00 +0000

Peter Senese & The I CARE Foundation's International Travel Child Consent Form Is Being Embraced And Utilized By Members Of The Legal Community Around The World In An Effort To Stop International Parental Child Abduction

The I CARE Foundation is pleased to announce the groundbreaking worldwide release of the International Travel Child Consent Form now available in English, Spanish, French, and Korean. The landmark abduction prevention tool is being called by highly respected international family lawyers as a pioneering, leading-edge resource expected to reduce the number of worldwide international parental child kidnappings.

The International Travel Child Consent Form was conceptually created during an I CARE Foundation conference held at the United Nations on abduction. It was constructed to create a conclusive and categorically undeniable evidentiary agreement between two parents that affirms a child’s country of original jurisdiction prior to travel abroad is permitted while emphatically removing many common abduction defenses established under the Hague Convention child-kidnappers often use to mislead the courts during litigation.

Peter Thomas Senese of the I CARE Foundation stated, “The now released International Travel Child Consent Form is steep in Hague-oriented case law with focus on Articles 1, 12, 13 and 20 of the convention. It was created to affirm and uphold original jurisdiction of a child, affirm the child’s country of permanent residency, and remove any misleading legal defenses an abductor may attempt to utilize under Articles 12, 13, and 20 of the Hague Convention. One of the most important aspects of the new resource is that it also establishes strong support for a child’s immediate return under Article 1 of the Hague Convention. We may not have created a new international law; however, we have created a universal tool that will stop many international abductions.”

Esteemed Washington D.C. uber international family law attorney Armin U. Kuder, partner at the highly respected firm Kuder, Smollar & Friedman, has been named in every article identifying leading family lawyers in the prestigious ‘Washingtonian Magazine’ while also has been named in ‘The Best Lawyers in America’ since the publication’s inception, provided insight on the pragmatic usefulness of the ‘International Travel Child Consent Form’ when he said, “If there is no prior attempt at international abduction of a child, it is extremely difficult to convince a court that it is going to happen. The I Care Foundation International Travel Child Consent Form is a powerful tool for exposing a would-be abductor’s intent. If a parent will not sign the form, we have compelling evidence to present to a court in support of limitations on travel, use of passports, and conditions for access to the child.”

Carolina Marín Pedreño is a partner at the prestigious London-based law firm of Dawson Cornwell, Carolina Marín Pedreño is the Founding Member of FASIM, an international association of attorneys based in Barcelona created to prevent and assist with international child abduction cases. Additionally, Carolina is the Secretary of the British and Spanish Law Association, a member of the Spanish Association of Family Lawyers, AEAFA, Resolution, Reunite: International Child Abduction Centre, the Society of British and Argentine Lawyers, and the Association of Lawyers for Children. She added, “As a practitioner I am very optimistic about the effect the consent form will have in reducing kidnapping. I have just offered to use it in a case in London to offer reassurance to the other parent and minimize any concerns they have about agreeing to a holiday abroad due to a perceived risk of kidnapping. The international judiciary should embrace it as a preventive tool.”

The ‘Christopher Morris International Travel Consent Form’ is named in honor of New York police officer Christopher Morris’ and his legal fight to reunite with his daughter. Despite being a 911 hero, a former member of the FDNY, and a highly decorated police officer, Mr. Morris’ three year struggle to reunite with is daughter demonstrates nobody is immune to abduction. Mr. Morris was present at the conference on abduction held at the United Nations. He commented, “There are thousands of tragedies of abduction occurring each year because parents wrongfully detains a child abroad and then attempt to have a court sanction their disobedient act by further dishonest acts of trying to convince the court there was consent to relocate or it is in the best interest of the child to remain abroad due to abuse. If the I CARE Foundation’s travel consent form was available and had been signed before my daughter traveled to Germany, she would be in New York today. Peter Thomas Senese and the I CARE Foundation continue important and meaningful work to help children around the world. Every parent should utilize this form when a child is traveling abroad.”

Mexico’s Carlos Alvarado is a partner at the International Law Group and considered one of the most knowledgeable international family law attorneys in Mexico. Mr. Alvarado was responsible for codifying and translating the I CARE Foundation’s travel consent form into Spanish. Mr. Alvarado added, "The International Law Group has confidence this new International Travel Child Consent Form will be an excellent tool to prevent international child abductions by inhibiting parents or legal guardians abduct. I am confident governments and its agencies, including courts, will be willing to “enforce” the use of this form for all minors traveling abroad. There are no reasons for a parent or guardian not to sign it if there are no intentions to abduct. I have sent the form to a large number of colleagues in Mexico, including current Judges. Their unanimous opinions were the same: This may not stop international abduction but we all should spread and “enforce” the use of this form to prevent it, and, in case of litigation, have another element to build a stronger case. Litigation of abduction cases are difficult and extremely expensive. This new doctrine should drastically reduce the challenges of reunification in many cases."

New York City attorney Barbara Bevando Sobal, a leading pioneer in Hague Convention Cases, and considered by many in the legal profession as one of the most knowledgeable international family law practitioners and who has been directly involved in over 450 international child abduction cases and who represents clients all over the world provided expert insight on the relevance and need of the I CARE Foundation’s landmark tool when she said, “As an attorney for 26 years, working on Hague Convention cases for 23 years, and having recovered, consulted, been involved with and participated in more than 450 Hague Convention cases, the I CARE Foundation's International Travel Child Consent Form is crucial to Hague Convention Prevention cases. It is not only instructive, and, provides protections that can allay a consenting parents fear of a no-return, but, it is also helpful to Judges in the event that the parties reach an Agreement, consistent with this form, during a contentious travel litigation.”

Silvia A. Sejas Pardo, a highly respected Argentinean and Spanish international lawyer based in Spain and who is a Founding Member of FASIM, an international association of attorneys dedicated to preventing child abduction commented, “The consent form is simple and clear which makes it an easy instrument to implement globally. The I CARE is providing with the consent form a unique, applicable tool to prevent child abduction. The international community should welcome it. Hopefully it would become a common piece of paper to travel with.”

To download a copy of the 'International Travel Child Consent Form' in English or Spanish please visit the I CARE Foundation's official website: http://www.stopchildabduction.org/

Summer International Child Abduction Scam and Fraudulently Acts To Kidnap Children

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 15:07:00 +0000

Peter Thomas Senese: Parental Child Abduction Summer Scams: Ways Abductors Fraudulently Trick Targeted Parents In Order To Kidnap Children

THE ARTICLE 13 CONSENT OR ACQUIESCENCE DEFENSE: PETITIONERS CONSENTED TO OR ACQUIESCED IN THE REMOVAL OR RETENTION.

I have previously written that during the summer school break children are at the highest risk of being a victim of international parental child abduction. Often, cases of international child abduction that occurs during this time of year is when a parent initially travels with their child abroad with consent from the child's other parent. Often, the other parent (typically unsuspecting of any acts of abduction) will travel with scheming parent who is in reality, in the process of fraudulently planning an international child abduction. Once the scheming parent arrives in the country they are visiting, they unleash their abduction scheme, which can include legal petitions stating that the other parent had in fact consented to a relocation before they left the child's country of original jurisdiciton, or had subsequently agreed to relocate while in the new country.

This is a very serious matter, and I know many parents who were victimized by abduction under The Hague Convention's Article 13 - Consent or Acquiescense Defense.

During the coming summer ... parents traveling abroad really need to understand some of the do's and do not's!

Under Article 13(a) of the Hague Convention, the court is not bound to return a child if the respondent establishes that the petitioner consented to or subsequently acquiesced in the removal or retention. Both defenses turn on the petitioner’s subjective intent, but they are distinctly different. The defense of consent relates to the petitioner’s conduct before the child’ removal or retention, whereas the defense of acquiescence relates to “whether the petitioner subsequently agreed to or accepted the removal or retention.” The respondent must prove these defenses by a preponderance of the evidence; however, even if one of these defenses is proven successfully, the court nonetheless retains discretion to order the child’s return.

Courts have expressed that such consent can be proved successfully with relatively informal statements or conduct. Because consent requires little formality, courts will look beyond the words of the consent to the nature and scope of the consent, keeping in mind any conditions or limitations imposed by the petitioner. Conversely, the Friedrich v. Friedrich (Friedrich II) court held that acquiescence requires “an act or statement with the requisite formality, such as testimony in a judicial proceeding; a convincing written renunciation of rights; or a consistent attitude of acquiescence over a significant period of time.” The following are some of the most common arguments and actions that parents use in their attempts to prove or disprove the defenses of consent and acquiescence.

1. Authorization To Travel.

Often, a respondent produces a signed “Authorization to Travel” document as evidence that the petitioner gave consent for the child to change residences. Courts rarely accept this as evidence that the other parent consented to the child’s removal. In Mendez Lynch v. Mendez Lynch, the court held that an Authorization to Travel, which allowed the children to travel freely, did not indicate that the other parent gave up his legal rights of custody. There, a father signed a broad Authorization to Travel that allowed the mother of the children to take the children out of Argentina. The court held that the “evidence [was] clear that the written consents to travel were given to facilitate family vacation-related travel, not as consent to unilaterally remove the children from Argentina at the sole discretion of Respondent.”

2. Words And Actions Of Left-Behind Parents.

Courts frequently echo the warning of the Friedrich II court that “[e]ach of the words and actions of a parent during the separation are not to be scrutinized for a possible waiver of custody rights.” Here, a third party claimed that Mr. Friedrich stated that he was not seeking custody of his child because he lacked the means to support the child. The Sixth Circuit responded that, even if the statement was made, it is “insufficient evidence of subsequent acquiescence.” Additionally, “isolated statements to third parties are not sufficient to establish consent or acquiescence.”

3. Nature Of Children’s Removal.

When the abducting parent removes the child in a secretive fashion – for example, during the night, while the other parent is away, or without informing the other parent – a court is more likely to find that the other parent did not consent or acquiesce to the child’s removal. In Friedrich II, the Sixth Circuit stated that “[t]he deliberately secretive nature of [the mother’s] actions is extremely strong evidence that [the father] would not have consented to the removal of [the child].” One court referenced the abducting parent’s “deception,” which prevented any acquiescence by the left-behind parent.

For more information on International Parental Child Abduction in the United States, please visit the Department of State's Office of Children's Issues website. In Canada, please visit the Ministry of Justice. You may also visit the I CARE Foundation or the official website of Peter Thomas Senese's Chasing The Cyclone for extensive information on abduction.

Remember, each of us can help protect children by raising awareness of IPCA. I invite you to read just how important it is to stop abduction by reading 'Testimonial letters about Peter Thomas Senese and the I CARE Foundation'.

Peter Senese Documentary Film: Summer Vacation and International Parental Child Ab...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 14:19:00 +0000

During the summer school vacation, many children will be targeted for international parental child abduction. This educational video will explain how abduction may occur, and what parents can do to prevent it.

Kind wishes to all,
Peter Senese
www.stopchildabduction.org
www.petersenese.com
www.chasingthecyclone.com

FACSA FOUNDATION'S Connie Lee Fights For Children: SHATTERING THE SILENCE TOUR AND DOCUMENTARY FILM Launched

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 15:15:00 +0000

SHATTERING THE SILENCE TOUR AND DOCUMENTARY PROJECT

Issued by:
Connie Lee - FACSA Foundation Founding Director
(Tele. 318.540.4464)
(Email: facsasavethechildren@hotmail.com)
(Website: www.facsafoundation.org)

The Shattering The Silence Tour and Documentary Project, at FACSAFoundation.org, is changing the social stigma of child sexual assault, public policies, conducting current research of community needs and assessment, educating communities on prevention and education of child sexual assault, by hosting free conferences with local advocates; filming a documentary on survivors stories across the nation, the latest healing modalities, and the most effective counseling techniques, with the hundred and fifteen cities Shattering The Silence Tour and Documentary Project, at FACSAFoundation.org.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice 1-3 girls, and 16 boys, will be sexually assaulted before their eighteenth birthday. Statistics are from the 10% of reported accounts, for 90% do not tell. They are silenced by the perpetrator with threats to their lives or the lives of their loved ones; who is usually a dad, mom, uncle, trusted neighbor, friend, or community leader. The children remain silent due to fear of retribution from the perpetrator, or losing their only circle of support and love they have ever known, their family. This becomes their way of life until someone steps in and protects them. According to ChildHelp USA, 5 children die a day due to abuse and neglect.

Today is the day we no longer turn away in indifference. Today is the day we tell our children, we have heard their silent cries in the night and we share their pain. People believe it is easy to turn away because you don’t see it. I say, “This is not true, for you see it every day from the angry and volatile society; which shoots up schools, murders and rapes children; where crimes of petty theft receive more sentencing than the rape of a child; where children are sold into indentured servitude, child porn, or into prostitution. What kind of society have we become, where we stand by and allow such atrocities take place, and not raise our voices to change this?

Where is the OUTRAGE? "Enough Is Enough, We Will Not Be Silent Any Longer!" Join the FACSA Foundation Revolution at FACSAFoundation.org, or any local child advocacy groups!! I pass the baton to you, for you to advocate for our children. The children are counting on you!

Listen To Connie Lee Speak About the

SHATTERING THE SILENCE TOUR

Learn More About The

FACSA Foundation and Connie Lee's Incredible Work

Today, May 25th, 2013 Is International Missing Childrens Day - Please Show Your Support

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 25 May 2013 12:21:00 +0000

Peter Thomas Senese - Today commemorates the 30th International Missing Children's Day. All children who are missing: parentally kidnapped or abducted by a stranger or who disappear in a world of billions are always at grave risk. Today we acknowledge the large number of children and their families who went missing and who are no longer with us, as the tragedies they experienced nor our sympathy ever adequately expressed. On behalf of the entire I CARE Foundation family and in the name of those children and their families who faced the unthinkable of having a child missing, snatched, abducted, kidnapped, held hostage, or used as a pawn as part of a deplorable scheme, we take today to honor those who have had to endure so much as we affirm our commitment to assisting families in crisis due to abduction.

Today, May 25th, 2013 marks the 30th International Missing Children's Day. First proclaimed by United States President Ronald Reagan as an American day of recognition over the epidemic number of missing children in the United States that has been observed by every administration since, the worldwide pandemic that impacts countries around the world is now recognized as a day to remember innocent children now gone, while reminding parents, guardians, and society as a whole of the major responsibility to make child safety a priority while raising awareness that abduction of children must be stopped at all costs.

The I CARE Foundation is committed to stopping child abduction and human trafficking. All forms of abduction, no matter who is kidnapping a child, places the child's life in grave risk.

In the spirit of today, I ask that you please consider sharing on your various social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, and any blog you administer the following essay focused on how summer is the time of year the vast majority of children are kidnapped, and what parents can do to protect them. One thing is certain: there is no coincidence that since the I CARE Foundation launched a grassroots campaign to raise awareness of abduction, outbound kidnappings have declined by 15% the last 2 years after 30 years of growth.

As a parent of a child who was once abducted, I can't thank you in advance enough for your support as we move forward in further protecting children.

It is estimated that at least 8 million children worldwide go missing each year or 22,000 a day. The majority of these child-victim disappearnaces, abductions and kidnappings could have been avoided if society was more proactive in protecting innocence.

Unfortunately, many countries do not view protecting children as a priority and thus don’t have appropriate mechanisms in place to recover missing children who are at high risk of being exploited into trafficking, prostitution, and parental abduction.

Today we ask all of our friends to take a few minutes out of your day and share the following two articles via your social media networks because, if history repeats itself, this information will reach a family at risk of abduction today.

Summer Vacations And International Parental Child Abduction

Protecting Against International Child Abduction: Dual Citizenship and Two Passports

Thank you in advance for your help!

On behalf of the I CARE Foundation family -

Peter Thomas Senese

Patricia McKnight: Hero, Conqueror, Friend, Architect Of Cathedrals Of Hope

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:03:00 +0000

Peter Thomas Senese On Patricia McKnight: "Hero, Conqueror, Friend, Architect Of Cathedrals Of Hope."

There are special occassions in one's life where you meet someone that impacts your life so profoundly that in a certain way, their kindred spirit intimately weaves with your own so that in a very unique and uncommon way, that person becomes a part of who you are. Several years ago, I had the special privelage of becoming friends with Tricia McKnight.

At that time, I think we were both finding our voices with respect to the advocacy we actively pursue assisting families in crisis. At the time, Tricia was learning what it meant to be courageous in her voice. To live in Uhuru - freedom by being unbowed to all around her so long as she lived in the morals, ethics, and valuses that is what she believed in. Fast-forwarding several years later, my dear friend has been such an important inspiration and guide to me as I, in my role with the I CARE Foundation, fight to protect children from abduction and trafficking. In this sense, the foundation has helped a rather large number of targeted children.

The vast majority of who will never know there is a giant-hearted, kind, compassionate, yet strong woman living in Illinois that played a bigger role than anyone might ever know or understand in how they were either safely brought home after an abduction or who had the tentacles of abduction pushed back before they were snatched. In Patricia McKnight's 'My Justice', the impact on society has been deep and profound: not only can I say this based upon the activity of the I CARE Foundation, but in knowing and befriending many individuals Patricia has served as she has, in her own unique way, guided them to become the Architect of Their Own Cathedrals Of Hope by teaching self-reliance, self-worth, self-value, and the reality that each of us has the ability to put that Superman or Superwoman cape on. The world is a better place because of Patricia McKnight. And though I am far from perfect, I know I am a better man because this amazing lady calls me her 'friend'.

As for 'My Justice', it is one of the most important books I have ever read: one I keep near-by. One I cheerish and count amongst a small group of books that have shaped my thought process and so, made me who I am today. So if you have not heard of Patricia McKnight nor read 'My Justice' I cannot suggest highly enough to do so. You very well might learn what it is to live in 'Uhuru'

- Peter Thomas Senese -

“My Justice”

‘Life changing, Highly Reviewed

‘My Justice’ is a horrifying, but excellently written autobiography about the sadistic thirty plus years survived by one local woman who grew up within the small community of Freeburg, Illinois. Located just 40 miles outside of St. Louis; Author Patricia A. McKnight is sharing a life lived in hell, which is a FIVE STAR RATED tale of just how dark one man’s actions can be to the child within his home.

Ms. Debra Mize, Prevention Coordinator & Educator for Violence Prevention Center of Southwestern Illinois, refers to this incredible story as the most powerful since she had read, and then seen a speaking engagement presented by, the great author Dave Pelzer and his autobiography, ‘A Child Called It; One child’s courage to survive’ which was one of the leading New York Times Best Seller List”.

‘Shocking, Disturbing, Emotionally Charging throughout every page!”

This powerful story is one which will rock the moral foundations of everyone who reads. Patricia A. McKnight; Author/Advocate/Speaker, now founder of Butterfly Dreams Abuse Recovery & Talk Radio Programming, begins her story at just five years old as a happy little girl filled with excitement, but the moment she open’s the door to the next thirty plus years of her life, everything you thought you knew about the evils lurking within our homes will be forever changed’.

