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U.S. ACTIONS AGAINST BRAZIL FOR NONCOMPLIANCE WITH HAGUE ABDUCTION CONVENTION

Posted by Jeremy Morley | Aug 09, 2023 | 0 Comments

The U.S. State Department has now issued its 2023 Action Report on International Child Abduction.

Brazil has by far the worst record of all of the countries in the world of having been declared by the State Department to be noncompliant with the Hague Abduction Convention for each and every year for the past seventeen years.

The State Department has reported to Congress that within the past year it has taken the following actions in this regard against Brazil:

  • Department officials, in Washington, DC and across the U.S. Mission to Brazil, continued to raise concerns with Government of Brazil officials about Brazil's repeated demonstration of a pattern of noncompliance.
  • In August 2022, U.S. and Brazilian high-ranking officials participated in the 20th Annual U.S.-Brazil Consular and Migration Dialogue. In conversations with Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Justice and Public Security, the U.S. delegation emphasized the importance of Brazil's compliance with the Convention and stressed that Brazil should use the most expeditious procedures available to resolve cases of international parental child abduction.
  • In November 2022, the Consular Chief at the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia met with the Director of the Brazilian Central Authority. The Director had recently launched a public awareness campaign highlighting the benefits of the Convention to the Brazilian public.
  • In March 2023, Department officials presented on the role of central authorities and best practices for Convention implementation at a conference attended by Brazil's International Hague Network Judges, key officials from the Brazilian Foreign and Justice Ministries, and other judicial and private sector stakeholders. The conference also included presentations from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, as well as delegations from Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
  • Additionally, the Consular Chief at the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia met with the new Director of the Brazilian Central Authority to underscore the U.S. Mission to Brazil's support role in assisting Brazil to meet its Convention obligations.
  • Also in March 2023, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Overseas Citizens Services and the Special Advisor for Children's Issues discussed IPCA and the need for the Brazilian judiciary to expedite the processing of Convention cases with the Chief Justice of Brazil's Superior Court of Justice.
  • In April 2023, the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia's Consular Chief discussed the ongoing need for Brazilian-led efforts to expedite Convention cases with the Chief of Staff of the incoming Chief Justice of Brazil's Supreme Federal Court.
  • In May 2023, the Office of the Spokesperson released a media note to announce the release of the 2023 Annual Report on International Child Abduction and listed Brazil as a country cited for demonstrating a pattern of noncompliance.
  • Also in May 2023, the Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs at the U.S. Mission to Brazil delivered a demarche to the Secretary of Brazilian Communities and Consular and Legal Affairs within the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, notifying Brazil that the Department cited Brazil in the 2023 Annual Report on International Child Abduction for demonstrating a pattern of noncompliance during 2022. This demarche expressed concern about Brazil's persistent failure to comply with its Convention obligations. In particular, the demarche noted U.S. concerns with delays in Convention cases within Brazil's judiciary. The demarche also conveyed concerns with the ongoing vacancies in the Brazilian Central Authority, which arose in late 2022 and appeared to cause delays in case processing. The Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs also met with Brazil's Special Advisor on International Affairs for the Minister of Justice and Public Security to discuss demarche points and emphasize the importance of Convention compliance.

Jeremy D. Morley has provided expert evidence to courts in several U.S. states on such matters concerning Brazil.

About the Author

Jeremy Morley

Jeremy D. Morley was admitted to the New York Bar in 1975 and concentrates on international family law. His firm works with clients around the world from its New York office, with a global network of local counsel. Mr. Morley is the author of "International Family Law Practice,...

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