How to Help

[dhanika]

Hello Everyone,
 
I would like to ask for your help and suggestions on how to proceed.  I am currently trying very hard to get my case noticed by our government and most importantly, as a resident of Massachusetts, my representatives in the US government:  Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown.  I have so far had no luck.
 
At this point given the history of my case the Dominican Republic is clearly not honoring it's obligations under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.  I think the only recourse right now is for our government to take a more active role in this.
 
As you may have all read from the other abduction cases, the Office of Children's issues is of little help in these situations.  I have come to understand though that the reason for that is that our lawmakers have not given it and our government the tools that are needed to take a more active role.  Supporting the house resolutions that reinforce the treaty is very important.
 
The Dominican Republic is a vacation destination for United States citizens and I have been informed that high profile citizens of our nation, such as Bill and Hillary Clinton, our Secretary of State, vacation there.   Our government and our citizens can hold the Dominican Republic accountable.  
 
I think our government needs to take a stand here, not just on my behalf, but on the behalf of an International treaty that keeps getting abused.  The Dominican Republic is fast becoming one of the top countries to which children are abducted to from the United States.  We need to send them a clear message.
 
I would really appreciate any advice and help on how to make my case more visible to our government and my representatives.
 
Thank you very much.

[LukieD]

I think we need to start with an explanation from your Congressman as to why he can't (or won't) help you. People should start calling his office and asking him and his staff what they are doing for you. Rally your friends and neighbors in your district to contact Rep. Olver. We know that these Congressmen are only receptive to contact from their constituents.
 
http://olver.house.gov/
 
Enlisting the help of the Senators is a much harder task, so while you should be contacting Senators Kerry and Brown (Brown hasn't even been sworn in yet so it's really just Kerry) we really need to put some pressure on Rep Olver to step up here and get to work. I guarantee you that a simple phone call from his office to OCI will get things moving.
 
Local media coverage helps too. Dhanika, please post the names of your local newspaper and the major network affiliates in your area (CBS, NBC, ABC). As we have learned by experience, if you can't convince an elected official to get involved in a child abduction case for the right reasons, you can often succeed in shaming them into action.

[ananddad]

I would like to ask for your help and suggestions on how to proceed.  I am currently trying very hard to get my case noticed by our government and most importantly, as a resident of Massachusetts, my representatives in the US government:  Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown.  I have so far had no luck.

For the politicians, this is another Democrats-Republican thing. My senator in WA (a Democrat) was following up with me and OCI while President Bush was in the office. Once Obama came to office in January 2009, I requested a meeting with her in Seattle in the hope that she might be able to do more with her party in the White House. I am yet to hear from her office. Everyone knows John Kerry is a wuss. Your new Senator, Brown might be your best bet. Being a new guy in DC, this might help him stay in the news a little longer.

As you may have all read from the other abduction cases, the Office of Children's issues is of little help in these situations. I have come to understand though that the reason for that is that our lawmakers have not given it and our government the tools that are needed to take a more active role.

OCI and DoS are useless. Even if the Congress gives them all the tools that it needs, it still won't use them lest it should hurt the feelings of some despot in a third world country. There are a couple of old threads in here that discussed OCI/DoS. You won't find a single LBP here who has anything good to say about those inept idiots.

The Dominican Republic is a vacation destination for United States citizens and I have been informed that high profile citizens of our nation, such as Bill and Hillary Clinton, our Secretary of State, vacation there.

Hillary isn't capable of doing anything. She doesn't even start a dialogue with non-signatory countries (Japan, India, Russia, China and others) to get them to accede to the Hague treaty. Bill Clinton would only rescue women who are at least 18 years of age and are being held in a hostile country like North Korea (which they have voluntarily entered).

The Dominican Republic is fast becoming one of the top countries to which children are abducted to from the United States.

Not sure where DR stands in this list. But the last anyone rated countries where abducted American children were being held, the top 3 spots went to Mexico, India and Japan in that order.

I had sent in a request to the State Department to conduct a welfare and whereabouts check in June 2009.  It is now February 2010 and a welfare and whereabouts check has yet to be done.  Apparently at this time Sandra is refusing to allow the US embassy to perform a welfare and whereabouts check on Kali without the presence of a representative from CONANI, the Dominican Republic's central authority, being present as well.

Welcome to the club. I requested one for my son (who was abducted to India) back in August 2008 and they still haven't done one. If the abducting parent refuses to permit one, there is nothing OCI will do (they will tell you that there is nothing they 'can' do....but that is bogus).

I know my responses don't help you at all. If there is anything I or other LBPs can do to help you, it will be to convince you that you are on your own. Some of us took a long time to reach this conclusion. The sooner you realize this the better for you. I don't know enough about DR to comment on it. But you must explore each and every option....hiring a local attorney in DR, traveling to DR etc.

[dhanika]

I know my responses don't help you at all. If there is anything I or other LBPs can do to help you, it will be to convince you that you are on your own. Some of us took a long time to reach this conclusion. The sooner you realize this the better for you. I don't know enough about DR to comment on it. But you must explore each and every option....hiring a local attorney in DR, traveling to DR etc.

Hello ananddad,
 
Unfortunately I have learned the hardway as all LBPs end up doing.  Over the last 2 years that my case has been going on I have learned the hardway everything you mention.  Everytime I have thought that I had reached the top of the mountain it turned out there was a higher mountain to climb.
 
I cannot travel to the Dominican Republic because my daughter's abductor has already attempted to manufacture false allegations against me to get me thrown in jail and I have been advised by my Attorney in the DR to not travel there.  My daughter's abductor has stooped to new lows each time that even I did not expect and after all that has happened who knows what will come next.
 
At this time the only solution seems to be political pressure from our government.
 
The Dominican Republic is in the top 10 (7th) of the countries to which children are abducted to from the US.

[dhanika]

I have been in touch with Senator John Kerry's office and my local congressman Representative John Olver's office.  Both of them have taken an interest in my case.  I will be working harder now to get them involved in monitoring the proceedings in the Dominican Republic given the very troubling developments where the Dominican Republic's CA is apparently contradicting themselves.

I received a call last week from the department of state, OCI, telling me that Rep. Olver's office had been in contact with them and had requested information about my case.  They told me though that they cannot release all the information regarding my case since the abductor is a United States citizen they have to get her to sign privacy release waiver.

[M.Capestro]

That's great news, Dhan. If you've actually gotten Kerry's attention, you may be the first of us that has been acknowledged by the man. As Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, we've been knocking on his door for a while now.

As for protecting the rights of the kidnapper, this seems to be a common message lately. I don't know about everyone else, but I find it a bit disturbing.