Dr. Brenda Joyce Orozco Markert-Green: whose highly skilled reputation as a Family & Marriage Counselor, Owner & CEO at Afterglow Counseling, Mediation & Family Services, Trainer for American Association for Marriage & Family Therapy, Educator and Adjunct Faculty Board Member of La Sierra University, located in Riverside, California is now using this incredible novel as REQUIRED READING for her students in the field of therapy and family counseling. “My family therapy students are required not only to read this autobiography, they are also required to complete an exam and classroom discussion on what they absorbed and felt; what can they take forward as therapist to increase their senses, skills and expertise as counselors, and to enhance their abilities to better help their clients. This story leaves a deep, lasting impression on my students, which I’ve seen first hand. It truly changes how we see the lives of those around us and how the victims are left so shattered by these acts of viciousness.”

Mr. Peter Thomas Senese: Best Selling Geo-Political Thriller Author/Child Advocate & Founder of I CARE Foundation, who also helped build a women’s shelter and who, in his capacity with the I CARE Foundation, sponsored a conference at the United Nations at the request of the Department of State on international parental child abduction and trafficking, while working to create new laws and government policies that will protect children from kidnapping said of Ms. McKnight in numerous articles and essays, a ‘Hero; A conqueror over abuse and calls this book a ‘Blue Print to Freedom from Abuse’, but it is so much more for by penned word and by action after action, Ms. McKnight and all that encompasses who she is educates or reminds each of us that all of our voices matter. On this note, ‘My Justice’ is a map to find one’s courage, and in it, freedom. As an avid reader and best-selling author, ‘My Justice’ sits in a very special area in my home – and next to ‘Unbowed’ by Noble Prize writer and friend, Wangari Maathai – as ‘My Justice’ has had that significant an impact on my life and my own call-to-arms to protect innocent children from abuse. In my capacity with the I CARE Foundation fighting against child kidnappers, there are many times that I would ask myself while dealing with these difficult cases of families in crisis, “What would Tricia do?” Then answer has led to many children once bound to know freedom . . . and that is just how significant of an impact ‘My Justice’ has had on me and the community of children we serve around the world.

Ms. Linda Walcher: Educator in the Fayetteville & Freeburg, Illinois school system for over 20 years and now a leading member in the Illinois Retired Teachers Association and mentor for many college students has this to share about ‘My Justice’ and the little girl she once had as a student. ‘As an educator, I first met Ms. McKnight when she entered my fourth grade class. Being fresh out of college and a very young teacher then; she was one of my first students. In her bright blue eyes I saw just a happy, beautiful little girl. As I moved on to continue my long time career in the same school system as she attended, I truly had no clue as to the life I could have saved in that child. It is only in the last few years, since first reading the details of her endured beatings and sadistic crimes of her step-father, that I have reached out and fully support every effort she puts forth on a daily basis to use her learned and lived knowledge to try and help many others. As an active member in the Retired Teachers Association and with the mentoring of upcoming educators now in college, there is not enough I can say about how this book has changed my entire thinking process. Back in the 70’s we were not as educated or made aware as we should have been about child abuse and what signs to watch for in the children. Throughout my years as an educator I was able to help rescue a few children, but reading this story brought all of that little girl’s Red Flag Warning Signs, which she was waving around with all her might, but I just didn’t have the knowledge or the training then to help her. ‘My Justice’ is a book which I highly recommend for anyone who spends time with children.’

Incredibly, Ms. McKnight has taken all of her many years of tragedy and turned them into something she is hoping will help rescue victims of Child Abuse and Family or Domestic Violence. She has founded the abuse and violence recovery program, Butterfly Dreams Abuse Recovery, which can be found by visiting her website http://www.butterflydreamsabuserecovery.com. There she begins with a few basic steps which are FREE to use by absolutely anyone to help with rebuilding life after any form of abuse or violence has effected you or someone you love. On this new site you will find educational and awareness information about what to do if you’ve just recently been harmed and what we can be aware of as a society to help those around us who may be struggling to cope through some form of abuse.

Patricia A. McKnight, known as ‘Trish’ to those who chat with her almost daily, has endured a life that most of us cannot imagine, but to her it was just seen as ‘normal’. She knows the path that many victims of these crimes follow in the aftermath of being violated. In her drive to better help us understand she is making all of us aware; ‘The purpose for publishing ‘My Justice’ was a need to explain and apologize to my children for the many broken repeated violent relationships I engaged in, which have left their own wounds.

The bitter truth is there was never any legal from of justice to ever come from all the years, but I needed to release myself from the hand covering my mouth and holding me captive in dysfunctions and madness all these decades; this is how and why I needed to publish this story. What has made a deeper impact on me is the many millions living in our society today just like me; some with even more horrific stories than mine. Because of the way we have been taught to view these actions, there are now an estimated 50 Million or more who know how dark a parent or trusted person’s actions can become. Sadly these many others, and myself included, should be our society’s learning examples of how these crimes, and they are actually evil criminal acts against our own children and our partners; how they set up human beings to live out their lives in a broken existence without ever seeing any value in their person. Even though these actions have been going on in our homes and communities since the dawn of mankind, doesn’t make it the right way to live. It means that we have to step up our game against these behaviors and see them for what they are Nothing less than a learned way to live and treat others, a disrespect and need for power over another human being.

We need to toughen our prosecutions for these crimes and begin to really protect everyone around us, not just our own children. What we have permitted by teaching silence to the victims, is what I refer to as our own ‘Man-Made Cancer’ only there is no wonder science which will ever provide the cure. Only by being aware, being vigilant, and being educated about the impacts of the aftermath; the many lifelong impacts of mental health disorders such as; P.T.S.D; Depression, Anxiety, Drug & Alcohol Addictions, Eating Disorders, and even worse the many who’ve committed suicide and taken their own lives because of the horrible after effects. Seeing these ugly realities for what they are is the only way we will be able to change what has been taught as so normal. I believe when you discard someone because of their dysfunctions and what many may judge as being ‘less worthy’ or ‘damaged’; then you are discarding a victim or a survivor, someone who has been or is now being brutalized by someone they love. It is by learning from the experts, many of whom make up the millions of survivors today, that we will be able to change our thinking towards these crimes. This is our only hope for providing some form of rescue for our children’s future. What will you say when it happens to a child you know or love? Our kids are watching all of the activities across the internet today and they are paying attention to what we do when it comes to helping them cope with all their daily battles. I wonder how they will think of us if we continue to ignore it all as we’ve been taught?”

If you would like to find our more about this survivor turned, Author/Advocate/Speaker/Talk Radio Prod & Host, Founder of Butterfly Dreams Abuse Recovery, you can contact her by emailing direct to butterflydreamsabuserecovery@gmail.com or tricia.mcknight@hotmail.com. You can also visit her website http://www.butterflydreamsabuserecovery.com to enlighten yourself and others about the recovery process or what you may be able to do, not only to spot a victim in your family or workplace, but also create a greater vigilance within your communities and school systems. ‘Trish’ can also be found across many of our social networking sites today, all of the links you need and direct contact information has been shared below. This engaging and empowering speaker is happy to share with your churches, schools, any outlet you choose to give hope and help to all of those who directly relate with children, young single mothers, and even men who are living the life of heavy dark secrets today.

You are invited to view her latest speaking engagement through this You Tube Video; http://youtu.be/tujWedUtdf0

This was for the Illinois Healthcares Grant Education Seminar held at the Belleville, Illinois; National Shrine of our Lady of the Snows, where the Violence Prevention Center held a training seminar with the outstanding Dr. Elaine Alpert. One of America’s Global Health Staff & Advisors out of Massachusetts General Hospital, who is a panel discussion member and actively speaking for the Education and Enhanced Collaboration of Health Professionals to rescue and provide help for victims of child abuse, domestic violence, and human trafficking.

Follow Patricia A. McKnight or listen to her live blog talk radio program every Monday & Wednesday evening:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/butterflydreamsabuserecovery

http://www.facebook.com/triciagirl62

Google +, Twitter, Linkedin & Pinterest either Patricia A. McKnight or Tricia McKnight

You can purchase your copy of ‘My Justice’ in paperback, e-book, Kindle & Nook through most online book resources. E-book & Kindle editions just $2.99

Peter Senese's New Film To Shoot At United Nations

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 02 May 2013 13:16:00 +0000

I am very pleased to share that a portion of the film on international parental child abduction titled 150,000 Internationally Kidnapped Children presently in production and being produced in conjunction with the I CARE Foundation will add the United Nations as a key location to the film.

Filming at the United Nations is no easy task. I am very thankful to the team at the United Nations for granting the necessary access required to film on location.

However, having previously sponsored a conference and spoken at the United Nations in my capacity as the founding director of the I CARE Foundation concerning the issue of international parental child abduction (IPCA) in conjunction with the United States Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program, it is both an honor and only fitting to have an important portion of the film take place at the United Nations.

I am very excited about the potential positive impact that 150,000 Internationally Kidnapped Children may have on others, including parents who may be targeted to have a child internationally abducted by the child's other parent or by a stranger.

Previously, and in an ongoing effort, I produced the rather straight-forward educational documentary series on international parental child abduction titled Chasing Parents: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction which discussed a wide-range of issues associated with international parental child abduction, including warning signs and risk factors, what to do if your child is targeted or taken, the Prevent Departure Program, and the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative amongst many critically important topics associated with child kidnapping.

Judging from the tens of thousands of views of the Chasing Parents: Racing Into The Storms of International Parental Child Abduction along with the rather large number of parents who personally contacted me and shared that the information contained in the educational documentary series made the difference between having their child remain at home as opposed to being internationally abducted, there is a clear international need for a film such as 150,000 Internationally Kidnapped Children: one that not only shares critically important new research conducted by the I CARE Foundation concerning IPCA, but a film that clearly shows both the incredible dangers of stranger and non-stranger abduction in a way that gives light to ways which these kidnappings may be prevented.

Of course, at the core of all the information that I create concerning IPCA is the unbending desire and commitment to help educate society and targeted parents so that children will not face the dangerous, and at times deadly ordeal of IPCA.

There unquestionably is a great crisis on our hands as too many children around the world are being abducted. However, if the statistics of reported cases of abduction originating from the United States demonstrate anything - there has been a two-year consecutive decline of over 15% per year the last two years - it is that stewarding the message that IPCA is a real threat, and enlightening society of the reality of IPCA does in fact mean something: after nearly 30 years of near-consistent growth in the number of IPCA cases, we've pushed back the proverbial mountain in the United States . . . and though there is a great deal to still be done, there is measurable indicators that raising awareness has made a sizeable difference in protecting children from abduction.

On a very personal note, and as a storyteller and writer, when I first began my journey as an international parental child abduction prevention advocate by writing the critically accalimed novel Chasing The Cyclone that was deeply inspired by my own experiences, I never thought that so many miracles would happen as a by-product of these efforts. But that is what happened because through it, dozens of internationally kidnapped children have been reunited while an even larger number of targeted children of abduction have remained safe.

And that is very cool.

-Peter Thomas Senese-

On Heroes, Faith, Children, and God: One Incredible Journey

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 13:08:00 +0000

It has been my true honor and privilege over the past few years to help a large and growing number of families who find themselves in the horrific storms of international parental child abduction. Reflecting on the children who were kidnapped to countries such China, Nigeria, The Ivory Coast, Argentina, Brazil, Russia, India, Sweden, and Mexico, just to name a handful of countries, and who were all safely returned home, the sense of benevolence toward others creates deep bonds not just to those families assisted, but generally, to the majority of families caught in the mayhem of abduction or planned abduction.

Fighting against abduction is not an easy task by any means.

More often than not failure is the drink of the day. With it, there is dire concern for an abducted child's safety and well-being. Anger and despair are common emotions chasing parents seeking to reunite with their child often feel. The heaviness of the sense of helplessness reminds me of a dark, drab, heavy wet black canvas that covers you as the resources needed to recover a child are vast, but by no means come close to guaranteeing a child's safe return.

Lingering always in my mind is the reality that parents do murder their children (filicide).

This thought often causes me to wake up in the night. I often find myself asking, "What can I do better, or what can I do more of to help these families?"

On the abduction prevention front, there exists a different type of battle. The challenge for a parent attempting to prevent the international parental child abduction of their child is filled with many serious challenges, including the reality that most judges still do not understand the depth of how serious this issue is, and how rules of law and court orders issued by them really have limited bearing on an abduction case should a taking parent successfully be able to snatch a child.

Like anything, balance is essential to a good, healthy, and meaningful life.

Now, over the past 4 months, the I CARE Foundation has been involved in numerous successful legal international parental child abduction recoveries. And thought I take great pride in each reunification, I am also reminded that there are so many other parents and children desperately trying to reunite. So the victories, if you will, are in some sense in fact reminders of our failures, and need to do more.

This said, I am human. I put my heart out on my sleeve each and every time I get involved in trying to help another parent.

There is never a day that goes by that I have not communicated to at least 3 or 4 parents in crisis, nor the support team that are assisting at-risk or abducted children.

Sometimes that dark, wet, drab black canvas of abduction seems to heavy for my shoulders.

Now those of you who know me know that I hold close to me my spiritual faith. I am by far not perfect: far from it. But I do believe HE is.

So, last week I traveled to Florida in order to see some of the young girls who were recently freed from the worst of all nightmares that I previously spoke of. Thank goodness each is doing well. Laughter has broken the chains of mankind at our worst.

And I had some professional responsibilities that one day in the near future I am certain to share.

But truth is, I really needed some space and time for myself as the dark cloaks of abduction were enveloping my spirit.

And so, I did what I know and what I love: I went scuba diving with one of my best friends - one who has a heart of kindness as big as the grand canyon (see reference in Chasing The Cyclone).

So, here we are off of Key Largo, and for whatever the reason, I started the day in reflective prayer.

While heading out to the dive site that I was clueless on what awaited us there, I remember talking to God in my own special way as the ocean's mist cooled my sun-stroked face. Across from me was my pal of nearly 20 years.

I felt my heart slow down. The dark canvas was being pulled back and rays of light were warming my spirit.

About 5 miles from shore, our captain stopped the boat's engine. We were at our dive site.

There he simply said, "This is a very special place for some. Its said that you may find an answer or two down there."

I looked at my pal, shrugged, and began to double check my diving equipment.

Moments later, I plunge into the blue water and descend onto a delightful coral reef filled with scores of beautiful fish.

Still thinking of the children of abduction and the new direction of the Catholic Church I am proud to be a part of and Pope Frances' offerings, I begin to pray.

It was one of the most peaceful times I have ever known.

I was looking for God. I was looking for Christ. Well - guess who showed up?

So here I stayed, two tanks later, deep in prayer, asking the God I believe in to help the children who are targeted, taken, trafficked, and abused.

It is a day I will remember forever. A defining day.

Every Day Is World Autism Awareness Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:50:00 +0000

Children on the autism spectrum see the world differntly. Thank goodness there exists those who see the world in the purity most of us hope to see it.

Growing up in what you may consider a traditional Italian-American family in New York City, the value and importance of family was instilled in my very fabric from birth.

Looking in the mirror and seeing the reflection of who I am today, my mind comfortabley - easily drifts back in time as I peel away the memories of my extended family life: it is no wonder that the importance of family has only strenghtened over time . You see, I was and am blessed not only to have two amazing brothers, but a host of really terrific cousins, who till this day, remain close to my heart.

Last night, I received a very touching and endearing letter from my dear cousin Andrea, who took the time to write to me and thank me for raising my voice with respect to autism.

To say I love my cousin would be one of the biggest understatements I could possibly make. A gentle, witty, and compassionate mother of 4 beautiful children who I cheerish, Andrea, a talented science teacher, has dedicated her life to being the best mother she can be.

Each of her children are incredible. And I am truly blessed to have a loving bond with each; however, in our family, it is Anthony, who is on the spectrum and is Andrea's youngest child, who in his very special way, has, by act, become a teacher to our family for this young boy sees the world in the purity that we all hope to one day have. Anthony's enlightened state of gentle innocence is the best of aspirations in mankind.

In honor of the teachings of Anthony, along with the incredible wisdom of my pal Connor, who I love equally, I declare the following:

In The World Of Peter Thomas Senese

EVERY DAY IS WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY!!

Note:

(On April 2nd, 2013 we celebrated World Autism Awareness Day. Please find below the post I shared.)

Please show your support and wear BLUE today... World Autism Awareness Day!

I will be wearing BLUE, Lighting It Up Blue, and cheering on all those, including my wonderful friend Jennifer Husson-Cluff, who is participating in an awareness walk later today.

I must say, I have been blessed to have my eyes opened by my dear friend Jen about the issues children and families who are on the spectrum face, but more so, I have been so fortunate to have her son Connor - my little buddy - come into my life. Connor is my Super Hero!

And my family has been so extraordinarily blessed to have Anthony in our lives. He teaches us the value of being gentle - and we are so fortuante for that and him.

Today, please take a moment or two to understand the challenges of autism and show your support for all those who see the world differently. You know . . . greatness and mankind's life's enhancements come from those who see the world differently.

To learn more about autism and being on the spectrum please visit Jen's top rated parenting website www.mom-ology.ca.

Best wishes to all,

Peter Thomas Senese

Forgiveness: A Critical path Towards Living In Freedom

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 13:13:00 +0000

Of all the things I have talked about or tried to emulate in my life there is nothing more important outside of living free in kindness toward one another than to know forgiveness.

Of all the challenges we face in our humanity, perhaps knowing forgiveness is the most difficult trait to embrace. But it very well may be the one that provides us with the deepest connections of all. Unquestionably, it takes a great deal of courage and self-assurance to forgive another person. And surely it may not be easy, especially when we consider the concept of forgiving someone knowing there is a high possibility that the person or group we are trying to forgive will do the same thing to cause you hurt, loss, or suffering once again.

Today, in my faith as a practicing Catholic, I celebrate Good Friday. a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary.

In my faith, I am reminded of what exactly Jesus Christ did on that cross: He acted and gave of his life so that our sins may be forgiven.

Forgiveness. It is a key element that allows you to live in Uhuru - to live in freedom by being unbowed to your morals, ethics, and values.

In my life, I know I have made my fair share of mistakes, just like each of us except one. In part my own life has evolved to understanding the concept of forgiveness because I have needed to be forgiven. I still do. I make mistakes.

In the philanthropic work I try to put forth helping families in crisis, I often find myself overloaded with multiple cases of international child abduction and trafficking where real lives are at stake. This world is dark, unfair, filled with malice and injustice, and removed of light. And I travel there often. It is not easy. And at times, knowing the risks and exploitation of children that occurs, I know there are times when my disbelief of the circumstances children and targeted parents face has led me at times to close my heart from the concept of forgiveness. Thank goodness, I am reminded of the idea of forgiveness each and every day by Christ, who is in my life, along with my loving memories of my remarkable grandfather, Rabbi Morton Kohn, who truly reinforced Christ’s teachings of forgiveness to me by living a life of forgiveness.

