International Child Abduction

This section will have articles from magazines and publications that have informational value regarding missing and abducted children.
 
Where provided, you may link to the articles below. Where there is no link you may email us for a copy. All of the articles in Insight Magazine by Tim Maier are available on line, as well as the Reader's Digest article by Daniel Levine. If you have an article you would like us to include in this section please forward a copy with permission to add it.

A Double Standard for Our Children: Insight Magazine, May 1, 2000, By Timothy Maier. The case of 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez has received attention at the highest levels of government, while the plight of American children kidnapped abroad isn't on the agenda.

A Great Escape: Insight Magazine, February 14, 2000, By Timothy Maier. "She couldn't find a hero, so 13-year-old Dria Davis became one, devising a plan to leave a father she says kidnapped, beat and held her captive in his native Saudi Arabia for two years".

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: America's Most Wanted Magazine, By David Thelen. " According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, one in six children are found through some form of photo distribution.

Abducted Children Should State Do More? By George Gedda. When their children are taken overseas, left-behind American parents often feel ignored by the U.S. government.

Abducted Children Still Beyond Reach: By Jacqueline L. Salmon, 2001. Germany falls short in Custody Disputes. The Committee for Missing Children web site is mentioned.

Alive and Well and Five Years Old: Buyer's Quarterly, April/May/June 1996. By David C. Thelen. Describes the growth of the Committee for Missing Children as well as what's needed in the field of missing and abducted children. Discusses the need for a national data bank for information on missing and abducted children. Depicts many of the children we have featured.

All Talk, No Action On Stolen Children: INSIGHT MAGAZINE, By Timothy Maier. (Reprinted with permission) "Although Congress has called on foreign nations to abide by the Hague Convention on parental child abductions, the U.S. government is not really offering parents much help"

America's Forgotten Kids: Insight Magazine, May 1, 2000, By Timothy Maier. "The nation is struggling in the throes of the Elian Gonzales case but, despite the attention paid to the plight of the Cuban boy, kidnapped Americans continue to rate only a nod" Note: Good illustration of the posters distributed by the Committee for Missing Children.

America's Stolen Children: Reader's Digest, September 1999, By Daniel Levine. "Why has Washington turned its back on thousands of abducted kids?"

Can You Say Langenselbold?: Buyer's Quarterly, October 2000. By David C. Thelen. That's Langenselbold, Germany, the site of The Committee for Missing Children's European Parent Advocacy Meeting hosted by our European Director, Christiane Lops.

Complicity in Child Abduction - More action by State Department required in parental kidnappings - Statistical Data Included. By Timothy Maier, Insight On The News. July 23, 2001. An estimated 15,000 U.S. children remain abroad after being abducted by a parent. But the State Department is pursuing action in less than 30 Hague Convention cases.

COOPERATION: The Key to Finding Missing Children: America's Most Wanted Magazine, Nov/Dec. 2000, By David C. Thelen. "More than fifty nonprofit child-find organizations in the United States offer services to parents of missing and abducted children... Why don't parents of missing and abducted children know about these organizations and services they offer? Why when a child is missing, are parents left to wonder where they can get help?"

Data Missing on Missing Children: by Timothy W. Maier, Insight Magazine, Sept 2, 2002 So how many children are missing, from where and what are their names? No one knows for sure. Dave Thelen, chief executive officer for the nonprofit Committee for Missing Children Inc., has been trying to get reliable statistics for years and would like to see NCMEC back up its numbers with a complete database of names and case histories.

Dealing With the Loss of a Child: Buyer's Quarterly, October/November 1997. By David C. Thelen. This article deals with the feelings a parent goes through when a child goes missing. Also features pictures from the first PARENT march on Washington in 1997.

Family Abductions By Adam Wilkenfeld, July 2002. Andrew Bowey arrived home from work one day to find an empty house. His wife was gone, his children were gone, and he started to fear the worst. "Nothing else to describe it really - panic, you panic. [You think], when am I going to see my children again? Where are they?

Father Sees Children After Four Years: America's Most Wanted Magazine, By David Thelen, "When Ed Troxel's children were taken to Germany by his estranged wife he vowed to never give up the fight to see his two little girls".

