Goldman Abduction Case Opens Wounds For Parents Of Children Abducted To Or Within The US
Watching the Sean Goldman parental child abduction case unfold in the media has been bittersweet for parents of children still missing. All American parents with children abducted to foreign countries experience the same emotions and frustrations as Sean’s father David Goldman. He’s fortunate to have the help of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Foreign parents must endure the same trauma when their children are illegally abducted to America. These parents look to the Department of State for help too. In at least one case that I’ve reported on, that of Emily Hindle, the State Department did not help; they hurt.
Karl Hindle has been fighting for several years to have his daughter Emily returned to the UK. Not only did Emily’s mother illegally abducted her, she attempted to give Emily away in an illegal adoption. With the help of unscrupulous domestic violence agents, she has filed hundreds of false allegations of domestic violence and even child sexual assault charges against Karl. All of which have been thrown out.
Supervisors in the International Child Abduction Division of the US State Department arranged the illegal abduction. Ignoring new family court orders, they hid mother and child for years. Even while Emily was listed as missing and endangered. Hillary Clinton could initiate an internal investigation into this and other cases.
What about parents who live in the US, whose children have been illegally abducted to another state? Who can they turn to? Donald Tenn of Fathers 4 Justice and Families 4 Justice would like to know. Her mother illegally abducted Tenn’s daughter Madison. She also has filed numerous false allegations of domestic violence. They’ve also been thrown out.
Studies now show that 70% of all allegations of domestic violence are unnecessary or false. Many parents like Tenn have proven fraud and contempt of court on the part of the other parent, yet get no relief. After being bounced from one state to the other, he finally got an order for visitation. Local authorities refused to enforce the order when her mother didn’t surrender Madison.
Tenn has written to the Governors in his home state of California, and Illinois where Madison now resides. No response from either. Tenn and Paul Fisher, another father climbed a 175′ construction crane in Ohio last September to draw media attention to the issue. Over a well-attended Buckeye football game they hung a 50′ banner. Tenn stayed atop the crane for 4 days, even enduring a dangerous thunderstorm.
When Fisher and Tenn were first spotted by the construction crew it didn’t take long for the workers to express their sympathy. The foreman told the media on scene that they didn’t need to use the crane for a few days anyway. After Tenn descended, he noted that just 10 minutes later the crane was up and running.
Charges were filed against both men, but later dropped. Recently the charge of vandalism was refiled. Tenn noted he brought down their supplies and did not harm the crane in any way. He and Fisher face 18-month prison sentences. They’re due back in Columbus, Ohio in front of Judge Stephen McIntosh on April 13th. When asked for a comment Tenn said, “There should be no jail for being a dad.”
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source:? sharedparentingworks.org
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I'm a sun and nature loving, 50-something, laid back, forward thinking, liberal anti-feminist egalitarian, san francisco bay area native, single mom of 4 and yia yia to 2. I've been active in the equal parenting movement since 2002. Known as the purple Queen of Equality, I once blogged as the Feminist4Fathers. Find me now on sharedparentingworks.org and jugsforjustice.org. | More from Teri Stoddard
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[...] Goldman Abduction Case Opens Wounds For Parents Of Children … [...]
The #1 priority in this case is to return Sean Goldman to his father here in America.
That was the clear and unequivocal message at the rally outside the White House yesterday – Bring Sean Home!
The second clear priority is a much needed overhaul of how the international treaty governing these cases is implemented in practice.
The US has the most to gain from the success of the Hague Convention and the most to lose – more children are abducted to and from the United States than any other Hague country.
Yet, within the international community the United States is frequently cited as being one of the biggest violators.
I spoke briefly with Congressman Chris Smith yesterday in Washington DC and finally, I felt I had met a US official who gets this point.
I am the British father of a now 7 year old daughter, Emily Rose Hindle who was taken from her home in the UK and brought here to the US in 2003 by the her American mother claiming domestic violence and assisted by the US Department of State.
Officials at the Office of Childrens Issues tasked with implementing the Hague Convention at the State Department helped to hide Emily in the US as efforts to find her caused her to be classed variously as a missing child and ultimately as missing and endangered.
The endangered classification came about due to efforts by her mother to sell little Emily in Wisconsin which also placed her into the care and contact of a convicted pedophile, Leslie Merriam. The response of the State Department to the police was that her British father was an abuser and was not to know where Emily was at.
All allegations of domestic violence, sexual abuse and a host of other disgusting allegations were repeatedly thrown out in court but this did not stop Barbara Greig of the State Department from having Emily’s dad barred from coming to the US for court hearings and visitation until recently.
It also did not stop the State Department from requesting the arrest and deportation of Emily’s father in 2004 to stop court hearings and visitation from taking place and Emily has had no visitation with her dad for three years now in complete defiance of the Hague Convention and US court orders.
More than this, Emily was born with an eye defect which was treated in the UK to stop her going permanently blind in her right eye. No treatment has been forthcoming in the US and little Emily has now past the age by which she would benefit from being treated – she has been left to become permanently blind in an eye.
In 2003, Emily was voluntarily returned to the UK by her mother whereupon th eBritish police removed Emily from her mother and gave her to dad as court proceedings had commenced in the British courts.
The State Department than claimed Emily’s dad had abducted her from Florida claiming she had been resident there for more than 6 months – Emily was consequently sent to Florida only for proceedings to start but find she had been there for less than 6 weeks!
Was Emily returned to the UK?
No – the court in Florida stating that in Volusia County they are “provincials and we don’t do the Hague Convention here” according to Judge Doyle.
The Hague Convention is a double edged sword – the United States, and particularly David Goldman, are entirely correct to demand Brazilian compliance and return Sean forthwith – but the rest of the world is equally right to demand the US also comply with its obligations and behave properly – something many parents, myself included, do not believe has been happening.
David Goldman has been through a nerve shattering ordeal but there are positives and many parents at home and abroad are looking at this case with disbelieving hope – hope that finally, the impetus to straighten out so many injustices has now arrived.
Bring Them All Home!
You are correct. There is still a lot wrong with child abduction both within this country as well as outside. Watch CSpan today. Rep. Smith is introducing a new House Resolution this afternoon. It’s a good start.