So today is Good Friday. And I celebrate Forgiveness. For anyone I have ever hurt I am sorry if my actions or lack of them may have caused you hurt. And to anyone who may have caused me hurt, I forgive you and wish you happiness.

One other thing: it is okay to forgive yourself. You are not perfect. You are not expected to be. You, like me, and the neighbor next to you, will make many, many mistakes. Forgive yourself. Christ did.

In the spirit of forgiveness I thought I would share a little history taken from Wikipedia about Forgiveness.

And to each of you who happen to be celebrating this Holy Week of Passover and Easter, I wish each of you the wonderment of giving and receiving forgiveness.

And if there is one special prayer that I have been holding in my heart that I would like to share with you, it is that all parents in conflict with one another truly attempt to find common ground necessary in the best interest of their child.

- Peter Thomas Senese -

Forgiveness

The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of Passover.

Based on the details of the Canonical gospels, the Crucifixion of Jesus was most likely to have been on a Friday (John 19:42) ^] The estimated year of the Crucifixion is AD 33, by two different groups, and originally as AD 34 by Isaac Newton via the differences between the Biblical and Julian calendars and the crescent of the moon. A third method, using a completely different astronomical approach based on a lunar Crucifixion darkness and eclipse model (consistent with Apostle Peter's reference to a "moon of blood" in Acts 2:20), points to Friday, 3 April AD 33.

Forgiveness is the renunciation or cessation of resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offence, disagreement, or mistake, or ceasing to demand. punishment or restitution. The Oxford English Dictionary defines forgiveness as 'to grant free pardon and to give up all claim on account of an offence or debt'. The concept and benefits of forgiveness have been explored in religious thought, the social sciences and medicine. Forgiveness may be considered simply in terms of the person who forgives including forgiving themselves, in terms of the person forgiven or in terms of the relationship between the forgiver and the person forgiven. In most contexts, forgiveness is granted without any expectation of restorative justice, and without any response on the part of the offender (for example, one may forgive a person who is incommunicado or dead). In practical terms, it may be necessary for the offender to offer some form of acknowledgment, an apology, or even just ask for forgiveness, in order for the wronged person to believe himself able to forgive.

Most world religions include teachings on the nature of forgiveness, and many of these teachings provide an underlying basis for many varying modern day traditions and practices of forgiveness. Some religious doctrines or philosophies place greater emphasis on the need for humans to find some sort of divine forgiveness for their own shortcomings, others place greater emphasis on the need for humans to practice forgiveness of one another, yet others make little or no distinction between human and divine forgiveness.

Research

Factors determining the likelihood of forgiveness in an intimate relationship.

Although there is presently no consensus for a psychological definition of forgiveness in the research literature, agreement has emerged that forgiveness is a process and a number of models describing the process of forgiveness have been published, including one from a radical behavioral perspective.

Dr. Robert Enright from the University of Wisconsin–Madison founded the International Forgiveness Institute and is considered the initiator of forgiveness studies. He developed a 20-Step Process Model of Forgiveness. Recent work has focused on what kind of person is more likely to be forgiving. A longitudinal study showed that people who were generally more neurotic, angry and hostile in life were less likely to forgive another person even after a long time had passed. Specifically, these people were more likely to still avoid their transgressor and want to enact revenge upon them two and a half years after the transgression.

Studies show that people who forgive are happier and healthier than those who hold resentments. The first study to look at how forgiveness improves physical health discovered that when people think about forgiving an offender it leads to improved functioning in their cardiovascular and nervous systems. Another study at the University of Wisconsin found the more forgiving people were, the less they suffered from a wide range of illnesses. The less forgiving people reported a greater number of health problems.

The research of Dr. Fred Luskin of Stanford University shows that forgiveness can be learned. Dr. Frederic Luskin's work is based on seven major research projects into the effects of forgiveness, giving empirical validity to the concept that forgiveness is not only powerful, but also excellent for your health. Dr. Fred Luskin author of the book "Learning to forgive was presented with a Champion of Forgiveness award by the Forgiveness Alliance for his groundbreaking work with forgiveness, reconciliation and peace.

In three separate studies, including one with Catholics and Protestants from Northern Ireland whose family members were murdered in the political violence, he found that people who are taught how to forgive become less angry, feel less hurt, are more optimistic, become more forgiving in a variety of situations, and become more compassionate and self-confident. His studies show a reduction in experience of stress, physical manifestations of stress, and an increase in vitality.

Religious views

Judaism

In Judaism, if a person causes harm, but then sincerely and honestly apologizes to the wronged individual and tries to rectify the wrong, the wronged individual is religiously required to grant forgiveness:

"It is forbidden to be obdurate and not allow yourself to be appeased. On the contrary, one should be easily pacified and find it difficult to become angry. When asked by an offender for forgiveness, one should forgive with a sincere mind and a willing spirit. . . forgiveness is natural to the seed of Israel." (Mishneh Torah, Teshuvah 2:10)

In Judaism, one must go to those he has harmed in order to be entitled to forgiveness. [One who sincerely apologizes three times for a wrong committed against another has fulfilled his or her obligation to seek forgiveness. (Shulchan Aruch) OC 606:1] This means that in Judaism a person cannot obtain forgiveness from God for wrongs the person has done to other people. This also means that, unless the victim forgave the perpetrator before he died, murder is unforgivable in Judaism, and they will answer to God for it, though the victims' family and friends can forgive the murderer for the grief they caused them. The Tefila Zaka meditation, which is recited just before Yom Kippur, closes with the following:

"I know that there is no one so righteous that they have not wronged another, financially or physically, through deed or speech. This pains my heart within me, because wrongs between humans and their fellow are not atoned by Yom Kippur, until the wronged one is appeased. Because of this, my heart breaks within me, and my bones tremble; for even the day of death does not atone for such sins. Therefore I prostrate and beg before You, to have mercy on me, and grant me grace, compassion, and mercy in Your eyes and in the eyes of all people. For behold, I forgive with a final and resolved forgiveness anyone who has wronged me, whether in person or property, even if they slandered me, or spread falsehoods against me. So I release anyone who has injured me either in person or in property, or has committed any manner of sin that one may commit against another [except for legally enforceable business obligations, and except for someone who has deliberately harmed me with the thought ‘I can harm him because he will forgive me']. Except for these two, I fully and finally forgive everyone; may no one be punished because of me. And just as I forgive everyone, so may You grant me grace in the eyes of others, that they too forgive me absolutely."

Thus the "reward" for forgiving others is not God's forgiveness for wrongs done to others, but rather help in obtaining forgiveness from the other person.

Sir Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, summarized: "it is not that God forgives, while human beings do not. To the contrary, we believe that just as only God can forgive sins against God, so only human beings can forgive sins against human beings."

Jews observe a Day of Atonement Yom Kippur on the day before God makes decisions regarding what will happen during the coming year. Just prior to Yom Kippur, Jews will ask forgiveness of those they have wronged during the prior year (if they have not already done so). During Yom Kippur itself, Jews fast and pray for God's forgiveness for the transgressions they have made against God in the prior year. Sincere repentance is required, and once again, God can only forgive one for the sins one has committed against God; this is why it is necessary for Jews also to seek the forgiveness of those people who they have wronged.

Christianity

In the New Testament, Jesus speaks of the importance of Christians forgiving or showing mercy towards others. The Parable of the Prodigal Son is perhaps the best known instance of such teaching and practice of forgiveness.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus repeatedly spoke of forgiveness, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Matthew 5:7 (NIV) “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” Matthew 5:23-24 (NIV) “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:25 (NIV) “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also.” Luke 6:27-29 (NIV) “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Luke 6:36 (NIV) “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Luke 6:37 (NIV)

Elsewhere, it is said, "Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Matthew 18:21-22 (NKJV)

Jesus asked for God's forgiveness of those who crucified him. "And Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.'" Luke 23: 34 (ESV)

Benedict XVI, on a visit to Lebanon in 2012, insisted that peace must be based on mutual forgiveness: "Only forgiveness, given and received, can lay lasting foundations for reconciliation and universal peace"

Islam

Islam teaches that God is Al-Ghaffur "The All-Forgiving", and is the original source of all forgiveness (ghufran غفران). Forgiveness often requires the repentance of those being forgiven. Depending on the type of wrong committed, forgiveness can come either directly from Allah, or from one's fellow man who received the wrong. In the case of divine forgiveness, the asking for divine forgiveness via repentance is important. In the case of human forgiveness, it is important to both forgive, and to be forgiven.

Islam does not teach universalism, however, and the Qur'an states explicitly that God will not forgive idol worship (shirk):

God does not forgive idol worship (if maintained until death), and He forgives lesser offenses for whomever He wills. Anyone who idolizes any idol beside God has strayed far astray. (Qur'an 4:116)

The Qur'an never allows for violent behavior on the part of Muslim believers, except in the cases of defending one's religion, one's life, or one's property. Outside of this, the Qu'ran makes no allowances for violent behavior. From time to time certain Muslims have interpreted such Qur'anic allowances for "defensive violence" to include what other Muslims have viewed more as unwarranted and overly aggressive violence. This interpretative debate about when to forgive and when to aggressively attack or defend continues to this day within the Muslim community.

The Qur'an makes it clear that, whenever possible, it is better to forgive another than to attack another. The Qur'an describes the believers (Muslims) as those who, avoid gross sins and vice, and when angered they forgive. (Qur'an 42:37) and says that Although the just requital for an injustice is an equivalent retribution, those who pardon and maintain righteousness are rewarded by GOD. He does not love the unjust. (Qur'an 42:40).

To receive forgiveness from God there are three requirements:

Recognizing the offense itself and its admission before God.
Making a commitment not to repeat the offense.
Asking for forgiveness from God.

If the offense was committed against another human being, or against society, a fourth condition is added:

Recognizing the offense before those against whom offense was committed and before God.
Committing oneself not to repeat the offense.
Doing whatever needs to be done to rectify the offense (within reason) and asking pardon of the offended party.
Asking God for forgiveness.

There are no particular words to say for asking forgiveness. However, Muslims are taught many phrases and words to keep repeating daily asking God's forgiveness. For example:

Astaghfiru-Allah, "I ask forgiveness from Allah"
Subhanaka-Allah humma wa bi hamdika wa ash-hadu al la Ilaha illa Anta astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, "Glory be to You, Allah, and with You Praise (thanks) and I bear witness that there is no deity but You, I ask Your forgiveness and I return to You (in obedience)".

Islamic teaching presents the Prophet Muhammad as an example of someone who would forgive others for their ignorance, even those who might have once considered themselves to be his enemies. One example of Muhammad's practice of forgiveness can be found in the Hadith, the body of early Islamic literature about the life of Muhammad. This account is as follows:
The Prophet was the most forgiving person. He was ever ready to forgive his enemies. When he went to Ta’if to preach the message of Allah, its people mistreated him, abused him and hit him with stones. He left the city humiliated and wounded. When he took shelter under a tree, the angel of Allah visited him and told him that Allah sent him to destroy the people of Ta’if because of their sin of maltreating their Prophet. Muhammad prayed to Allah to save the people of Ta'if, because what they did was out of their ignorance.

Bahá'í Faith

In the Bahá'í Writings, this explanation is given of how to be forgiving towards others:

"Love the creatures for the sake of God and not for themselves. You will never become angry or impatient if you love them for the sake of God. Humanity is not perfect. There are imperfections in every human being, and you will always become unhappy if you look toward the people themselves. But if you look toward God, you will love them and be kind to them, for the world of God is the world of perfection and complete mercy. Therefore, do not look at the shortcomings of anybody; see with the sight of forgiveness."
— `Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 92

Buddhism

In Buddhism, forgiveness is seen as a practice to prevent harmful thoughts from causing havoc on one’s mental well-being. Buddhism recognizes that feelings of hatred and ill-will leave a lasting effect on our mind karma. Instead, Buddhism encourages the cultivation of thoughts that leave a wholesome effect. "In contemplating the law of karma, we realize that it is not a matter of seeking revenge but of practicing mettā and forgiveness, for the victimizer is, truly, the most unfortunate of all. When resentments have already arisen, the Buddhist view is to calmly proceed to release them by going back to their roots. Buddhism centers on release from delusion and suffering through meditation and receiving insight into the nature of reality. Buddhism questions the reality of the passions that make forgiveness necessary as well as the reality of the objects of those passions "If we haven’t forgiven, we keep creating an identity around our pain, and that is what is reborn. That is what suffers.

Buddhism places much emphasis on the concepts of Mettā (loving kindness), karuna (compassion), mudita (sympathetic joy), and upekkhā (equanimity), as a means to avoiding resentments in the first place. These reflections are used to understand the context of suffering in the world, both our own and the suffering of others.

“He abused me, he struck me, he overcame me, he robbed me’ — in those who harbor such thoughts hatred will never cease.”

“He abused me, he struck me, he overcame me, he robbed me’ — in those who do not harbor such thoughts hatred will cease.”

(Dhammapada 1.3-4; trans. Radhakrishnan - see article)

Hinduism

The concept of performing atonement from one's wrongdoing (Prayaschittha — Sanskrit: Penance), and asking for forgiveness is very much a part of the practice of Hinduism. Prayaschittha is related to the law of Karma. Karma is a sum of all that an individual has done, is currently doing and will do. The effects of those deeds and these deeds actively create present and future experiences, thus making one responsible for one's own life, and the pain in others.

Addressing Dhritarashtra, Vidura said: "There is one only defect in forgiving persons, and not another; that defect is that people take a forgiving person to be weak. That defect, however, should not be taken into consideration, for forgiveness is a great power. Forgiveness is a virtue of the weak, and an ornament of the strong. Forgiveness subdues (all) in this world; what is there that forgiveness cannot achieve? What can a wicked person do unto him who carries the sabre of forgiveness in his hand? Fire falling on the grassless ground is extinguished of itself. And unforgiving individual defiles himself with many enormities. Righteousness is the one highest good; and forgiveness is the one supreme peace; knowledge is one supreme contentment; and benevolence, one sole happiness." (From the Mahabharata, Udyoga Parva Section XXXIII, Translated by Sri Kisari Mohan Ganguli).

An even more authoritative statement about forgiveness is espoused by Krishna, who is considered to be an incarnation (Avatar) of Vishnu by Hindus. Krishna said in the Gita that forgiveness is one of the characteristics of one born for a divine state. It is noteworthy that he distinguishes those good traits from those he considered to be demoniac, such as pride, self-conceit and anger (Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16, verse 3).

Village priests may open their temple ceremonies with the following beloved invocation:

O Lord, forgive three sins that are due to my human limitations:
Thou art everywhere, but I worship thee here;
Thou art without form, but I worship thee in these forms;
Thou needest no praise, yet I offer thee these prayers and salutations;
Lord, forgive three sins that are due to my human limitations.

Jainism

See also: Micchami Dukkadam and Kshamavani

In Jainism, forgiveness is one of the main virtues that needs to be cultivated by the Jains. Kṣamāpanā or supreme forgiveness forms part of one of the ten characteristics of dharma.^[24] In the Jain prayer, (pratikramana) Jains repeatedly seek forgiveness from various creatures—even from ekindriyas or single sensed beings like plants and microorganisms that they may have harmed while eating and doing routine activities.^[25] Forgiveness is asked by uttering the phrase, Micchāmi dukkaḍaṃ. Micchāmi dukkaḍaṃ is a Prakrit language phrase literally meaning "may all the evil that has been done be fruitless."^[26] During samvatsari—the last day of Jain festival paryusana—Jains utter the phrase Micchami Dukkadam after pratikraman. As a matter of ritual, they personally greet their friends and relatives micchāmi dukkaḍaṃ seeking their forgiveness. No private quarrel or dispute may be carried beyond samvatsari, and letters and telephone calls are made to the outstation friends and relatives asking their forgiveness.

Pratikraman also contains the following prayer.

Khāmemi savva-jīve savvë jive khamantu me /

metti me savva-bhūesu, veraṃ mejjha na keṇavi //

(I ask pardon of all creatures, may all creatures pardon me.

May I have friendship with all beings and enmity with none.)

In their daily prayers and samayika, Jains recite Iryavahi sutra seeking forgiveness from all creatures while involved in routine activities:

May you, O Revered One! Voluntarily permit me. I would like to confess my sinful acts committed while walking. I honour your permission. I desire to absolve myself of the sinful acts by confessing them. I seek forgiveness from all those living beings which I may have tortured while walking, coming and going, treading on living organism, seeds, green grass, dew drops, ant hills, moss, live water, live earth, spider web and others. I seek forgiveness from all these living beings, be they — one sensed, two sensed, three sensed, four sensed or five sensed. Which I may have kicked, covered with dust, rubbed with ground, collided with other, turned upside down, tormented, frightened, shifted from one place to another or killed and deprived them of their lives. (By confessing) may I be absolved of all these sins.

Jain texts quote Māhavīra on forgiveness:

By practicing prāyaṣcitta (repentance), a soul gets rid of sins, and commits no transgressions; he who correctly practises prāyaṣcitta gains the road and the reward of the road, he wins the reward of good conduct. By begging forgiveness he obtains happiness of mind; thereby he acquires a kind disposition towards all kinds of living beings; by this kind disposition he obtains purity of character and freedom from fear.

— Māhavīra in Uttarādhyayana Sūtra 29:17–18

Even the code of conduct amongst the monks requires the monks to ask forgiveness for all transgressions:

If among monks or nuns occurs a quarrel or dispute or dissension, the young monk should ask forgiveness of the superior, and the superior of the young monk. They should forgive and ask forgiveness, appease and be appeased, and converse without restraint. For him who is appeased, there will be success (in control); for him who is not appeased, there will be no success; therefore one should appease one's self. 'Why has this been said, Sir? Peace is the essence of monasticism'.

— Kalpa Sūtra 8:59

Hoʻoponopono

Hoʻoponopono is an ancient Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness, combined with prayer. Similar forgiveness practices were performed on islands throughout the South Pacific, including Samoa, Tahiti and New Zealand. Traditionally Hoʻoponopono is practiced by healing priests or kahuna lapaʻau among family members of a person who is physically ill. Modern versions are performed within the family by a family elder, or by the individual alone.

Popular recognition

The need to forgive is widely recognized by the public, but they are often at a loss for ways to accomplish it. For example, in a large representative sampling of American people on various religious topics in 1988, the Gallup Organization found that 94% said it was important to forgive, but 85% said they needed some outside help to be able to forgive. However, not even regular prayer was found to be effective. Akin to forgiveness is mercy, so even if a person is not able to complete the forgiveness process he or she can still show mercy, especially when so many wrongs are done out of weakness rather than malice. The Gallup poll revealed that the only thing that was effective was "meditative prayer"^.