FOCUS: Finding our Children Under Stress: Buyer's Quarterly, January/February/March 1996. By David C. Thelen. The first parent advocacy meeting, sponsored by the Committee for Missing Children was held in Las Vegas Nevada, in November 1995. It was at this meeting that the group voted to use the term "FOCUS, Finding Our Children Under Stress" for our newsletter and the parent handbook. We want to thank Judy Gifford-Tosh and Jody Himebaugh for coming up with the name.

FORGOTTEN CHILDREN - Complicity in Child Abduction: INSIGHT MAGAZINE, July 23, 2001, By Timothy Maier. (Reprinted with permission) "An estimated 15,000 U. S. children remain abroad after being abducted by a parent, but the State Department is pursuing action in less than 30 Hague Convention cases".

Indifference Adds to Parents Horror (On Dist titled A45738-2000Dec) By Cindy Loose, Washington Post. Dec. 14, 2000. The U.S. government -- specifically the Justice and State departments -- can assist parents in retrieving abducted children, but their efforts are uneven at best. Parents complain that the Justice Department has little interest in their cases and that the State Department is unwilling to disrupt diplomatic relations over abducted children. Written policy directs consular officials to remain neutral no matter the circumstances.

INTERNATIONAL CHILD ABDUCTIONS - Countries Ignore Hague Convention: Insight Magazine, December 18, 2000, By Timothy Maier. Reports released by the GAO and State Department show that the U. S. Government is failing to help return children, illegally abducted overseas, to their American parents.

International Child Abductions: Kidnapping for Custody America's Most Wanted Magazine, May/June 2000, By Clarence Walker. "People better not steal from U.S. corporations, but if someone steals a child, he may get away with it. Note: They used several pictures taken by the Committee for Missing Children.

Internationally Kidnapped Children: Buyer's Quarterly, April/May/June 1997. By David C. Thelen. Describes international parental child abduction. Depicts several children that have been abducted across international borders.

It's never been done before...: Buyer's Quarterly, May 2000. By David C. Thelen. Describes the second parent advocacy meeting held August 27-29, 1999 in Washington, DC. Twenty-five parents as well as thirty-seven agency personnel and non-profit child find organizations also attended.

Justice Ignores Stolen Kids: Insight Magazine, November 29, 1999, By Timothy Maier. "Despite recent testimony before Congress by beleaguered parents of internationally kidnapped children, State and Justice departments continue to dismiss these crimes".

Keeper of the Children: The Buyer's Guide, Fall 1993. By David C. Thelen. The early story of how the Committee for Missing Children got started. Our start with the National Center and the signing of some of our first photo partners. This was my first article about missing and abducted children.

Kids Abandoned On Ryan's Watch: by Timothy W. Maier, Insight Magazine, July 29, 2002 Ryan also angered parents by calling these kidnapping cases "custody disputes." The term infuriated parents who pointed out that in many cases courts formally had given custody to American parents from whom a child was kidnapped, and in others international warrants had been issued for the arrest of the kidnappers.

Kids Held Hostage: Insight magazine, March 8, 1999, By Timothy Maier. "When it comes to international abductions by foreign spouses, the government often places diplomacy above the needs of American children and their parents" Note: Good illustration of the posters distributed by the Committee for Missing Children.

Kids Held Hostage In Saudi Arabia: by Timothy W. Maier, nsight Magazine, July 29, 2002 After a recent emotionally charged congressional hearing Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.), chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, vowed to persuade President George W. Bush to take action against Saudi Arabian kidnappers who have held U.S. children captive in some cases as long as 16 years.

Kidnapped Kids Cry Out For Help Insight Magazine, May 10, 1999, By Timothy Maier. "Insights investigation of child abduction has initiated widespread concern, but despite plenty of lip service about this issue, the first couple has not taken public leadership".

Lady Meyer Struggles for Parental Rights: Insight Magazine, October 2, 2000, By Timothy Maier. Catherine Meyer's former husband stole her children away to Germany. She now lobbies for laws that would make international parental child abductions a crime.

Law Enforcement and the Missing Child: Buyer's Quarterly, November 1998. By David C. Thelen. Describes law enforcement's involvement in the recovery of missing and abducted children. Talks about the good and bad. Depicts several children from our photo distribution programs.

Missing Children: How you can help: Tidings, January/February 1994. By David C. Thelen. Informational article about missing and abducted children. I plea to the school supply industry to help in the fight to recover children. A listing of some of our photo partners.

