At the U.S. Department of State, I mainly serve as a Country Officer in the Office of Children’s Issues working on issues concerning U.S. citizens abroad and promoting the principles found in The 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (Hague Abduction Convention).

While promoting objectives of the Hague Abduction Convention, I utilize aspects of human-centered design principles to recommend strategic changes so children and their families have equitable experiences navigating their abduction cases via a foreign administrative and legal system. Part of my work portfolio involves facilitating the return, or access to, U.S. and Honduran children abducted to and from the United States in coordination with the Government of Honduras.

A case study was initiated in June 2020 to assess the provision of U.S. legal assistance for Honduran families involved in cases of abducted children to the United States. The Office of Children’s Issues received, on average, 100 cases annually of abducted Honduran children to the United States. Data obtained in CY2019 showed 70% of cases were reported as unresolved and closed, without a return of a child, and parents cited the difficulty with retaining legal assistance to file their cases in U.S. courts as a primary challenge in continuing with their case. The case study attempted to address a topic raised during a Congressional inquiry into the Department’s annual performance on bilateral relations with partner-country performance and individual families and their cases.

QUESTION: How does a multilateral treaty with a blanket framework for international cooperation overlook certain barriers families may face accessing this civil remedy?

ACTION: Context mapping revealed abduction cases were effectively resolved when both parties were able to retain pro bono legal assistance to navigate their cases, language was not an impediment in communication during the case, and disclosure of immigration status was not a hindrance to facilitating judicial procedure. 

• The Office of Children’s Issues piloted a program with the Honduran Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide attorney referral lists at all 10 consular offices throughout the U.S. for parents seeking legal assistance. 

• Expansion of the Hague Convention Mediation portfolio during the first year of COVID-19 allowed families to explore and resolve custody disputes with an agreement both parties were willing to abide by. Agreements were reached with mediation programs outside of in-person judicial proceeding that were significantly delayed as a result of the ongoing pandemic and at no cost to parents and their attorneys.

Please contact me for an interview to discuss our process and outcomes.