Forgiveness as a tool has been extensively used in restorative justice programs, after the abolition of apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa), run for victims and perpetrators of Rwandan genocide, the violence in Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and Northern Ireland conflict, which has also been documented in film, Beyond Right and Wrong: Stories of Justice and Forgiveness (2012).

North Korea Releases Fake Military Propaganda Battle Film Against American Soldiers

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:53:00 +0000

When we think about why America must play a role as stewards and guardians of freedom, I think this bizarre fake propaganda film just released by North Korea's little toad dictator gives clear indication that the people of North Korea really are prisoners.

North Korea has submitted yet another entry to its ongoing propaganda film festival. This time, it has released a video that threatens an attack on U.S. forces using "powerful weapons of mass destruction" and depicts an invasion of Seoul in which 150,000 American citizens are taken hostage.

Posted on North Korea's official Uriminzokkiri website and YouTube channel, the video comes less than a week after one showing the White House in its crosshairs and the explosion of the U.S. Capitol building.

The film, titled "A Short, Three-Day War," opens with rockets firing into South Korea from the north followed by thousands of North Korean troops crossing the border.

"The crack storm troops will occupy Seoul and other cities and take 150,000 U.S. citizens as hostages," a narrator says in a voice-over, according to a translation by the Telegraph.

Last month, North Korea produced a bizarre video of a dream sequence that imagined a U.S. city resembling New York under an apparent missile attack and the Empire State Building shown in flames. The soundtrack to that three-and-a-half-minute video was an instrumental version of "We Are the World," and the attack footage appeared to have been taken from the video game "Modern Warfare 3." It was eventually removed from YouTube.

Watch North Korea's latest propaganda video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VQ7NjGeIRw&feature=share&list=UUknqqNd3-joIjWzf1Jn4oVQ

The Monsters Who Abduct Their Children - A Story Of A Planned Kidnapping

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:08:00 +0000

How easy is it for an abducting parent to legally remove a child from one country to another without the child's other parent consenting to such move?

How does evil fill the hearts of an abductor, who only seeks to have an outcome they desire, no matter what the emotional, spiritual, and financial costs involved for the targeted parent and the children?

How extensive is the malice?

What I am about to share in the shortest detail demonstrates the sociopath behavior and pure malice of a parent who knows how to utilize the legal system to legally remove a child from one country to another without the other parent's consent, and then further remove that parent's access rights all because the taking parent no longer desires to live in the country of the child or children's habitual residence.

Now imagine having every part of your life destroyed in less than 24 hours. Think it can't happen? You are wrong!

So Much For The Wedding Vow - I Will Destroy Your Life - And This Is How

(Based Upon A Real Life Scenario)

American male citizen marries French female citizen in the US three years ago.
American citizen is a young attorney.
French citizen does not work.
The couple has two children, both born in the United States and under the age of 2.
Father, though practicing law, works from home on most days in order to provide care for children.
Mother is unhappy living in the United States and states that she wants to return to France with children. Father wants to remain in United States, where children have lived, and where he is a practicing attorney.
Father compromises and travels for month long visit to France with wife and children in hope that continued access to wife's country of origin will satisfy her.
Mother makes numerous threats that she is going to take children and move to France without Father.
Father fears that children will be removed from America without his consent.
Mother has financial wherewith all and support system to relocate to France without children's father.
Father discovers that children's mother has been investigating how to remove children from America (abduction).
Father discovers that children's mother has a large amount of concealed money in Europe he was previously not aware of.
Mother hides children's US passports from father.
Mother escalates threats to children's father that she is leaving for France with children, stating there is nothing father can do about it (all while living together. No divorce proceedings at this time).
Father discovers children's mother has been in contact with French embassy. Father's concern that mother is in possession of French passports for children that he did not authorize or sign for increases significantly based on direct statements of mother that it does not matter if father has American passports and that nothing he can legally do will stop her from leaving America with children.
At no time have there been any claims of accusations that father has made any verbal threats or acted in any capacity of abuse; whereas, mother has made numerous threats of abduction and has demonstrated a violent temper in front of friends and family of couple.
Father discovers children's mother has a second phone which he was not aware of, providing mother with ability to communicate with others without father knowing.
Then late yesterday ----- Thursday ------ Mother threatens that she is taking children and moving to France immediately. Father informs wife he is going to file for divorce and seek court to ensure children are not illegally removed.
Hours later, mother makes police report against children's father claiming that father made dangerous threats against her and children and that she fears for her safety.
Father becomes aware of wife's deceitful plot and that she is at police station.
Mother makes late afternoon police complaint against husband.
Mother tries to lure father back to house in order to have him arrested. Unknown to wife, father is able to see police car at house waiting for him to come back via video security system.
Mother's FALSE claim of domestic abuse sets up a 13B Hague Defense should she abduct.
Clear intent by mother to have father arrested today by police.
While father is arrested for domestic threats, wife, who is in possession of French passports can legally departs for France with children as father sits in jail cell.
While in jail, mother has the opportunity to clear out all finances of partnership.
Mother, who has means to disappear with children in France and Europe creates legal defense to have French courts sanction abduction under best interest of child due to father's arrest.
Father faces major legal fight to reunite with children, which will take a significant toll on his professional life.

In essence, by making a false police report and seeking for her husband's arrest on a Friday with hope that her husband will be detained over the weekend, the children's mother, who is in possession of French passports could depart the United States legally with her children since there is no court order restricting her or the children's departure. In addition, the claim of domestic abuse toward her and/or her children provide mother to seek new jurisdiction of children and their custody in France.

Tragically, what you have read above is not an isolated act, nor do false claims of abuse occur solely by women against men. In the world of international parental child abduction, it is the norm for an abductor to make false claims against a targeted parent.

If you noticed in the brief scenario described above, the abductor had planned her scheme carefully - from moving money to Europe, to concealed phone calls, to illegally obtained passports, to a malicious scheme that would prevent her husband to file any court action to restrain her from leaving the United States by making a false police report in hope he would be arrested and detained long enough for her to get to an airport and depart with the children of the marriage.

And in the meantime, the targeted parent has been arrested, had his children taken from him, had his assets taken, and is now Chasing The Cyclone of abduction. All in less than 24 hours.

The only thing that is a bit different about what I described above is that in the scenario shared above, the abductor did not plan into their illicit scheme on obstacle: THE I CARE FOUNDATION and the organization's understanding of abduction, and how to stop it.

And so on this day, there was no abduction though clearly there was an long-planned, well thought out scheme to do so. And today there was no arrest based upon a false complaint. And today, two young children have not been tossed into the storms of international abduction. And an innocent parent who loves his children did not sit in a jail cell saying to himself that his biggest nightmare came true. And most of all, children who were about to be put into imminent danger . . . were not in good part because of the I CARE Foundation and one really good parent who was willing to do what was necessary so his children would not be used as pawns in some horrible scheme.

It is days like today, when your actions and all you have experienced actually help another parent that makes it worth continuing the good fight.

For more information about international parental child abduction, please visit the I CARE Foundation website and the official website of Chasing The Cyclone.

Respectfully,

Peter Thomas Senese
The I CARE Foundation

Hero. Advocate. Parent. Friend To Children

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 21:17:00 +0000

Peter Thomas Senese: Heroes Of Today

Peter Thomas Senese: Founding Director of the I CARE Foundation

I have been blessed to share wonderful friendships in my life with some truly remarkable people. In my eyes, and in the eyes of many, they are incredible heroes who give of themselves for the greater good of others. They act unselfishly, with courage and bravery, with honesty, and with unbending dedication toward enhancing the human condition.

Some of my heroes are well known individuals such as Kenya's Nobel Peace prize winner Wangari Maathai (who sadly passed away a few years ago), whose actions were applauded on the world stage as she fought to elevate the voice of African women, and for that matter, women everywhere. Others, such as South Africa's Haseena Patel may not be as well-known at the moment as Wangari, but I fully expect the entire world to take notice as Haseena works tirelessly to empower girls across the globe to find their voice, respect their identity, and similar to Wangari, to live in uhuru.

Whenever I think of the word 'hope', one person more than any other comes to mind. That person? Haseena Patel.

For those of you who have read my writing and ramblings over the years, you probably have seen the word 'Uhuru' on occasion. The word 'uhuru' is Swahili and means to live in freedom by being true and unbowed to your beliefs, ethics and morals.

Personally, I have learned the great value in finding and being true to my own voice, and standing unbowed in my beliefs. Humbly, aspiring to live in uhuru has allowed me, in my capacity as the Founding Director of the I CARE Foundation, to help reunite many internationally kidnapped children while protecting an even larger number of children.

There is no question that when each of us finds our voice, we tend to live in freedom. And living in freedom causes a person to respect the freedom of others.

Which brings me the remarkable American's Patricia McKnight and Pamela Mitchell: two extraordinary women who have used their own life's challenges to make a tremendous impact for so many others.

Patricia McKnight has championed the rights of all individuals to live free from abuse. There are so many people around the world who have been impacted by this indefatigable. loving women who used her own experiences as a spiritual, physical, and emotionally abused prisoner to help others. Tricia not only found the courage to find her voice, but then she has literally used that voice through a host of social media outlets - from book publications to national talk radio shows to speaking engagements - to help others find the courage to find their own voice.

And Pam is indeed a 'Survivor on a Mission'. In fact, when I think of the bravest individuals I have ever known, two people immediately come to mind, and one of them is Pam Mitchell. The other is by adopted grandfather, Rabbi Morton Kohn.

Now Pam's heroism is seen on so many levels. At one point in her adult life, Pam was captured, detained, and enslaved - as a women in her 40's in the United States. Somehow, and after incurring severe physical injury, she escaped from her prisoner. But, as you may expect, Pam sustained severe injuries. Physical injures that required multiple extensive surgeries. So what did Pam do after her ordeal? She became a tireless, world renown voice against human slavery who has not only raised the bar on awareness of human trafficking, but who has helped, and inspired others to help individuals who have fallen into the world of trafficking. In fact, the I CARE Foundation's recent key role in rescuing the young girls in Central America who were trafficked was inspired in great part due to the lessons that Pam Mitchell shared with me. There is no question that Pam raised my own awareness - and that awareness led a group of young, imprisoned girls to be free.

Protecting children from crisis has become a very important part of my social activism, and so on this note, there are not enough words that I can ever express to share just how impactful, intelligent, and caring of a person Carolyn Vlk is. Unquestionably, Carolyn, a board of director member of the I CARE Foundation and member of the Amber Watch Foundation's special advisory board, is one of the world's leading international child abduction and trafficking prevention advocates. How important, measurable, and impactful has Carolyn's work been? Scores of known children have been rescued or prevented from abduction due to Carolyn. It is no surprise that after nearly 30 years of continued reported growth in international child abductions originating from the United States, that the United States has reported for two consecutive years a 15% decline in reported cases of abduction. Without question, Carolyn's advocacy had a lot to do with this groundbreaking news.

It has been said that a hero is an ordinary person who rises up to do extraordinary things. Well, this may be true in part, but Canada's Jennifer Husson Cluff is by no means an ordinary person. Considered one of the world's top parenting blog writers, Jennifer has used the paradigm of social media platforms to raise awareness for parents dealing with a host of issues revolving around children in crisis, particularly children with special needs, and children at risk of abduction. Jennifer's advocacy has protected a large number of children, but I think what is also of great significance is what Jennifer represents: the world of social media parenting blog writers has collectively become the most influential group of activist, consumers, thinkers, and trend-setters. Many, but surely not all of these parent blog writers, were once in the professional workforce, only to dedicate their lives to raising a family. In the past, many individuals, particularly women, who shifted their focus from their jobs to raising their family may have felt that they lost their voice, and that their social impact was dramatically reduced. Well, as we have seen, the ability of parents who use social media to share information and educate others has led to the creation of a large, highly informative, connected group of advocates and consumers who are able to quickly mobilize and move on important subjects that impact all of us. And Jennifer Husson Cluff, in her own way, represents the best of today's 'new world media'.

Many years ago, I had the opportunity to edit a manuscript written by Kate Wright about her mother Jacquieline Saix and godmother Mary Welsh Hemingway (Ernest's 4th and longest-lasting wife). What the world did not know was that it was Mary who was one of the first woman war correspondents, reporting the news of World War II from the frontline in Britain during a time when women were not considered journalist! In fact, Mary, who was as tough-as-nails was the one who rescued Ernest son, Jack, from a Nazi prison camp! Meantime, side-by-side with her was Jacquieline Saix, who was also a war correspondent for Time Magazine with Mary. Together, they broke down the 'who reported the news' barriers way before the Martha Gellhorn's of the world appeared on the global stage. Mary and Jacqueline were news mavericks who changed the world in incredible ways. You may wonder just how so? Well, Jacquieline Saix, Kate's mother, was one of the first, if not the first, women television producers! What did she create? Magazine style shows that were eventually the creative inspiration behind such shows as Oprah!

Perhaps there is no hero in my life more than Maria, my son Tyler, and Christ - who I truly believe in - than my adopted grandfather, Rabbi Morton Kohn. In all my life, I never knew a person who understood the power and importance of forgiveness. Which is remarkable considering that not only was my grandfather a prisoner in Auschwitz, where over 60 of his family members died, but he also after escaping the murderous camp, he became a member of an uber-elite group of Auschwitz escapees that recked havoc on the Nazi SS. After the war, Rabbi Morton Kohn of Hungary moved to Italy, then eventually to the United States. He taught me so much, but perhaps one thing more than any other: the importance of forgiveness. Several years have now passed, however, there is never a day that goes by that I do not feel his presence in my life.

Some of my friends are on the world stage, others behind a computer sitting at their kitchen table. Regardless of where they are, they have one very important thing in common: they are trying to make the world a better place. I invite you to read about the essays and interviews I have compiled about each of these friends, all of whom have not only enriched the human condition and made the world a better place, but who have impacted me in ways I could never accurately describe other than to say that their spirit is part of me.

Enjoy!

Jennifer Husson Cluff

Haseena Patel

Patricia McKnight

Wangari Maathai

Mary Welsh Hemingway and Jacqueline Saix

A Great Man: Rabbi Morton Kohn

Carolyn Ann Vlk

Pam Mitchell

Being The King Of Your Castle

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 14:33:00 +0000

I think all men like the idea of being the king of their castle, but according to Maria, the idea of 'kings' running castles is a myth.

And I must say, I have been educated to know that if Maria said that it is a myth, then it is not simply a myth but kings are outlawed in our home in Los Angeles.

This whole idea has made me think about our life together and how much of a voice I actually have when I am in the 'Queen's Palace'.

I think this video says it all.

Today's Heroes - Jennifer Cluff and Momology

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 14:23:00 +0000

Today's Heroes - Jennifer Husson Cluff of Mom-ology

Where Being A Mom Is A Way Of Life

Jennifer Husson Cluff Has Been Voted As One Of Canada's Top 5 Parenting Blogs

Over the past few years I have written a series of essays about real-life heroes - incredible individuals who act in kindness and compassion toward others and who inherently, by the nature of their spirits, enhance the lives of those around them. I am fortunate to call each a dear friend. These individuals have made me a better person. They have positively impacted the lives of so many others by direct act or through social activism. Nevertheless, they are what is right about our world.

Needless to say, I feel honored and blessed to have these remarkable heroes in my life for they have not only enriched my own life, but they have profoundly and measurably made our world a better place. It is my privilege to share with you, insight about my dear friend Jennifer Husson Cluff of Ontario, Canada who not only is an active defender and protector of children in crisis as well as children with special needs, but who also is one of the kindest, caring, and compassionate individuals I have ever had the privilege to call 'friend'. It is no wonder why Jennifer Husson Cluff has been awarded the honor of being called one of Canada's top parenting blog writers through her incredible work discussing everyday parenting issues on her Mom-ology website, but also issues revolving around autism and international child abduction and trafficking. From my perspective, Jennifer Husson Cluff is not only one of Canada's top parenting writers, but she is one of the world's most prolific parenting writers because through her writing and social media capability, Jen Husson Cluff has measurably helped save the lives of children in severe crisis.

Before I go any further, let me say this simple thing about heroes: they are ordinary people doing extraordinary things for others during time of need or crisis, and in their act, they seek nothing but to hold the knowledge that they acted in kindness toward another, including individuals they know as well as individuals they may never know. In a hero’s compassionate act, they make the world a better place. And unquestionably, Jennifer Husson Cluff has made the world a better place for others.

Social media has clearly altered the way the world shares information, including a shift away from what may be previously considered traditional media outlets to the more nano-moment overdrive that occurs via social media outlets such as blog sites, Twitter, Facebook, etc., etc. The paradigm of this is a massive world of what may be viewed as dormant voices erupted in the media. The volcano, if you will – the highly intelligent, insightful, connected voices known as parenting blog writers.

Speaking from first-hand experience in my capacity as the Founding Director of the I CARE Foundation, I have seen just how influential parenting blog writers are, particularly when they mobilize on a specific issue or cause. Fortunately for many at-risk children and their parents who have been targeted for international parental child abduction, a large and growing number of parenting bloggers decided to share their powerful voices and write about abduction. In doing so, the number of reported cased in the United States declined by 15% during 2012. This was more than a remarkable event. It was a miracle partially created by some extraordinary parents – mostly mothers who parent, who write, who live, who think, who care, and who stood unbowed. Amongst this remarkable group, and defining all of the above, is Jennifer Husson Cluff.

Over the past year, the I CARE Foundation has worked with Jennifer. Whenever we asked for assistance in sharing messages that could possibly help families at risk, not only did she say ‘yes’ to our request, but asked ‘what else can I do to help?’

And help she did!

Jennifer Husson Cluff is my hero. She is what is right about this world. I value her friendship greatly, am inspired deeply by her belief in others, but more than anything, I value her incredible, insightful voice – a voice that always thinks of others while also being assertive, thoughtful, and at times, quite funny. And as a parent – there is not a day that goes by that I am not amazed by just how caring and attentive a parent Jennifer is to her son Connor, who I think is one of the most remarkable young boys I have ever had the privilege of getting to know – in fact, I am blessed that Connor, who sees the world in its purest form – has been willing to share with me from time-to-time his unique, innocent, trusting, and wise perspective about so many things.

The other day, I was discussing with my fellow I CARE Foundation board of director member, attorney Joel Walter the amazing fact that the number of international parental child abduction cases declined by 15%. His words? “The reason why that happened more than anything is because of remarkable women like Jen [Husson Cluff] who answered our plea to help steward the message about abduction. They [the parenting blog writers] played a dramatic role in what was accomplished.”

I couldn’t agree more with Joel’s statement.

In asking Jennifer a list of questions below, I think you will understand just how remarkable a person Jennifer Husson Cluff is. So with great pleasure, I share with you my interview with my hero, Jennifer Husson Cluff.

