The International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act (ICAPRA), signed into law on August 8, 2014, contains provisions that increase the Department’s annual reporting requirements. Each year, the Department will submit an Annual Report on International Child Abduction to Congress by April 30. Additionally, the Department will submit a subsequent report to Congress on the actions taken towards those countries determined to have been engaged in a pattern of noncompliance in the Annual Report on International Child Abduction.
Prior to 2015, as formerly required under 42 U.S.C § 11611, the Department published an annual report on countries that did not comply with their treaty obligations under the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Parental Child Abduction (Convention). The previous compliance report identified countries that were not compliant with the Convention, showed patterns of noncompliance with the Convention, and had Convention enforcement concerns. The report listed cases that remained open and active for 18 months or more after the Convention application was filed.
