Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Inside the FBI highlights news, cases, and people from around the Bureau—in audio form. For more information, visit fbi.gov.
[A musical track that features percussion, keys, and synthesizers and has a mysterious mood begins.]
Narrator: When a child’s parent or guardian illegally takes them beyond our nation's borders—and prevents the other parent or guardian from lawfully exercising their parental rights—it can constitute a federal crime called international parental kidnapping (or IPK).
Investigating these globe-spanning cases presents unique logistical and jurisdictional challenges. But no matter how complex that terrain proves to be, the FBI and our law enforcement partners never give up on a missing child.
In honor of National Missing Children’s Day, we’ll explain when taking a child outside the United States becomes a federal crime, discuss how we support children and the custodial parents and guardians in these situations, and teach you how to report suspected IPK to the Bureau.
This is Inside the FBI.
[The Inside the FBI jingle kicks in. It's a bright and driving track.]
***
[The episode's opening musical track comes back in. It repeats, in whole or in part, through the end of the episode.]
Narrator: International family vacations are not inherently illegal—parents and guardians are typically free to travel overseas with their children.
But parents and guardians can share custody of a child with other people, either through birth or by court order. And if one parent takes an international journey with their child to keep the other adult from exercising their parental rights, they may have committed a federal crime. In these cases, we refer to the parent who takes the child as the “taking” parent.
Legally speaking, the International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act of 1993 forbids a parent or guardian from taking, keeping, or attempting to take their child outside the U.S. to obstruct someone else’s parental rights to that child.
The FBI evaluates suspected IPK situations on a case-by-case basis to determine if a criminal investigation is appropriate. For example, if a child and their parent are stuck overseas because their flight’s been delayed, or if they’ve fled the U.S. to escape alleged domestic violence...
Ingrid: ... that parent would be unlikely to be prosecuted because it's not necessarily their fault or, the domestic violence situation is more for the health of the parent and child.
Narrator: That’s Special Agent Ingrid Arbuthnot-Stohl. She investigates international parental kidnapping cases in the FBI’s Seattle Division.
Arbuthnot-Stohl: So, those are things that we would look into investigatively but that might end up more of a civil matter rather than a criminal matter.
Narrator: The Bureau considers all the factors when assessing whether a child’s removal from the U.S. was potentially criminal. As appropriate, we also look to state and federal law enforcement agencies, state and federal prosecutors, the State and Justice Departments, and the searching parent for guidance.
If the FBI assesses that it was a criminal act, we can work with our partners at the U.S. Department of Justice to get a federal warrant issued for the taking parent’s arrest.
But even then, these investigations are logistically complex. Outside the U.S., the Bureau only has legal jurisdiction on the high seas and other locations specifically outlined by Congress.
As a result, we rely on our overseas offices, known as law enforcement attachés, and our international law enforcement partnerships to enable arrests in these cases and hopefully bring kidnapped children home.
The FBI also partners with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to issue “yellow notices” for children who’ve allegedly been abducted by a parent or guardian.
Arbuthnot-Stohl: A yellow notice is an international alert that if the child travels, that child has been declared missing. And then, that notice would alert INTERPOL, which is the international police organization, that this child is missing.
***
Narrator: Victim specialists (or VSes) from the FBI Victim Services Division also provide essential assistance to child victims and searching parents and guardians impacted by international parental kidnapping.
Arbuthnot-Stohl: Even though someone may believe that they're doing what is in the best interests of their child overall, these kinds of abductions are infinitely more harmful to the child because you've now put them in the middle of either parent and [are] forcing them to be in a position they don't have any choice in. And the psychological toll on children in these abductions, it's real and it's hard.
Narrator: As FBI Seattle Victim Specialist Rosie Pierro-Arthur explains...
Pierro-Arthur: The focus to is to ensure the safety, the well-being, and rights of the victims, and we prioritize that during the investigation.
We provide emotional support to the searching parent, who may be going through significant distress, anxiety, or even depression due to the abduction of their child. We also provide crisis intervention during the immediate aftermath of the abduction, helping the searching parent navigate the emotional and logistical challenges of IPK cases.
Narrator: According to Rosie, VSes provide clear, compassionate communication to these parents in a way they makes them feel supported. They also help the searching parent make sense of the legal and procedural processes and steps involved in their case and provide investigational status updates.