1. What is Mom-ology?

Mom-ology is a place where I share anything and everything mom-related… or in reality, parenting-related, as I do have some dad readers too. I originally started writing under another blog name and it was specifically about autism. As time went on, I started branching out into more general parenting topics, which allowed Mom-ology to be born. It allowed me to expand what I wanted to write about. It’s a place where I am able to be me and if that benefits someone else as well, that’s fantastic!

2. You have recently been voted one of Canada's Top Parenting Blog Writers. Why write and what topics do you focus on?

My main goal in writing is to write about personal issues that may be of interest to others. Becoming a stay-at-home mom after being in the workforce for almost 15 years was a difficult transition in one sense. Though I love my son more than anything in this world, I thought I lost a part of my identity as a person in the workforce. So in creating Mom-ology, and writing about the things I do, it has allowed me to share my voice with others again.

Outside of sharing life living with autism… the good, the bad and the funny… I am passionate about raising autism awareness. As a special needs parent, I learned very quickly how to advocate for my son. Society has a lot of misconceptions about autism, and to help reduce the amount of discrimination and unfortunately, ignorance, the views of society need to change. My goal is to do what I can to change those views… to make life easier for my son, his friends and anyone else on the spectrum.

I have also become a bit of an advocate trying to help raise awareness about international parental child abduction (IPCA). About a year ago, I was introduced to this world that I didn’t know existed. I was an outsider looking in… and I can sure say, I didn’t like what I saw. I have been incredibly lucky to be able to assist the I CARE Foundation in any way I can, as they fight to bring about changes in the laws that are necessary to protect innocent children from the abuse and cruel world that is IPCA.

3. You are a fierce advocate of children with special needs. What benefits, if any, has social media had in furthering society's understanding of children who are on the autism spectrum?

Thank you for saying that Peter - it means an awful lot coming from you. As you are aware, education is the key for any type of advocacy. In my opinion, social media has been a huge benefit as we try to raise awareness and help change the way society looks at children or adults on the autism spectrum.

Social media has allowed many causes and advocacy programs to reach people that they would have never been able to years ago. There are bloggers out there advocating and raising awareness for autism, as well as organizations such as Autism Speaks, and the information and reach is unbelievable. For example, April 2nd has been recognized as World Autism Awareness Day and a big part of this day is Autism Speaks’ campaign called ‘Light It Up Blue’. Businesses, organizations and individuals from all around the world recognize and participate in this event. It’s something small but it shows that social media is making a difference and getting the word out there. It allows us to share with society and to help people understand. Many times people’s reactions are based on fear of the unknown, but those fears can be reduced simply sharing information and educating society. I like to think that one day my son will live in a world that will accept him for who he is and part of that will be due to the work that advocates are doing today… but we still have a long way to go.

4. You have stewarded the message of international parental child abduction prevention, and have directly played important roles in helping prevent children from being internationally abducted. How would you describe parental child abduction and how relevant is this in society today?

I would say any parent’s worst nightmare would be to have their child abducted. Making it worse would be to know that it was the other parent doing the abducting! It’s hard to imagine that a parent could do that to their child! Aren’t parents supposed to love and care for their children? I know many of you feel the same way as I do and just can’t fathom the idea. However, it happens… and it happens a lot!

International parental child abduction is a form of child abuse… there is no other way to describe it. The short-term and long-term effects on these innocent children are severe. Not only is the child subjected to parental alienation, but studies show there is an increased risk of being murdered by the abducting parent (filicide) and data indicating victims of IPCA are also at a higher risk of suicide.

If you look at the statistics you will see how relevant this is in society today. There may be as many as 20,000 Canadian children and 125,000 American children internationally abducted by one parent from the other over the next ten years. Of those numbers, only about 10% of these children will ever come home!

As a parent, protect yourself and protect your child… I encourage you to take a few minutes and educate yourself about the WARNING SIGNS of IPCA. The easiest and best way to protect these children is to stop IPCA before it happens!

5. You use your blog to educate others about a host of important topics relevant to society today. What would be two of your biggest success stories on how your blog writing has helped another?

One of the things that I love about blogging is hearing from readers. My favorite story by far would be when I was contacted by a mom here in Canada, after reading an article about international parental child abduction that was shared on Mom-ology. This mom discovered that her three children were at risk of being taken to Saudi Arabia by their father. Thankfully the I CARE Foundation was able to ensure that these children remained in Canada where they were safe. I will ALWAYS remember that day… being a part of ensuring these children were safe… that was truly an amazing feeling!

I have had ‘autism parents’ contact me looking for support for their struggles that mainly revolve around dealing with school issues. Most recently, a parent emailed me after their child was forced into a supposed ‘seclusion room’ at school. Many parents are unaware of their rights in these types of situations and even more are afraid to upset the school and the officials. Helping parents to understand their rights and assisting to ensure they are able to access the resources and support that they need is extremely important. In this case it was to protect a child’s safety… to preserve a child’s dignity… and help a parent to realize they need to be the voice for their child and stand up for what they believe is right.

6. How socially influential are parenting blog writers and mom bloggers in particular?

I wish I could remember where I read this, but it was research stating that in 2012 there were 4.2 million ‘mom bloggers’ in North America. Now each of those mom bloggers have a passion that they write about… it may be fashion, food or fighting for a cause… whatever it is, in those numbers, they carry a lot of weight in the social world. Many parenting bloggers are stay at home moms and we use our blogs to share our voice and with the accessibility of the internet we are able to share our message with more people than ever before. I read parenting blogs from all around the world… I don’t go to buy a newspaper anymore… I use the internet to see what is going on in the world.

7. You have been blog writing for a little more than a year, yet in your first year as a blogger you have become considered one of the most important parenting blog writers. Are there any lessons that you can share with other parents who are or may be considering creating a blog?

Mom-ology was not my first blog but it is the first one that I have actually stuck with and made into something that I am proud of. I struggled a lot trying to ‘find my groove’ so to speak. I can’t say exactly what it was, but everything just fell into place. I write about what I love. I wouldn’t be able to do it any other way. I proved that to myself many times over!! I like to think I’m heading down the right path now though because I sure love what I do.

In my opinion, you need to write about what you know… write about what you love! I think with blogging, you have to do it because you enjoy it. If you put too many expectations on yourself you will probably lose interest. Deciding what you want from your blog is also an important step. Do you want it to be a ‘diary’ that you can share with family and friends, or do you have a bigger goal in mind…making an income? Advocating for a cause? Most of all have fun!

8. I would like to play a little word game. What comes to mind when I say, "Finding Your Voice?"

Funny you should ask this question, seeing as it comes up so much in our conversations!

I believe that your ‘voice’ is who you are… your mind, your heart and your spirit. When you ‘find your voice’ you find who you are truly meant to be and what is your ‘gift’, so to speak. There is a passion inside everyone and the challenge is to find it, but when you do, you will know. I guess for myself, I found my voice after I started Mom-ology. It’s been an incredible journey!

9. How has social media changed the landscape of society?

Social media has made some pretty great changes in the world. If you look at the way we interact with each other there are some definite pros and cons. Social media allows us to stay in contact with friends and family like we never could before, but I also think there is a downside to that in that we have lost some of the social skills that used to exist in society. People sit in the same room with each other and converse via text messages rather than a good old conversation. I must admit that I find that funny when I see it happen. The definition of ‘friends’ has pretty much been redefined due to Facebook. How many of your friends on Facebook are really friends? But if you look at the area of social activism, the changes are amazing! Gone are the days of having a small group on individuals trying to fight for a cause...locally. Today, social media allows people to connect on a global scale which only benefits the area of education and raising awareness. Think about the decline in parental abductions. This information is going out over the internet through the I CARE Foundation and bloggers. Parents are finding out about IPCA and the risks through social media. Children's lives are being protected because of social media! I don’t know about you, but that’s pretty impressive!

10. Three books that have changed your life?

OK, this is really going to show where my life is today! I don't have a lot of free time to read so when I do, most of my focus goes into learning about autism. The first two books are written by individuals on the autism spectrum and each has taught me so much about my son.

Chasing the Cyclone... well, that's kind of a given. Now certainly one of my favorite books, it has impacted my life in so many positive ways... as has the author!!

1. Thinking in Pictures by Temple Grandin

2. Look Me In the Eye by John Elder Robison

3. Chasing The Cyclone by Peter Thomas Senese

11. Your son has a golden retriever named Ollie. How important is Ollie to your family?

As a companion, a helper, a best friend and member of our family, Ollie is our son’s autism service dog. Quite simply, he brings peace back to our lives as he is our extra set of eyes and ears. He has the amazing ability to make a young boy’s tears disappear by sharing a little nuzzle, or a comforting lick on the cheek, and those tears are replaced with sounds of laughter. Things like providing a warm snuggle at night, Ollie helps our son to feel safe and comforted so that he is able to sleep. A simple cuddle can help reduce anxiety and assists with self-regulation (those things we all take for granted) which makes those daily routines more bearable. If you were to ask what the best thing about having Ollie is, our son’s reply would be, and has been, ‘He is my best friend’.

We have had Ollie for almost 4 years and he has made such an enormous change in our lives. He has a big job but he does it so well! As you can probably tell by all that, Ollie is an extremely important member of our family and we are truly blessed to have him!

12. International Parental Child Abduction rates declined for the second year in a row in the United States. How significant of a role would you say parenting blog writers played in raising social awareness so at-risk parents can protect their children?

First off, I am thrilled at this news. When you shared this information the other day it was, as you know, a reality check for me. As a blogger, you don’t generally see the effect that you have on things like social awareness. If you are blogging about healthy eating, you don’t see how your efforts change people’s health specifically… you have to trust that what you are doing is making a difference.

In the case of parental child abduction, getting the word out on a global scale is beneficial for all. With bloggers having access to the internet and the followers through social media sites, it is easy to get messages out on a massive scale. I guess you could say that the numbers speak for themselves. Though standing up for what you believe in on your own is better than not doing anything at all, I think it takes a strong team to really make a difference. The efforts of the I CARE Foundation and the parenting bloggers that have been working with them are making a difference! I am proud to be a part of that!

13. Who or what inspires you?

That’s an easy one… my biggest inspiration is, of course, my son.

14. What should others know about you and your writing?

One of my favore phrases is 'Live… Laugh… Love'. There are sure a lot of different ways you can interpret that phrase, but any way you look at it, it’s a great way to live! If I could give everyone the ability to at least laugh each day I would. Laughter is the best medicine… it doesn’t take batteries… and best of all, it’s free

I would love it if people would stop by and check out Mom-ology… and of course let me know that you stopped by!

15. What would you like to tell anyone who thinks that their voice doesn't matter or who thinks that they can't make a difference in their own life or the lives of others?

Never let anyone tell you that your voice doesn't matter because it does! Even one voice can make a difference. It took me a while to realize that, but thanks to a pretty good friend... namely Peter Thomas Senese... I am able to see that now. If I can make a difference, so can you!

(End Interview Questions)

There are people in this world that make the world a better place by simply existing, and Jennifer Husson Cluff sure is one of them. Extremely intelligent, humble, considerate to others, a dedicated parent who has found her voice and who has used her voice for the greater good of others, she is what is right about this world.

While I sit here thinking about how I would like to end this interview, I have immediately found myself reflecting upon the time when Jen and I first met. With a smile on my face, I remember thinking after our first conversation how intelligent and caring she is. But I also remember thinking to myself, "She really doesn't realize just how capable she is, nor how important her incredible insight is." Well, I can't say how amazing of an experience it has personally been to see first-hand as Jennifer Husson Cluff, one of Canada's Top 5 Parenting writers . . . has found her voice. Undeniably, the world is a better place . . . and my life has been enriched in ways I could never possibly explain.

And Jennifer, should you ever read this - I want you to know you are a true hero in my eyes.

Kindest wishes to all -

Peter Thomas Senese

Author, Filmmaker, Advocate, and Believer In Miracles

Founding Director - The I CARE Foundation

Please visit Mom-ology.

http://mom-ology.ca/wordpress/

Peter Thomas Senese: The Number Of International Parental Child Abductions Drops In 2012 By 15%

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 03:00:00 +0000

THE I CARE FOUNDATION

Report on International Parental Child Abduction Growth

CRISIS IN AMERICA

International Parental Child Abduction Today - 2013

Written By

Carolyn Ann Vlk and Peter Thomas Senese and Joel S. Walter, Esq.

Issued On February 25th, 2013

INTRODUCTION

United States child-citizens continue to be criminally kidnapped, illegally removed overseas, and wrongfully detained in foreign countries in shocking numbers by their non-custodial parent. The global plague of international parental child abduction significantly continues in America in a similar capacity as it does in the majority of nations abroad. For the first time since the United States signed The Hague Convention in 1981, the U.S. Department of State has reported in two consecutive years that the number of reported outbound cases of American child-citizen abductions has declined.

Specifically, during 2012 there were 799 reported international parental child abduction cases filed with the United States Central Authority representing a total of 1,144 children. Previously, in 2011 there were a total of 941 reported international parental child abduction cases filed with the United States Central Authority, representing a total of 1,367 children.

Thus, the reduction by 142 filed cases represents a decline of 15% of reported abduction cases from 2012 from 2011. During the same reporting period, there were 223 fewer children internationally kidnapped in 2012 from 2011, representing a 16.3% decrease of total children abducted.

Comparatively, there were 1022 reported international parental child abduction cases in 2010 representing 1,492 children. Thus, there has been a reduction of 223 reported abduction cases from 2010 to 2012, representing a total decline of 348 children between the two years. This represents a two year decline from 2010 to 2012 in reported cases by 21.8%, and a 23.3% reduction over the same two year period in the number of children kidnapped.

The decline in the reported number of international parental child abductions of American citizens represents a significant development and bespeaks of the tremendous educational outreach effort by the United States Department of State’s Office of Children’sIssues as well as non-government organizations such as but not limited to the I CARE Foundation and the National Center For Missing And Exploited Children to raise awareness of parental abduction amongst lawyers, judges, law enforcement, and targeted parents to that children may be protected. However, it is important to note that despite a groundbreaking shift in child abduction statistical growth trends previously realized, we strongly affirm that criminal international parental child abduction continues to be a destructive epidemic in the United States and abroad that must be met with new abduction prevention laws and government policies, while significant efforts to educate courts, law enforcement, social workers, and at-risk parents of the many issues of child kidnapping diligently continue.

It is important to note that while the number of ‘reported cases’ of international parental child abduction have declined, the number of ‘unreported cases’ of abduction remains a significant concern for both government agencies and non-government organizations dedicated to preventing abduction. Previously, the I CARE Foundation issued a report that the number of yearly unreported cases of abduction is believed to equal between 100% and 125% of all reported abduction cases. We have no reason to change this forecast. Thus, though there are no measurable statistics on unreported abduction cases, it would be reasonable, though not conclusive, to anticipate that the number of unreported cases of international child abduction have also declined.

While there is much to be pleased about regarding the significant decline in the reported international parental child abduction rate and forecasted decline in unreported cases of abduction, a great concern critically worth noting is that the number of children actually legally returned home after they are kidnapped remains to be estimated at only 10% when considering the total number of reported and unreported cases.

The reality is that children who are internationally abducted do not come home. Sadly, many are lost forever.

One of the major facets of abduction prevention is education, and raising awareness of abduction threats to at-risk parents clearly has demonstrated a clear and measurable impact on the number of reported abduction cases.

Clearly and unquestionably, educational outreach programs directed toward raising international parental child abduction awareness are working! Still, there is a long way to go.

The I CARE Foundation and the organization’s leadership have been actively involved in increasing awareness of child abduction while assisting a large number of parents protect their at-risk children.

One of the I CARE Foundation’s most dynamic and significant educational outreach programs that have had measurable results is the ‘Parent Blogger Educational Outreach Program’. Under the program, highly influential parenting bloggers with a large global readership of followers have written a series of informative educational articles concerning the pandemic of international parental child abduction, including warning signs, risk factors, and actionable steps an at-risk parent may take to prevent abduction. This grassroots effort led primarily by mothers who write and blog to raise awareness has been a tremendous success and has resulted in a significant number of successful child abduction prevention cases to occur. Collectively, the extraordinary participants of the ‘Parent Blogger Educational Outreach Program’ have reached millions of parents, some who may have been directly at risk, or who may have known another parent and child at risk of abduction. In addition, the reach of these incredible parents willing to help protect children at risk of abduction has had a global impact on the prevention of child abduction as blogger participants were located on every continent and the millions of their readers blanketed the globe. Clearly, the effort of these parent writers has made a significant difference in protecting lives, both in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere!

With the recent success of efforts put forth by child advocates everywhere to stop abduction, we are reminded that child abduction is a cruel and dangerous act against a child.

With grave concern we acknowledge that hundreds of young children each year are murdered by theirparents in the United States, and that there is a clear statistical correlation of filicide in nations abroad and abduction similar to reported United States and Canadian government statistics of parental child murder.

As this report cites in detail, international parental child abduction is a severe criminal act of kidnapping committed by a parent against a child and the targeted left behind parent. International parental child abductors commit grave crimes against their child, including the act of abduction as well as the acts of child abuse and neglect.

According to numerous studies and reports including those issued by the United States Department of Justice and Canada's Royal Canadian Mounted Police, an abductor exhibits significant sociopathic tendencies, and generally does not act in the best interest of a child, but conversely, the act of abduction and the acts after the child-snatching cause both serious short-term and long-term damage that may, on many occasions, be irreversible. Sadly, acts of identity stripping, parental isolation, and removal of the bond between the abducted child and targeted parent speak nothing of the fact that filicide: the act of parental child murder is real. So too, tragically, is the reality that children who have been abducted and who have had their identity stripped during an abduction exhibit an alarming number of characteristics that are exhibited in individuals who commit suicide.

For the majority of child advocates who work tirelessly to protect children, especially advocates who are not in the business of profiting due to the tragedy of a child being kidnapped, what we fight for are lives - children's lives.

In our capacity as directors of the not-for-profit I CARE Foundation, which has successfully assisted reunited numerous internationally kidnapped children with their targeted left-behind parents taken from around the world, while also preventing an exponentially larger number of children from international parental child abduction, we and our colleagues have worked tirelessly at conducting extensive research in the area of child abduction.

The I CARE Foundation’s volunteer activity has included playing key roles in legally reuniting many abducted children, writing and working diligently in the passing of abduction prevention laws and leading in lobbying efforts to have existing policies modified so that the capacity to protect children from kidnapping would be increased, in our creation of a national attorney network of educated lawyers willing and ready to assist at-risk children and their families, in our capacity as researchers and educators to study the global issues of international parental child abduction and publish our findings in a way that may drive policy, and in our efforts to create a grassroots educational awareness movement by working with leading parent bloggers and writers with large followers, who have shared with their audiences the grave issues of abduction.