Missing Children in the new Millennium: Buyer's Quarterly, May 1999. By David C. Thelen. This article takes a look at some of the past accomplishments of the Committee for Missing Children as well as a glimpse at a few of our projects for the new millennium.

Missing Children Update: Buyer's Quarterly, January/February/March 1994. By David C. Thelen. Informational article. Featured Jeanna North, Ernest Choice and Stephanie Crane. Also featured a special poem to her sister by Jessica North.

Missing Children Update: Buyer's Quarterly, April/May/June 1994. By David C. Thelen. The story of two little girls who left us way to soon, Polly Klaas and Angie Housman. A legislative up date and my picture with John Walsh, a must for you antique collectors.

Missing Children Update: Buyer's Quarterly, October/November/December 1994. By David C. Thelen. Features Kali A. Poulton. The article describes several of our larger photo partners, as well as how they made us the largest distributor of missing and abducted children's pictures into the schools.

My Child Is Missing: America's Most Wanted Magazine, Sept/Oct. 2000, By David C. Thelen. "Each year in the United States more than 850,000 children are reported to be missing. 90 plus percent of these children will be recovered. However, 17,000 still will be missing. These are the children we look for".

Paying the Price to Go Home: Buyer's Quarterly, May 1998. By David C. Thelen. This is the story of Christiane Lop's fight to take her children back to Germany.

Rage of Innocence: 2003, Story by Liz Cerami Taylor (92) and photos by Chris Thelen. Article about David and Karen Thelen and their work at the Committee for Missing Children. The article was produced by their alma mater, Madison University in Harrinsonburg, Virginia.

Runaways By Robert Seith, July 2002. Sixteen-year-old Abby Stoltz is just one of the almost half million teens who run away from home each year. "I didn't like it there [home] because it was so strict and [there were] so many rules, and I wanted to do what I wanted to do," Abby says.

State Abandons Kidnapped Kids: Insight Magazine, June 14, 1999, By Timothy Maier. "Two State Department reports-yet to be made public but obtained by Insight-don't tell true story of the government's failure to help rescue children abducted to foreign countries".

State's New Smoke Screen: Insight Magazine, April 3, 2000, By Timothy Maier. Out of the glare of the Elain Gonzales spotlight, internationally kidnapped American children languish overseas as the State Department offers doublespeak to reporters and parents.

Stolen Kids Become Pawns in Terror War: Insight Magizine, November 27, 2002 By Timothy W. Maier. As the war in Afghanistan continued, many of America's forgotten children remained trapped in Middle Eastern countries that soon could be pulled into war as the United States considers strikes against other states that sponsor terrorism. These stolen children - perhaps as many as 11,000 U. S. citizens - were stripped of their civil rights the day they became victims of international parental kidnapping.

Stranger Abductions By Adam Wilkenfeld, July 2002. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, strangers kidnap about 300 children every year. News like that, and news of the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping in Utah, has the power to terrify parents and children.

The Hague Child Abduction Convention: Diminishing Returns and Little to Celebrate For Americans: The NYU Journal of International Law and Politics, 33 N.Y.U. J. Int ' l L. & Pol. 125 By Tom Johnson (Reprinted with permission) "For Americans today, the Hague Treaty Convention on Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction is too rarely a remedy in foreign courts and too often an instrument of terrible injustice in United States courts"

U.S. Newspapers This site will provide you access to local news and information from all over the United States to all who have access to the World Wide Web.

What you need to know By Bill Bickel. You can check this site daily for up to date articles on missing and abducted children. When in the site, click on the articles bar at the top of the page.

Where Are All the Missing Children? STATS Spotlight "How many American children are actually abducted each year? Numbers as high as one or two million are routinely cited in the media. John Walsh, host of the television show America's Most Wanted, has testified before Congress about this issue and has placed the annual total number of abducted children at more than 1.5 million, adding that "we don't have a clue what happens to over 50,000 of them," and that "this country is littered with mutilated, decapitated, raped and strangled children."

Will Reno's Raid be her Undoing? By: Timothy W. Maier. Insight Magazine, May 27, 2000. Fallout from the Elian Gonzalez fiasco shrouds Janet Reno and the Clinton administration. Congressional Republicans have launched hearings to see where the buck should stop.

Yes, We are Finding Children: Buyer's Quarterly, January/February, March 1995. By David C. Thelen. Depicts several children that we featured in our photo distribution programs. Describes several of the photo programs developed by the Committee for Missing Children.