Pierro-Arthur: We're also there to address delays and setbacks in the investigation or legal processes, and we help the searching parent navigate the stress of that prolonged uncertainty. The victim specialist plays a key role in managing the searching parent’s expectations and providing that emotional support during the frustrating or lengthy delays of IPK cases.
Narrator: VSes also provide searching parents and child victims with information about and referrals to support services, as needed.
Pierro-Arthur: We collaborate with child protective services, mental health professionals, and other social services to ensure the searching parent and child are receiving comprehensive support. We also ensure the victims receive practical support by making referrals to medical services, mental health support, peer resources, and other services based on the needs of the victim and the family.
Narrator: They also play a critical operational role in IPK investigations, closely coordinating with case agents to ensure investigators can be sensitive to the near- and long-term emotional and psychological support needs of child victims.
Together, everyone works to lessen the impacts of these incidents on these minor victims.
Pierro-Arthur: We discuss things about the child’s age and developmental stage, and understanding the child's capacity to process not only the IPK, but what that recovery and reunification process looks like.
We also talk about being trauma-informed, understanding the child's trauma during an IPK and the stress level, and really tailoring the victim services to mitigate further trauma and address the child's unique needs.
And then, sharing victim information with our trusted internal and external partners, providing this information to multidisciplinary teams—that background information on the searching parent’s concerns, the child's history, and any relevant details to help further the investigation.
Narrator: The collective teams ensure the child’s needs are addressed at every step of the investigation and that any risks to them are mitigated.
Last, but not least, VSes support children and custodial parents during the process of family reunification, coming up with reunification plans to ensure the child’s needs are met. As Rosie explains...
Pierro-Arthur: It's really about offering wraparound and comprehensive services during that reunification process for both the family and the minor victim, upon return.
Arbuthnot-Stohl: There may be barriers to deal with that parents don't often realize. Everybody expects this reunification to be something that's full of happiness and tears and hugs, and it's this brilliant reunification that the left-behind parent has made in their mind.
From the child's perspective, however, things could be different. And that's often difficult to take, for both the child and the left-behind parent, which is something that our victim services people help both people process.
For instance, there may be a language barrier if a child's been abroad for several years and they were taken when they were like three, and it's now six [or] seven years later and they don't speak English very well anymore, or at all.
Narrator: Additionally, Ingrid says...
Arbuthnot-Stohl: ...you have no idea what the taking parent has told the child about the left-behind parent. Sometimes, the child's been told that the left-behind parent has died, and they have no idea that they still have a parent who's fighting for them. They could say, “Oh, he or she abused you when you were young,” and so they end up with this really negative view of the left-behind parent that is often not justified.
So, there may be a culture shock upon returning to the U.S. The child may be afraid of the left-behind parent. So it's really important that there is a counselor available in this kind of situation.
***
Narrator: If you’re a parent or guardian who believes your child has been removed from the country to inhibit your parental rights, you should contact your nearest FBI field office and ask to be connected with their Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.
You can also contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI—that’s 1-800-225-5324—or online at tips.fbi.gov. And if you’re located outside of the United States, you can contact your nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
Additionally, you can visit fbi.gov/ipk to read an in-depth Q&A about this particular violation, get guidance for navigating the potential return of a taken child, and access additional guidance for keeping your kids safe.
You can also proactively protect your children by downloading the FBI’s free ChildID App. The app allows parents and guardians to store pictures of and vital information about your kids directly on your phone.
That way, in case of an emergency, you can share your child's photos and information with the FBI and other law enforcement authorities with a single tap within the app. Learn more at fbi.gov/childIDapp.
Lastly, you can visit fbi.gov/vcac—that’s VCAC—to learn more about the Bureau’s Violent Crimes Against Children program.
***
Narrator: This has been another production of Inside the FBI.
You can follow us on your favorite podcast player, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. You can also listen to our show via the myFBI Dashboard app. Learn more at fbi.gov/dashboardapp.
And to subscribe to email alerts to learn more about new episodes, visit fbi.gov/podcasts.
On behalf of the FBI's Office of Public Affairs, thanks for tuning in.
[The background musical track gets louder before fading out.]