Though great strides have been made over the past two years, and we hope that the child abduction trend will continue to decline, we do have reason for concern. Our apprehension is due in part due to the reality that though abduction rates have declined in the last known reporting fiscal year of 2012, there remains a glaring failure by the courts and law enforcement to punish international parental child abductors even though the act itself is a federal criminal act that is a known form of child abuse. Without concern to be held accountable for their actions, parents who contemplate or carry out abduction will do so with a sense of immunity. Without holding kidnappers accountable, children at-risk of abduction remain vulnerable.

In addition, it is critical to recognize that chasing parents who attempt to legally reunite with their kidnapped child face incredible difficulties in doing so. The challenges faces are discussed in this report in detail; however, they include but are not limited to failures by nations to uphold international treaties such as the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, the outright failure of nations to enter into any international treaty, receiving-country prejudice at the trial court level on legal action taken by a left-behind parent, grave financial challenges faced by a targeted chasing parent, and direct physical dangers faced by a targeted parent if they should attempt to reunite with their abducted child.

Clearly, child abduction prevention advocates are making an impact through an assortment of outreach programs that are raising awareness at the at-risk parent level, the trial lawyer level, and within the courts, as demonstrated by the second consecutive year of abduction rate declines. However, for parents presently attempting to reunite with their kidnapped children, the challenges they face are grave as explained herein.

REPORTED CASES OF INTERNATIONAL PARENTAL CHILD ABDUCTION

Indisputable, are the actual number of ‘reported’ abduction cases. Estimating the incalculable total number of ‘unreported’ cases is difficult to assess. Despite this inability to concisely determine the total number of cases each year, it appears America and our nation’s children-citizens are plagued by a dangerous criminal epidemic known as ‘International Parental Child Abduction’ that is silently sweeping through our nation. At risk are tens if not hundreds of thousands of our defenseless children who are targeted for abduction each year.

In April of 2009, the annual Report on Compliance with the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction was released. In that publication, Janice L. Jacobs, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs writes, "Unfortunately, current trends reflect a steady increase in the number of international parental child abduction cases and highlight the urgency of redoubling efforts to promote compliance with Convention obligations and encourage additional nations to join the Convention." She also writes, "Very few options exist for parents and children who are victims of parental child abduction." In the 2010 annual report Ms. Jacobs continues to voice concerns over the increasing numbers of our child-citizens who have been wrongfully removed or wrongfully detained.

Similar sentiment has been shared in reports issued by the U.S. Department of State since this time. There is no question that the challenges that parents and children of abduction face are significant.

However, during 2012 there were 799 reported international parental child abduction cases filed with the United States Central Authority representing a total of 1,144 children. Previously, in 2011 there were a total of 941 reported international parental child abduction cases filed with the United States Central Authority, representing a total of 1,367 children. Thus, the reduction by 142 filed cases represents a decline of 15% of reported abduction cases from 2012 from 2011. During the same reporting period, there were 223 fewer children internationally kidnapped in 2012 from 2011, representing a 16.3% decrease of total children abducted. Comparatively, there were 1022 reported international parental child abduction cases in 2010 representing 1,492 children. Thus, there has been a reduction of 223 reported abduction cases from 2010 to 2012, representing a total decline of 348 children between the two years. This represents a two year decline from 2010 to 2012 in reported cases by 21.8%, and a 23.3% reduction over the same two year period in the number of children kidnapped.

UNREPORTED CASES OF INTERNATIONAL PARENTAL CHILD ABDUCTION

Peter Thomas Senese commented, “The anticipated number of international abductions used as a benchmark and often referred to is inconclusive because the published data does not take into consideration ‘unreported’ cases of international child abduction, population growth, increases in multi-cultural marriages, immigration migration increases to the United States, and economic difficulties many families are facing, which inevitably leads to a break-up of the family unit. More concerning is how the widely distributed and cited surveys used what I believe to be an inadequate number of telephone interviews and appear not to include any law enforcement records. In my view, we as a nation have a serious problem on our hands.”

Carolyn Ann Vlk stated, "Admittedly, something is seriously amiss in our ability to accurately estimate the number of children victimized by the crime of child abduction. In my opinion, utilizing only a random telephone survey, to determine the number of affected children is a process flawed by numerous, serious methodological problems. Additionally, the cooperation and compliance rate in obtaining the return of our citizen children who have been criminally internationally abducted must be drastically improved. The recovery of so few of these children during an entire fiscal year is not and should not be acceptable".

Unfortunately, many internationally abducted children are never returned because their abductions are not reported to authorities. The likelihood is that the vast majority of these types of cases never end with a child’s return. It would be reasonable to conclude that if a targeted parent did not report their child’s abduction, then in all likelihood, that U.S. child-citizen will not be returned to the United States. Due to the number of ‘unreported’ international abduction cases, it is difficult to determine a reasonable return-rate percentage. We recognize the difficulty in attempting to accurately estimate the ‘unreported’ case numbers and believe that it is probable that the number of returns of ‘unreported’ cases is extremely low and essentially immeasurable.

Reasons for ‘unreported’ cases include the financial inability of a Chasing Parent to take legal action since they are responsible to pay for all costs associated with their child’s recovery – even though a child’s international abduction violates state and federal laws such as the International Parental Kidnapping Crimes Act (IPKCA). Furthermore, many parents experience a sense of hopelessness that any recovery efforts will be futile since there are great difficulties associated with bringing a child home, including the possibility of first trying to determine where your child is. Also, the fact is that many nations are not a party of or do not uphold the Hague Convention. Furthermore, there exist substantial prejudices in foreign courts.

The NISMART I study reported that there were a total of 354,000 parental child abductions annually. The NISMART II study stated the total number of parental child abductions decreased to approximately 203,900 children. The truth of the matter is that we really do not know how accurate any of the data is or how large of a problem we actually have on our hands. What we do know is that hundreds of thousands of children are targeted for parental abduction each year, and out of this group, tens of thousands of these instances include planned international parental abductions.

PARENTAL CHILD ABDUCTION IS A SEVERE FORM OF CHILD ABUSE

According to leading experts who specialize in international parental child abduction, conclusive and unilateral opinion and fact demonstrates that parental child abduction of a targeted child is a cruel, criminal, and severe form of abuse and mistreatment regardless if the child is with one of their (abducting) parents. This includes the illegal act of international abduction, whereas, the child is unexpectedly uprooted from their home, their community, their immediate and extended family, and their country. Sadly, severe short and long-term psychological problems are prevalent for many abduction victims who survive their kidnapping experience. It is commonplace for a child to be emotionally sabotaged, whereas, the abducting parent will try to remove all bonds and attachments the child has with the other parent, thus, removing the child’s right to know the love of the other parent, and keep in tact their own identity. Too many children simply never come home and in certain cases a child’s abduction overseas has led to the death of the abducted child.

A leader in the field of parental child abduction issues, Dr. Dorothy Huntington wrote an article titled Parental Kidnapping: A New Form of Child Abuse. Huntington contends that from the point of view of the child, "child stealing is child abuse." According to Huntington, "in child stealing the children are used as both objects and weapons in the struggle between the parents which leads to the brutalization of the children psychologically, specifically destroying their sense of trust in the world around them."

“Because of the harmful effects on children, parental kidnapping has been characterized as a form of “child abuse" reports Patricia Hoff, Legal Director for the Parental Abduction Training and Dissemination Project, American Bar Association on Children and the Law. Hoff explains, "Abducted children suffer emotionally and sometimes physically at the hands of abductor-parents. Many children are told the other parent is dead or no longer loves them. Uprooted from family and friends, abducted children often are given new names by their abductor-parents and instructed not to reveal their real names or where they lived before." (Hoff, 1997)

Consider that today in Japan, there are approximately 230 American children-citizens who were illegally abducted from United States soil to Japan by one of their parents in violation of U.S. court orders. To date, and for what is believed to be nearly fifty years, Japan – America’s strong ally – has never returned 1 American child who was parentally kidnapped and illegally detained in accordance to United States law. And tragically, the vast majority of the chasing parents left-behind in the wake of their child’s abduction are not permitted to have contact with their child.

EXTREME DIFFICULITES IN RECOVERING AN ABDUCTED CHILD

There are abundant reasons why it is very difficult to have an illegally stolen child returned despite the United States being a signatory of The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. They include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Lack of action in reporting a child’s abduction by a targeted parent left behind; and,

2. Many nations do not comply with or uphold the spirit of the convention (ex, Brazil, Mexico, Germany); and,

3. Many countries have not signed the convention (ex. Japan, China, Russia, and many countries located in the Middle East); and,

4. Chasing Parents may not have an idea what country their child was taken to; and,

5. Chasing Parents are responsible to carry the enormous financial burden associated with their child’s recovery. Many simply do not have the substantial resources needed; and,

6. Many Chasing Parents do not have the knowledge necessary to navigate the difficult and complex legal system of international law, nor do they often know who to turn to and what to do; and,

7. Nationalistic prejudices of court systems located in the ‘inbound’ country, whereas, a court may try to protect the abducting parent if that parent is a citizen of the country where they abducted the child to; and,

8. Cultural differences; and,

9. A Chasing Parent’s fear to attempt to recover their child due to threats from the abducting parent or individuals associated with the abducting parent; and,

10. Lack of cooperation from law enforcement; and,

11. Limited power of the Office of Children’s Issues to intervene on behalf of a U.S. citizen.

REASONS WHY ONE PARENT CRIMINALLY ABDUCTS A CHILD

Studies have demonstrated that an unprecedented number of abductions have occurred where one parent took unilateral action to deprive the other parent of contact with their child. The majority of abducting parents will typically use the child as a tool to cause the targeted parent great pain and suffering. Their intent is simple: to make the other parent suffer as much as possible by depriving that targeted parent with the love and connection to their own child. Nearly every published study on this subject has concluded that an abducting parent has significant, and typically, long-term psychological problems and may in fact be a danger to their child.

We take the time to acknowledge that in certain cases of parental child abduction, a parent claims to have no other choice but to flee the other parent due to serious, grave, and ongoing forms of abuse. We acknowledge that in many abduction defenses found under Article 13 of The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, an abducting parent will often claim mental, emotional, and physical abuse by the other parent as part of their defense to sanction their criminal behavior of abduction. However, we must also acknowledge that domestic violence is a very real, measurable, and in many cases, an ongoing crime that has limited law enforcement safety controls. We acknowledge that there are parents who must flee for their and their child’s safety due to failures by law enforcement and courts to protect their safety, combined with a habitual abuser who aims to cause grave hurt to the targeted parent.

In addition, and understandably, family abductions occur at a higher rate during times of heightened stress such as separation or divorce and often involve custody issues and visitation problems. The sad fact is that a large number of marriages, estimated to be between 40% and 50%, in the U.S. end in divorce.

One of the many considerations that factor into the increase in total abductions indicates that economic difficulties in the United States and elsewhere are a measurable factor in the number of increases in separations and divorces. This added stress can lead to a parental cross-border abduction, particularly since we live in a global society, and the number of international relationships has increased dramatically.

While all children can be potential targets of a family abduction, the likelihood increases when that child has a parent with ties to a foreign country. According to the Juvenile and Family Court Journal Vol. 48, No. 2 titled Jurisdiction In Child Custody and Abduction Cases, “Parents who are citizens of another country (or who have dual citizenship with the U.S.) and also have strong ties to their extended family in their country of origin have long been recognized as abduction risks.” This increase in cultural diversity within the U.S. population has created challenges for our existing laws. Many U.S. born children-citizens fall victim to parental abduction when a parents’ union ends.

Across the U.S., states are struggling to address their archaic and outdated laws, and establish additional precautions to better protect their child-citizen population. Unquestionably, it is critical that child abduction prevention laws are passed in each state and upheld by the judiciary and law enforcement. Failure to do so will likely lead to the looming disaster that is already upon us.

Peter Thomas Senese stated, “As a nation, the United States must fight back this sweeping plague by passing child abduction prevention laws and by increasing our judiciary’s level of competency in overseeing and enforcing laws associated with these complex cases of potential or actual international parental child abductions. Critical to judges and lawmakers’ ability to protect our children is the need for immediate research on this subject. The present available information is archaic, and more than likely inaccurate particularly due to the inability to measure 'unreported' cases. The community of child abduction prevention advocates has pointed this out for some time now. What we also need is for the creation and enforcement of well thought out and researched laws along with the upholding of the intent, spirit, and law of the international treaties such as The Hague Convention so we can protect our children and put an end to the spread of this malignant pandemic that has reached our shores.

Florida state representative Darryl Rouson is the lawmaker who championed and sponsored Florida’s landmark Child Abduction Prevention Act (HB 787). The bill was unanimously approved in the Senate and House of Representatives and signed into law by Governor Charlie Crist. Florida's new preventative legislation will take effect on January 1, 2011. Representative Rouson commented, “It is critical for each state to implement laws that will protect the rights of our children-citizens who may face parental child abduction. The misconception that when one parent steals a child from the other parent, that the child is safe, is undeniably inaccurate. It is through prevention laws such as Florida’s Child Abduction Prevention Act that we will be able to prevent this serious crime against our nation’s children from occurring.”

Carolyn Ann Vlk, the child abduction prevention advocate, commented, "Early on in my research on this critical issue I recognized the urgent need for preventative legislation. Thankfully, Florida's legislative body wholeheartedly agreed as evidenced by the unanimous votes. I am thrilled for the added measure of safety this new law will have in protecting the children of my great state. However, I will not be satisfied until all states have child abduction prevention legislation enacted."

IMMIGRATION MIGRATION AND ITS AFFECT ON CHILD ABDUCTION CASES

A report compiled by the renowned Washington based Pew Hispanic Center reports that most immigrant groups are comprised of young families. The likelihood that a child will be born while the parents are present in the U.S. is high. Prior to 2007, data collected on parents of children under 18 only identified one parent, and a second parent could only be identified if they were married to the first parent. Currently, a second parent identifier is considered whether or not the parents are married to each other. The new data more accurately reflects the number of children living in the U.S. with at least one foreign born parent.

In 2008 that meant that 22% of all children in the United States had at least one foreign-born parent. In fact, consider the following statistics compiled by the Center for Immigration Studies in its March 2007 analysis. Immigrants and their U.S. born children under age 18, as a share of population: California - 37.9%, Los Angles County - 50%, New York State - 27.9%, New York City - 46.7% and Florida - 27.9%.

It must be noted that although 31.3% of all immigrants originate from Mexico, other countries have significant entry numbers as well. Included in the March 2007 Current Population Survey (CPS) were statistics indicating that 17.6% of all immigrants were from East/Southeast Asia, 12.5% from Europe, 5.5% from South Asia, 3.5% from the Middle East, and Canada at 1.9%.

Traditionally, states such as California, New York, Florida, Texas, Illinois and Arizona have had large numbers of immigrants in their population. What is surprising is the trends in migration toward new centers of immigrant growth. The CPS prepared an analysis of states with statistically significant growth in immigrant population between 2000 and 2007. Most notably, Wyoming, which experienced a percentage increase of 180%, Tennessee at 160%, Georgia at 152.1%, and Alabama at 143.6%. The impact of unprecedented increases in immigrant migration is likely to create multiple challenges as states struggle to keep pace with their newest segment of population and their children.

“As a nation of immigrants, it is important to note that as our nation’s population increases due to immigrant migration, so too does the likelihood of increased cross-border child abduction,” Peter Thomas Senese added.

Additionally, it has been well established that illegal aliens do not respond to surveys such as the US Census or the CPS. Because the U.S. government does not have accurate records of arrival and departures for individuals present illegally in the country, their numbers must be estimated, as there is no hard data to draw from. However, indirect means for establishing these figures are used, and they must be viewed with a considerable amount of uncertainty. In 2007 CPS, it was estimated that of the approximately 37.9 million immigrants present in the U.S., nearly 1 in 3 immigrants were present illegally.

It is important to note this segment of our population when discussing child abduction because when a child is born in the U.S. that child automatically is a U.S. citizen. While the available data gives us fairly accurate figures regarding the number of children born in the U.S. as well as those immigrants who are present legally, a number is impossible to compile accurately in relation to the unauthorized resident population.

In regards to children born to illegal immigrants, in the five-year period from 2003 to 2008, that number rose from 2.7 million to 4 million. The report published by the Pew Hispanic Centers reported that nationally the children of illegal immigrants now comprise 1 in 15 elementary and secondary students in the U.S. Additionally, in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and Texas more than 1 in every 10 students in those states are the children of illegal immigrants.

Carolyn Ann Vlk, the writer of Florida’s Child Abduction Prevention Act stated, “The ability of state governments to prevent the abduction of children by family members could be drastically improved by comprehensive legislation. While aiming to protect all children, special consideration must be given to those children who may be at increased risk simply by virtue of their parentage. According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the resident population of the U.S. projected up to April 22, 2010 estimated that one international migrant enters the U.S. every 36 seconds. International travel has become commonplace and as more cross-cultural relationships develop children are born. A number of these relationships will end and may result in an increased risk of international abduction of the child. Attempting to retrieve a child who has been abducted and possibly hidden internationally is a near impossibility as a multitude of problems surface in cases such as these. Unfortunately, studies have proved 4 of 5 Americans drastically underestimate the threat of a family abduction. Statistically, it is a sobering thought when you become aware of the vast numbers of children that are criminally abducted each year. Preventative laws are a necessity as an immediate remedy to this unconscionable crime.”

DEPARTMENT OF STATE’S OFFICE OF CHILDRENS ISSUES

The Office of Children's Issues has worked diligently to educate at-risk parents of abduction via an assortment of outreach programs. The leadership at OCI has placed a particular emphasis on abduction prevention, which in turn has demonstrated remarkable and measurable results including two consecutive years of significant abduction rate declines.

The Department of State was established to assist parents whose children have been unlawfully removed from the country. The OCI assists the remaining parent and strives to protect those children who have been victimized in these types of cases. Considering thousands of child custody cases are fought across national borders each year, the assistance of the OCI can be invaluable.

Litigating custody, especially across international borders where conflicting orders may exist can be difficult if not impossible. The OCI aims to assist in these cases by enhancing an understanding of the many complex laws, both domestic and international that may be applicable to a particular case.

However, OCI has significant limitations, including the fact that they cannot represent your abducted child in a foreign court. OCI does provide a list of lawyers in foreign countries who at times have worked pro bono on abduction cases. However, there are no obligations by any of these lawyers to take a case, and it is up to each Chasing Parent to work out all arrangements. The reality is that ‘pro bono’ sounds like a nice idea, but it is an unrealistic expectation.

Immediate suggestions that could allow the dedicated staff at OCI to be more helpful include the following:

1. Creating and distributing useful, concise information for chasing parents, law enforcement, and court personnel regarding all areas of IPCA. The use of digital media combined and supported by printed content is critical.

2. The development of an independent website outside of the Department of State’s website. This website must be easy to navigate, include audio and digital feeds, and must be accessible to individuals in various languages.

3. OCI must actively support advocates and lawmakers who are seeking to pass child abduction prevention laws. Support by OCI in this area can increase the visibility of the issues of child abduction while also increasing lawmaker and judiciary awareness.

4. Dissemination of information on the Children's Passport Issuance Alert Program.

5. Dissemination of information on the ‘Prevent Departure Program’, and dedicated resources established to assist lawyers and Chasing Parents seeking assistance under this program.

6. Increases in outreach toward documented and un-documented aliens about OCI, and the rights of their U.S. child-citizen.

7. Increase in personnel to support the tremendous workload of the OCI staff.

About the Authors:

Peter Thomas Senese is the Founding Director of the I CARE Foundation, a highly respected child abduction prevention advocate and a successful chasing parent in accordance to the rules of international parental child abduction law established under the Hague Convention. Under Peter’s leadership, the I CARE Foundation has assisted reunite many children who have been internationally kidnapped with their left-behind parents while also working tirelessly to prevent the abduction of an exponentially larger number of children. Peter advocated for the passage of the State of Florida’s ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ (CAPA), heavily contributed to raising public awareness of the previously widely underutilized federal child abduction prevention program; specifically, the ‘Prevent Departure Program’ (PDP) that is now more commonly implemented in aiding targeted parents and their child from abduction in certain case scenarios, worked diligently to have ‘Senate Resolution 543 – the International Parental Child Abduction Resolution’ unanimously passed calling for a complete revamping of how the United States government handles abduction. In addition, Peter has spoken as an expert witness before numerous government bodies, including hosting a forum on international parental child abduction at the United Nations at the request of the U.S. Department of State in his capacity as the Founding Director of the I CARE Foundation. Peter is the creator/writer/producer of the educational documentary film series ‘Chasing Parents: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction’, a best-selling author whose upcoming world-wide book release focusing on international parental child abduction and titled ‘Chasing The Cyclone’ has been critically acclaimed as a call-to-arms against child abduction. Peter is the writer of an extensive number of influential articles and essays pertaining to IPCA. He has created and oversees a comprehensive website dedicated to child abduction prevention and good parenting (www.chasingthecyclone.com) where numerous essays and may be found, including the eye-opening report ‘International Parental Child Abduction And Human Trafficking In The Western Hemisphere’ Peter co-authored with Ms. Carolyn Vlk. Dedicated to bringing about new child abduction prevention laws while creating dialogue that may reform certain government programs and protocols so that they may better serve targeted children and their parents, Peter Senese is a strong supporter of The Hague Convention and The Department of State’s Office Of Children’s Issues.

Carolyn Ann Vlk is a renown child abduction prevention advocate and a Founding Board of Director Member of the I CARE Foundation as well as a member of the Special Advisory Board of the Amber Watch Foundation. Carolyn drafted the landmark State of Florida’s ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ that will be enacted on January 1st, 2011. Ms. Vlk was highly influential in raising the public’s awareness on the little-known, highly effective child abduction prevention federal program titled the ‘Prevent Departure Program’ and worked diligently to have ‘Senate Resolution 543 – the International Parental Child Abduction Resolution’ Carolyn is also a writer/producer of the highly educational documentary film series titled ‘Chasing Parents: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction’, and, is the author of numerous essays and studies on parental child abduction, including the groundbreaking report titled ‘International Parental Child Abduction And Human Trafficking In The Western Hemisphere’ (2010). Carolyn is dedicated to assisting parents and their children who are targets of international child abduction, and is committed to bringing about positive reform and change in law and government protocol that has been established to aid at-risk children. Ms. Vlk is a supporter of The Hague Convention, The Department of State’s Office Of Children’s Issues, and the Uniform Child Abduction Prevention Act (UCAPA). Carolyn is a loving and dedicated mother to her children, and fought rigorously to protect her own child who was a target for potential abduction that she went so far as to draft legislation that has now become new law in her home state of Florida.

China, Russia, Iran and Cyber Warfare. Where Does America Go From Here?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 21:24:00 +0000

Where do we really go from here?

It is a question that many individuals, particularly those actively involved in military intelligence and national security, are asking in the face of the New York Times investigation into into the cyber espionage attacks it recently faced that led the uber cyber-security team Mandiant, to discover that a highly sophisticated cyber warfare scheme targeting the United States and its citizens orchestrated by the China's military has been long underway.

Obviously the possibilities of cyber warfare are endless. Understanding what is ahead of us is critical.

I am pleased to share this important article written by Matt Schiavenza and published in the Atlantic:

The New York Times' revelation that Unit 61398 of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) systematically hacked into U.S. computer networks has emerged as the latest salvo in the increasingly contentious Sino-American rivalry. While the story presented fresh evidence of Chinese hacking -- in stunning detail -- the aftermath presents more questions than answers.

Who, exactly, authorized the attacks carried out by Unit 61398?

On the surface, this question seems fatuous and unnecessary -- the Chinese political system, like the American one, places the military under civilian leadership. However, the PLA has consistently operated with great autonomy, and there are occasionally rumors that China's political leaders don't always know what the military is doing. James Lewis, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and an expert on Chinese cyber-security, put it this way: "The first time some parts of the Chinese government probably encountered this story was through reading The New York Times." Could Unit 61398 have been reporting to military, rather than political, superiors?

There is reason to be skeptical of such a scenario. The Chinese government has explicitly sought increased capability as a cyberspace power, and the hacking is consistent with this larger strategic goal. So while it is unlikely that President Xi Jinping himself authorized specific targets, it would be a major stretch to suggest that the PLA is disobeying the wishes of the civilian government by conducting these attacks.

Is China the only country that conducts cyber attacks? Why does it do it?

According to Lewis, there are five countries which stand out as having significant cyber-espionage capability: China, Russia, France, Israel, and the U.S. Capability, of course, does not mean intent, and it would be a mistake to judge all cyber attacks as equivalent. The United States, after all, famously conducted a series of attacks aimed at disrupting the Iranian nuclear program, an operation described in great and vivid detail by the New York Times' David Sanger. To say that China is the only country to launch cyber attacks against another is plainly inaccurate.

However, Adam Segal, the Maurice B. Greenberg Senior Fellow for China Studies for the Council on Foreign Relations, believes that the scale and scope of cyber conflict is greatest in China. "There's a sense of competitive metabolism there," he said, "and China has resources that the other countries lack." In terms of Beijing's relationship with the United States, cyber is an area in which China -- whose conventional military strength remains far inferior to that of the U.S. -- can gain an asymmetrical advantage over its strategic rival. Though the country continues to invest in its armed forces, China remains hemmed in by American military power in the Pacific and a string of U.S.-allied countries on its periphery, giving Beijing a strong incentive to seek any advantage it can get.

China also has motives that go beyond simple national security considerations. Since Deng Xiaoping initiated widespread reforms in 1978, Beijing has aggressively sought to acquire foreign technology and know-how as a means of developing the economy. Government efforts to foster "indigenous innovation" have yet to bear much fruit, so as a result, Lewis says, Beijing has adopted a "stopgap solution to use Western technology to get closer to their goals." The PLA's breach of commercial targets may have less to do with weakening American institutions than with strengthening Chinese ones.

How is the United States going to respond?

Just eight days ago, the Obama administration issued an Executive Order creating a voluntary program for organizations to adopt stringent cyber-security programs, evidence that the White House is hardly unaware of the threat from foreign hackers. Thus far, however, the U.S. has reacted to these threats defensively, urging companies and individuals to heighten their vigilance of possible "spearphishing" attacks, defined as those which involve embedding malicious links inside innocuous-seeming e-mails.

With news of cyber attacks increasing in frequency, there's a growing sense that the U.S. will have to respond to these provocations more forcefully. James Lewis predicts that the issue "will come to a head" this year, and that Washington will present a response that might, for example, restrict visa access for certain segments of the Chinese population. Trade sanctions, due to both W.T.O rules as well as the symbiotic nature of the Sino-American economic relationship, seem less likely but also within the realm of possibility. All said, though, short of willfully escalating tensions with China there isn't a whole lot Washington can do.

What do we learn from this story?

In the midst of what may develop into a diplomatic crisis between China and the United States, it's easy to forget that the whole story began with a simple act of journalism. Last fall, the Times published an article revealing the tremendous hidden wealth of former Premier Wen Jiabao, a self-styled "man of the people" who liked referring to himself in public as "grandpa Wen". The retaliatory Chinese hacks -- detailed here -- and subsequent Times investigation led directly to the uncovering of PLA Unit 61398.

China has long had an uneasy relationship with the Western media, often dismissing critical reports in newspapers such as The New York Times as little more than thinly veiled government attempts to discredit the country. Yet China's decision to retaliate against the foreign press has now produced unintended consequences. Had Beijing ignored last fall's Wen Jiabao story, the chain of events leading to Unit 61398 would likely never have materialized. One underlying lesson from this story is that a major news organization -- unusually concerned about its security -- is capable of potentially earth-shattering discoveries.

No matter your view, one thing is for sure: cyber espionage and the threat of cyber warfare are issues we must deal carefully prepare for.

Peter Thomas Senese

Peter Thomas Senese: The Face Of Cyber Warfare - China's Military Attacks On U.S. Businesses Serious Concern

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:05:00 +0000

The U.S. believes that cyber warfare could begin to threaten the underpinnings of its relationship with China, New York Times journalist David Sanger told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday.

Sanger and two colleagues reported in the New York Times on Tuesday that a secretive unit of the People’s Liberation Army, the Chinese military, is responsible for most of the many Chinese cyber attacks on U.S. corporations and infrastructure.

As has been previously shared, the unit is called the 'Blue Army' and is supposedly made up of over 100,000 computer hackers - and may be as high as over 250,000 cyber warfare experts.

The problems cyber warfare present are more than serious. At hand is the ability of rogue countries to possibly take control of another nation's weapons, cripple its electronic grid and infrastructure,and cause unthinkable fear and economic chaos.

The New York Times Sanger said, “This is, diplomatically, I think one of the most complicated problems out there. The fact that your adversary would know that you could get into their systems and turn them on or off at any time – whether it was cell phones or air traffic control or whatever – might well affect your future behavior. So it doesn’t mean that they’re going to do it, or there’s out-and-out war, but it does mean that they have a capability to do this by remote control.” Last month The New York Times reported the newspaper was the victim of Chinese hackers due to retribution for publishing a negative report on the finances of Prime Minister Wen Jiabao.

In reaction to the attack, the New York Times hired a leading cyber security technology firm, Mandiant, to investigate the attack. Mandiant's investigation followed the attack on The New York Times to a building solely occupied by the Chinese Military in Shanghai - where it is believed that a portion of the military's Blue Army is housed in the 12 story building. .

“It’s got thousands of people working in it,” Sanger said. His colleague, David Barboza visited the site, but was not allowed inside.

Of course the Chinese government hotly denies all the allegations in the Mandiant report, citing the investigation as“baseless,” “irresponsible and unprofessional.” Of course, in the same breath, China then accused the United States of conducting cyber warfare and electronic espionage.

Chad Sweet, the former Chief of Staff of the Homeland Security and a former CIA offiica who is the Managing partner of the high-profile global security firm the Chertoff Group, told CNN"s Amanpour. “We’re essentially facing a new Cold War – a cyber Cold War. “The destructive capacity is equal to that of a nuclear warhead… But what makes it more sinister than the nuclear age is that there’s no easily identifiable plume.”

With respect to the possibilities of a direct attach by China against the United States, Sweet said he did not think China would “pull the trigger” unless its “back was up against the wall” – for example if the U.S. threatened China’s claim over Taiwan.

Is there a build-up by all the world's formidable nations? Yes.

In fact, as Sanger pointed out, “That is how the U.S. got into the Iranian nuclear program.” (though the operation has been heavily credited to Israel's activities and refers to the Stuxnet computer virus that was launched last year).

Because of the nature of these programs, it is impossible to verify the extent or intent of either the U.S. or China’s cyber warfare or capability.

Sanger said that during his reporting on the Stuxnet virus, he learned of a prescient Situation Room meeting early in the Obama administration. “President Obama said to some of his aides in the Situation Room several years ago,” Sanger recounted, “that he was worried that once the U.S. went down this road, other countries might use it as a pretense to launch their own attacks, presumably not with the discipline and the rules the U.S. has. Well I think that’s probably pretty much exactly what’s happened.”

The Following report was issued by the Christian Science Monitor. I think it is worth sharing:

A stunning report by a US digital-security company accuses China’s military of conducting more than 100 cyberattacks on American corporate and government computers. If accurate, the report by the firm Mandiant only adds to the urgency to develop international norms in cyberwar and cyberespionage.

Each new tool of aggression requires its own rules of war. Cyberwarfare should be no different. Without a code of ethics for conflict in the digital universe, nations could eventually bring down each other’s water supplies, electric grids, military defenses, and vital institutions. And key values, such as privacy and a right to intellectual property, could also be lost.

Global rules now restrict the use of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. They also help safeguard civilians and prisoners of war. What the Mandiant report shows is that the world may be losing the struggle to come up with rules for cyberspace behavior.

The scale of the Chinese cyberthreat is now so massive that it might lead to a rush to imitate rather than a campaign to prevent a cyber blow-for-blow. One of the unusual aspects of cyberweapons is that once they are used, they can be easily replicated for a return attack.

Coming up with such rules will not be easy. For starters, simply defining what is a cyberweapon or a cyberattack could be a problem. Even if that issue is settled, how can an attack’s originator be correctly identified? And given the speed of digital technology, the distinction between defensive and offensive capabilities can be easily blurred.

“You have to have an offensive mind-set to better focus on defense,” said retired Marine Corps Gen. James Cartwright recently in a discussion on cyberwarfare at the US Naval Institute.
Current rules of war under the Geneva Conventions and the International Committee of the Red Cross may cover some aspects of cyberwar, but not all. The United Nations and other global bodies need to make such rules clear.

Even within the United States, Congress and President Obama cannot agree on rules for national defense against cyberattacks. An attempt to pass a law last year that would have required companies to cooperate with the government in cybersecurity ran into concerns over civil liberties.
As a result, Mr. Obama issued an executive order last week offering incentives for companies to improve data sharing with the government. The aim is to protect vital infrastructure now run by private firms.

MONITOR'S VIEW: For Obama's second term, a call to arms control

Like the current US policy on clandestine drone strikes against terrorists, Obama is moving toward a legal presumption of executive authority in being able to launch cyberattacks without approval by Congress or legal oversight by a court. If he does assume such powers, it raises a difficult constitutional issue that needs public debate.

Nations have a strong record of creating norms that restrain types of warfare. Before more reports of cyberattacks emerge, the world must see a common interest in rules to prevent cyberwar.

China Cyber Warfare Against The United States Confirmed

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:24:00 +0000

A secretive Chinese military unit is believed to be behind a series of hacking attacks, according to U.S. computer security company Mandiant. Of course the Chinese government strongly denied the accusation, and then attempted to turn around the accusation by stating that China was in fact the victim of U.S. hacking.

Now those of you who have read my novel 'The Den of the Assassin' have learned a few things about cyber-warfare, and how the real world military threat is not going to be between foot soldiers, but will be fought in cyber war, where countries can realistically attempt to use one nation's own military weapons against themselves by taking control of the weapons when they are deployed. An unconfirmed example of this is when the Iran military is believed to have landed a U.S. Drone on Iran's soil.

But there is so much more at stake, and part of China's end-game is to remove the United States dollar as the world currency.

How could they accomplish this?

By shaken the financial infrastructure of America's banking and commerce centers vial cyber warfare, that's how.

Imagine if the United States Federal Reserve gets hacked into, or several of our largest banks for that matter?

What if our national grid gets shut down?

If you think this is not possible, then you better think again.

The truth of the matter is that nations such as China, North Korea, Russia, Iran, and others have sizeable military personnel units (tens of thousands in the case of China's 'Blue Army') dedicated to cyber-warfare.

Now, the United States is far from sitting ideal; however, the reality is that if the Chinese government had their military cyberware units attack American companies on American soil, then sadly, we are very much at war.

Is China Declaring War On The United States?

Special Mandiant Video Report

The following was issued by Rueters:

The company, Mandiant, identified the People's Liberation Army's Shanghai-based Unit 61398 as the most likely driving force behind the hacking. Mandiant said it believed the unit had carried out "sustained" attacks on a wide range of industries.

"The nature of 'Unit 61398's' work is considered by China to be a state secret; however, we believe it engages in harmful 'Computer Network Operations'," Mandiant said in a report released in the United States on Monday.

"It is time to acknowledge the threat is originating in China, and we wanted to do our part to arm and prepare security professionals to combat that threat effectively," it said.

China's Defense Ministry issued a flat denial of the accusations and called them "unprofessional". It said hacking attacks are a global problem and that China is one of world's biggest victims of cyber assaults.

"The Chinese army has never supported any hacking activity," the Defense Ministry said in a brief faxed statement to Reuters. "Statements about the Chinese army engaging in cyber attacks are unprofessional and not in line with facts."

Unit 61398 is located in Shanghai's Pudong district, China's financial and banking hub, and is staffed by perhaps thousands of people proficient in English as well as computer programming and network operations, Mandiant said in its report.

The unit had stolen "hundreds of terabytes of data from at least 141 organizations across a diverse set of industries beginning as early as 2006", it said.

Most of the victims were located in the United States, with smaller numbers in Canada and Britain. The information stolen ranged from details on mergers and acquisitions to the emails of senior employees, the company said.

The 12-storey building, which houses the unit, sits in an unassuming residential area and is surrounded by a wall adorned with military propaganda photos and slogans; outside the gate a sign warns members of the public they are in a restricted military area and should not take pictures.
There were no obvious signs of extra security on Tuesday.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the government firmly opposed hacking, adding that it doubted the evidence provided in the U.S. security group's report.

"Hacking attacks are transnational and anonymous. Determining their origins are extremely difficult. We don't know how the evidence in this so-called report can be tenable," spokesman Hong Lei told a daily news briefing.

"Arbitrary criticism based on rudimentary data is irresponsible, unprofessional and not helpful in resolving the issue."

Hong cited a Chinese study which pointed to the United States as being behind hacking in China.
"Of the above mentioned Internet hacking attacks, attacks originating from the United States rank first."

"ECONOMIC CYBER ESPIONAGE"

Some experts said they doubted Chinese government denials.

"The PLA plays a key role in China's multi-faceted security strategy, so it makes sense that its resources would be used to facilitate economic cyber espionage that helps the Chinese economy," said Dmitri Alperovitch, chief technology officer and co-founder of CrowdStrike, one of Mandiant's competitors.

Though privately held and little known to the general public, Mandiant is one of a handful of U.S. cyber-security companies that specialize in attempting to detect, prevent and trace the most advanced hacking attacks, instead of the garden-variety viruses and criminal intrusions that befoul corporate networks on a daily basis.

But Mandiant does not promote its analysis in public and only rarely issues topical papers about changes in techniques or behaviors.

It has never before given the apparent proper names of suspected hackers or directly tied them to a military branch of the Chinese government, giving the new report special resonance.

The company published details of the attack programs and dummy websites used to infiltrate U.S. companies, typically via deceptive emails.

U.S. officials have complained in the past to China about sanctioned trade-secret theft, but have had a limited public record to point to.

Mandiant said it knew the PLA would shift tactics and programs in response to its report but concluded that the disclosure was worth it because of the scale of the harm and the ability of China to issue denials in the past and duck accountability.

The company traced Unit 61398's presence on the Internet - including registration data for a question-and-answer session with a Chinese professor and numeric Internet addresses within a block assigned to the PLA unit - and concluded that it was a major contributor to operations against the U.S. companies.

Members of Congress and intelligence authorities in the United States have publicized the same general conclusions: that economic espionage is an official mission of the PLA and other elements of the Chinese government, and that hacking is a primary method.

In November 2011, the U.S. National Counterintelligence Executive publicly decried China in particular as the biggest known thief of U.S. trade secrets.

The Mandiant report comes a week after U.S. President Barack Obama issued a long-awaited executive order aimed at getting the private owners of power plants and other critical infrastructure to share data on attacks with officials and to begin to follow consensus best practices on security.
Both U.S. Democrats and Republicans have said more powerful legislation is needed, citing Chinese penetration not just of the largest companies but of operations essential to a functioning country, including those comprising the electric grid.

China Accuses The United States of Cyber Warfare

The reality of cyber warfare is upon us. There is real cause for concern. Fortunately, the United States has not ignored these threats.

Peter Thomas Senese's Novel Creates Miracles For Children

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 16:37:00 +0000

The Critics Are Raving About Peter Thomas Senese's

CHASING THE CYCLONE

Critics Are Praising

CHASING THE CYCLONE

There is nothing more important in the world than being a hero to young children in crisis. Recently, the I CARE Foundation played a key role in helping free a large number of young girls abducted and enslaved in a sex ring.

For nearly every author, myself included, the desired outcome of writing a book is to have some type of influence on others, including raising the bar on awareness of issues presented in the written story.

Chasing The Cyclone is a deeply inspired story reflective of my own personal journey dealing with international child abduction. I wrote this story in hope to help raise awareness on the growing pandemic of international parental child abduction that could see as many as 100,000 innocent children kidnapped from the United States alone over the next ten years.

Sadly, the vast majority of children do not ever come home. And for the targeted parents of abduction, their lives are permanantly destroyed.

After my family's ordeal, I decided to do something about it. This included writing a book based upon my knowledge of child abduction.

But there was more to be done. Afterall, children's lives were at stake - and anyone who may think that a child abducted by one parent from another is not at risk, please take note that several hundred children are murdered each year by their parents in the United States alone - and statistically, felicide knows no boundary.

So in a rather short time, I formed the not-for-profit I CARE Foundation, which has helped protect over 100 children targeted for abduction or helped legally reunite kidnapped children. In fact, the I CARE Foundation has created more than a few miracles, helping safely reunite kidnapped children taken to every continent on the planet, including multiple children abducted to Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.

The I CARE Foundation's work in legally rescuing children does not only follow the needs of children of parental abduction. With a great sense of pride, I am proud of the work we have done in assisting free young children, particularly young girls, who have been trafficketed and imprisoned into the world of human sexual slavery.

Along the way, the I CARE Foundation has built a large attorney network of lawyers dedicated to assisting children at risk of abduction. We have helped create new laws and policies geared toward protecting children at risk of kidnapping.

Yes, the power of a book is alive and well. I am both humbled and proud of how Chasing The Cyclone has made a sizeable and measurable difference for so many children. Unquestionably, many miracles have been built from the publication of Chasing The Cyclone.

I am pleased to share some of the testimonials about Chasing The Cyclone.

Here are a sampling of critics reviews:

Click here to purchase an e-book copy of Chasing the Cyclone (hardcover due out this Spring, 2013).

CHASING THE CYCLONE

"Chasing The Cyclone is a well-written thriller . . . Senese shares myriad emotions by writing in the first-person as he weaves through the action in this suspense-filled story . . . Filled with a plethora of powerful characters and puzzling predicaments and dead ends, the story moves quickly . . . Cyclone will leave you informed and satisfied . . . you will be reluctant to put down." - New York Journal Of Books

"Peter Thomas Senese is a gifted storyteller who takes readers on a heart pounding journey around the globe . . . The writing is raw and the emotions are real . . . The story is filled with twists and turns . . . You will not be able to put it down. It may very well change the way you look at life, child custody, and interactions with your child's other parent. I cannot endorse this book strongly enough." – The Examiner

"Suspenseful! Nail-Biting! Engaging! These are just the outer layers of Peter Thomas Senese's emotionally charged … Chasing The Cyclone [is] an intricately woven web outlined in 400-pages that includes lawyers, lies, international laws and politics, betrayal, court appearances, and how one parent can shrewdly use the innocence of a child as a pawn to exact revenge, to spew hate and to extort funds from the financially able parent. Senese's Chasing the Cyclone_ is powerful because it is borne from experience. It is richly detailed and emotionally wrought with an accuracy that can only be known by those who endured such traumas. Well-written and expertedly executed: A must read!" – V Stevenson, Reviewer at Kirkus

"Peter Thomas Senese now opens the windows on the magnitude of these tragedies in his excellent "Chasing The Cyclone"... As if the fast paced energy of this story weren't enough to satisfy the reader, Peter Thomas Senese demonstrates his quality as a writer of distinction on many levels... this impossible to put down book." - Dr. Grady Harp: Amazon Hall Of Fame Reviewer

"If I had to use one word to describe Chasing the Cyclone by Peter Thomas Senese it would be phenomenal. As in remarkable. Extraordinary. I have read many books over the years, for enjoyment, for education, because I had to, because I wanted to. I cannot think of any other book that comes close to making me feel as I did when I read this book. I believe these feelings will stick with me forever." – Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews

Click here to purchase Chasing The Cyclone.

Click here to visit the official website of Chasing The Cyclone.

Click here to visit the I CARE Foundation.

Click here to read more about my charitable donations and work with children.

The I CARE Foundation: Acting Wtih Love and Compassion

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 15:19:00 +0000

LOVE

It is not a coincidence that the I CARE Foundation logo is a majestic heart covered in beautiful colors of young childrens' hand prints. The symbol represents the LOVE we value, respect, and cherish that is found in our relationships as well as the loving bond between parents and their children.

Indeed, LOVE has the potential to change everything.

In thinking of LOVE and the work of the I CARE Foundation, my mind wanders to the opening words of Chasing The Cyclone. There readers will see the words:

Love is everything it is cracked up to be

It is really worth fighting for

Being brave for

Risking everything for

And there is no question I do believe in these words. I hope in your own special way, you do too.

So today is Valentine's Day. It is a very special day for me because I have the most incredible partner in the world in Maria. And hopefully she knows that there is never a day that goes by that I ever take her for granted. I think she knows . . . because I tell her everyday how important she is to me and how blessed I am to have her in my life.

But today is a very special day outside of my relationship with Maria. You see, the reason why the I CARE Foundation exists today is because a group of us believe that LOVE is really worth fighting for. Being brave for. Risking everything for. And that love I refer to is the love a parent holds for their child, and the love a child holds for their parent. But that's not all of it. In addition, we pay tribute to the love that exists between each individual, children included, and this magical thing called life.

Sadly, sometimes in life there are those who seek to steal the magic away from others.

And that too is worth fighting for.

I believe that.

So today, on behalf of all of us at the I CARE Foundation, we wish all of you a Happy Valentine's Day filled with the magic of life.

And today to start my own day, I received a telephone call from a young girl age 12 named Paula along with her parents. Paula is one of the young girls the I CARE Foundation recently rescued from the horrors of human sex trafficking.

Her words to me were this: "Mr. Peter. I love you and wanted to be the first person to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day." Her words were soon followed by such kind words by her parents. For the first time in weeks I felt a true sense of happiness. Clearly, their storms were subsiding.

LOVE. So much more than a word.

Some of you may know that I have been a little frozen after the recent set of events that led to the rescue of these young children. The trauma they faced and the journey they will remain on makes it very difficult to celebrate anything.

However, today the words of this young girl, followed by those of her mother and father changed that. Funny how LOVE is so powerful that it can make a heart burst in joy!

And today, I celebrate these young children who are now FREE!

And today I celebrate all the children we have helped bring home as well as those who we have helped protect from abduction.

And today I celebrate the friendships I have created and hold dear.

And I today, like every day, I celebrate the love I have for Maria and my beautiful son, Tyler.

But most of all, today, in my own way, I affirm my own commitment to allow the love I hold in my heart to keep me moving forward in the way I have in my role with the I CARE Foundation.

Wishing all of you a Happy Valentine's Day!

Peter Thomas Senese

* * * * *

For those of you who have not seen the post I made on February 13th, 2013 concerning the children the I CARE Foundation helped bring home, please take the time to read this below:

Over the past two months the I CARE Foundation has played a heavy role in assisting in the planned and successful rescue of 15 young girls who were previously kidnapped and enslaved into the world of the child sex trade in Central America. The abducted children were all kidnapped from their homes in various countries in Central America and ringled together into one horrible, disgusting working brothel, where they were literally imprisoned as monstrous men and women (yes both men and women) would have their sexual way with them. Mind you - these victims were children, many who were not yet teenagers.

I AM NOT FOR SALE

Today they are free, reunited with their families, and receiving the medical and psychological care they need. Their respective journeys will be unique to their own circumstances; however, the trauma they shared will bind them forever. So too, I hope, will the love and care they are receiving, that I pray, will allow them to learn how to trust once again.

The physical health issues and damage done is severe for some of these child victims. It is insane what was done. However, the necessary teams are well underway, providing each with the care they need.

And if you're wondering about the monsters that did what they did to these innocent children, rest assured they will not be victimizing and preying on any young children anytime soon. Ongoing investigations by the proper trusted authorities continue to work to close down the ancillary abduction rings that prey on children.

The complexities of the journey from enslaved prisoner to becoming a free child are remarkable for each of these children. Their roads ahead of them will be long and challenging; however, like I said, there are teams in place who are working closely with each child and their now reunited families so that the necessary healing takes place so that perhaps one day, magic will be restored.

I know many of us are committed to this, and I know this commitment is one that I will hold for the rest of my life.

There is no question WHY we must all rise up and fight against predator kidnappers, no matter if that abductor is a parental abductor or stranger abductor. I remind you that hundreds of children are murdered each year by their parents in the United States alone each year and that felicide is a real threat, particularly amongst parental child abductors.

There is no question WHY we must not permit the child sex trade to exist anywhere in the world. We must renounce places such as Thailand, China, Costa Rica, Columbia, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, and other impoverished countries, including those in Africa, who turn a blind-eye toward the child sex trade and allow monsters to walk amongst us.

There is no question WHY we must stand and do what is necessary in our own way to protect the innocence of a child, regardless if that child is targeted for abduction and trafficking or if that child sees the world in a different way due, say to being on the autism spectrum. The point being, children should never know abuse.

Several months ago, I announced the production of a film on international child abduction titled '150,000 Internationally Kidnapped Children', which I have been working on for some time now. The remarkable recovery of these young children will be shared in our film, in hope that the message shared will further push world governments into understanding that each nation really needs to have international abduction prevention laws and policies that make it extremely difficult for children to be illegally removed from one nation to another. Of course there is a whole agenda of policy shifts we will address.

So . . . our work continues.

I would like to thank all of our friends who kept and keep these children and their families in their prayers. They all have a long road ahead of them and surely will need your continued prayer.

But step by step, the lives of these children and their families are being put back together, and we're doing whatever is necessary to help bring back the idea that life really can be magical.

In fact, yesterday I had an opportunity to speak with several of the young children.

What did I say?

I reminded each of them that life is magical and that they have to have fun. And that I am so proud of each of them, and of course, I will see them again real soon . . . amongst other things.

I know they know the love I have for them, and am blessed to know that these children have embraced my caring. Most of all, I am comforted in knowing that they have embraced the care giving extended to them by professionals who are able to attend to their issues.

* * *

Every once in a while I reflect upon my journey into the world of abduction. At the pinnacle of my thoughts is the promise I made to one day help other children and their families targeted or taken during the time when I was Chasing The Cyclone.

The I CARE Foundation has directly come to the assistance of over 100 families over the past 14 months. We have helped bring home a significant number of abducted children while preventing the abduction of many more children. We have helped create and lobby for new laws and policies that will protect children from abduction, and have taken our agendas onto the world stage. We have built an attorney network -educating as many professionals and parents - on abduction prevention and reunification. And we have a very big agenda for 2013 that I am confident will make a big impact in the fight to protect children.

I am very proud of our organization and our members. But most of all, I am very proud of the parents I have come to know and care deeply about who have fought for their children. Truth is, I have many friends in my life, but the parents who I have come to know over the past 7 years have become my family, and their children my adopted nieces and nephews, many who I speak to often.

Last night, I had the chance to speak to my dear friend Amanda's two young daughters, who I absolutely love.

Several years ago, when Amanda first contacted me, her daughters were at great risk of abduction to Saudi Arabia, and asked for assistance in ensuring that her children would not be kidnapped to a nation that women had no rights. Well, we did what we had to do, and the children are safe . . . and I intend to ensure that they are always safe.

And over the years, I have spent some wonderful time with Amanda and her two daughters, including time at Disney World.

So last night, as I often do, I called Amanda right before the girls went to bed to find out about their day and to wish them a good night.

The last words they said to me before I hung up the phone was, "Good Night, Peter Pan."

It is a reminder that children should never be left in Neverland.

Young Girls Freed From Pedophile Sex Trafficking Ring

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 19:38:00 +0000

I AM NOT FOR SALE

Over the past two months the I CARE Foundation has played a heavy role in assisting in the planned and successful rescue of 15 young girls who were previously kidnapped and enslaved into the world of the child sex trade in Central America. The abducted children were all kidnapped from their homes in various countries in Central America and ringled together into one horrible, disgusting working brothel, where they were literally imprisoned as monsterous men and women (yes both men and women) would have their sexual way with them. Mind you - these victims were children, many who were not yet teenagers.

Today they are free, reunited with their families, and receiving the medical and psychological care they need. Their respective journeys will be unique to their own circumstances; however, the trauma they shared will bind them forever. So too, I hope, will the love and care they are receiving, that I pray, will allow them to learn how to trust once again.

The physical health issues and damage done is severe for some of these child victims. It is insane what was done. However, the necessary teams are well underway, providing each with the care they need.

And if you're wondering about the monsters that did what they did to these innocent children, rest assured they will not be victimizing and preying on any young children anytime soon. Ongoing investigations by the proper trusted authorities continue to work to close down the ancillary abduction rings that prey on children.

The complexities of the journey from enslaved prisoner to becoming a free child are remarkable for each of these children. Their roads ahead of them will be long and challenging; however, like I said, there are teams in place who are working closely with each child and their now reunited families so that the necessary healing takes place so that perhaps one day, magic will be restored.

I know many of us are committed to this, and I know this committment is one that I will hold for the rest of my life.

There is no question WHY we must all rise up and fight against predator kidnappers, no matter if that abductor is a parental abductor or stranger abductor. I remind you that hundreds of children are murdered each year by their parents in the United States alone each year and that felicide is a real threat, particularly amongst parental child abductors.

There is no question WHY we must not permit the child sex trade to exist anywhere in the world. We must renounce places such as Thailand, China, Costa Rica, Columbia, Saudi Arabia, the Phillippines, and other impoverished countries, including those in Africa, who turn a blind-eye toward the child sex trade and allow monsters to walk amongst us.

There is no question WHY we must stand and do what is necessary in our own way to protect the innocence of a child, regardless if that child is targeted for abduction and trafficking or if that child sees the world in a different way due, say to being on the autism spectrum. The point being, children should never know abuse.

Several months ago, I announced the production of a film on international child abduction titled '150,000 Internationally Kidnapped Children', which I have been working on for some time now. The remarkable recovery of these young children will be shared in our film, in hope that the message shared will further push world governments into understanding that each nation really needs to have international abduction prevention laws and policies that make it extremely difficult for children to be illegally removed from one nation to another. Of course there is a whole agenda of policy shifts we will address.

So . . . our work continues.

I would like to thank all of our friends who kept and keep these children and their families in their prayers. They all have a long road ahead of them and surely will need your continued prayer.

But step by step, the lives of these children and their families are being put back together, and we're doing whatever is necessary to help bring back the idea that life really can be magical.

In fact, yesterday I had an opportunity to speak with several of the young children.

What did I say?

I reminded each of them that life is magical and that they have to have fun. And that I am so proud of each of them, and of course, I will see them again real soon . . . amongst other things.

I know they know the love I have for them, and am blessed to know that these children have embraced my caring. Most of all, I am comforted in knowing that they have embraced the caregiving extended to them by professionals who are able to attend to their issues.

* * *

Every once in a while I reflect upon my journey into the world of abduction. At the pinnicle of my thoughts is the promise I made to one day help other children and their families targeted or taken during the time when I was Chasing The Cyclone.

The I CARE Foundation has directly come to the assistance of over 100 families over the past 14 months. We have helped bring home a significant number of abducted children while preventing the abduction of many more children. We have helped create and lobby for new laws and policies that will protect children from abduction, and have taken our agendas onto the world stage. We have built an attorney network -educating as many professionals and parents - on abduction prevention and reunification. And we have a very big agenda for 2013 that I am confident will make a big impact in the fight to protect children.

I am very proud of our organization and our members. But most of all, I am very proud of the parents I have come to know and care deeply about who have fought for their children. Truth is, I have many friends in my life, but the parents who I have come to know over the past 7 years have become my family, and their children my adopted nieces and nephews, many who I speak to often.

Last night, I had the chance to speak to my dear friend Amanda's two young daughters, who I absolutely love.

Several years ago, when Amanda first contacted me, her daughters were at great risk of abduction to Saudi Arabia, and asked for assistance in ensuring that her children would not be kidnapped to a nation that women had no rights. Well, we did what we had to do, and the children are safe . . . and I intend to ensure that they are always safe.

And over the years, I have spent some wonderful time with Amanda and her two daughters, including time at DisneyWorld.

So last night, as I often do, I called Amanda right before the girls went to bed to find out about their day and to wish them a good night.

The last words they said to me before I hung up the phone was, "Good Night, Peter Pan."

It is a reminder that children should never be left in Neverland.

Best regards to all,

Peter Thomas Senese
Founding Director
The I CARE Foundation