Chasing The Cyclone by Peter Thomas Senese - Français

Amazon's Top HALL OF FAME Book Reviewers Hail Peter Thomas Senese's New Novel Exclusively Available On Kindle As Critical Must Read Thrilling Love Story

2012-02-02T09:38:00.000-08:00

Amazon's Top HALL OF FAME Book Reviewers Hail Peter Thomas Senese's New Novel Exclusively Available On Kindle As Critical Must Read Thrilling Love Story

Los Angeles (PRWEB) February 01, 2012

CHASING THE CYCLONE written by Peter Thomas Senese is being called by several of Amazon's HALL OF FAME book reviewers as a brilliantly written love story wrapped in a high-stakes thriller.

Best-selling author Peter Thomas Senese inspirational legal thriller is one that perhaps few other writers could have written with such intimacy, familiarity, and depth of understanding: it is a story of a father doing everything possible to find and reunite with his internationally abducted child that is Peter Thomas Senese's CHASING THE CYCLONE which is heavily inspired by the writer's own experience chasing into the cyclones of international child abduction.

Peter Thomas Senese commented, "CHASING THE CYCLONE is story many readers are connecting with. Unquestionably, it is a legal thriller with many twists and subplots that move the reader into a complex storyline that would have been extremely difficult to replicate if it were not for my own experiences of having a child taken to the other side of the world. Readers quickly descend into the dark, bizarre, and unthinkable world of international child abduction; however, they are also taken into a world of committed love and joy in the form of a father's unending search for his son despite the most bizarre and dangerous obstacles placed in his way. Together, readers and critics appear to be truly enjoying CHASING THE CYCLONE."

Many of Amazon's renown HALL OF FAME reviewers are praising best-selling author's Peter Thomas Senese's recently released E-book international legal thriller CHASING THE CYCLONE as an electrifying story fans of high suspense legal thrillers readers and every loving parent must read. CHASING THE CYCLONE is presently available in E-book on Amazon in E-book and will be released in hardcover at the end of February, 2012.

Peter Thomas Senese's new book release CHASING THE CYCLONE has caused more than a handful of critics and readers to develop deeply frustrating and angry emotions that they have actually thrown or wanted to throw the author's riveting international legal thriller or their e-book reader against a wall, a door, or through a window. Ordinarily, an author would not have any desire to have a reader's feelings erupt to the point of physical action, unless of course, the storyline is intended to touch the reader's nerve in such a way that they feel the need to physically act.

Inspired by the best-selling author's own experiences racing into the storms of child abduction, Amazon's critics have called "Chasing The Cyclone" 'a Call-To-Arms against this worldwide epidemic and Peter Thomas Senese as a master storyteller'.

Amazon Hall of Fame book reviewer Daniel Jolley commented, "Chasing The Cyclone" isn't just a powerful novel; it's a call to arms against a growing epidemic that is tearing lives apart behind the headlines... "Chasing The Cyclone" is much more than just a superb, can't-put-down novel, though; it is a book with a purpose... Thomas has become an outspoken advocate on this issue, and 'Chasing The Cyclone' makes for a clear and profoundly effective call to action. I would go so far as to encourage every loving parent to read this book, as the bond between this father and son is one to be emulated..."

Amazon Hall of Fame book reviewer Harriett Klausner added, . . . "This is an exciting cautionary thriller that grips readers from the onset . . . "Chasing The Cyclone" will shake the audience, this exciting cautionary thriller grips readers from the onset..."

Dr. Grady Harp, a highly respected Amazon Hall Of Fame book reviewer said, "Peter Thomas Senese now opens the windows on the magnitude of these tragedies in his excellent "Chasing The Cyclone"... As if the fast paced energy of this story weren't enough to satisfy the reader, Peter Thomas Senese demonstrates his quality as a writer of distinction on many levels... this impossible to put down book..."

Additionally, Amazon Top Book Reviewer Shelley Gammon added, "Chasing the Cyclone" is the second book I've read by Peter Thomas Senese, and like "The Den of the Assassin," it's a real page turner... This was a book I could not put down. Thomas has a gift in writing a compelling novel that not only keeps the reader engaged, but educates as well."

Added Peter Thomas Senese,"Chasing The Cyclone" is an entertaining book many readers have connected to as it is a serious legal thriller that hits a nerve with our desire to love our children best we can." Peter Thomas Senese is the author of geopolitical thrillers including THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN, CLONING CHRIST, and WAR ON WALL STREET.

Peter Thomas Senese's legal thriller is deeply inspired by his own personal experiences of having a child internationally abducted and taken to the other side of the world, as well as the hardship thousands of other targeted parents and chidlren of international abduction face each year. International parental child abduction is a federal crime in most countries, including the United States and Canada.

The author has become an outspoken advocate against international child abduction. Peter Thomas Senese is donating 100% of his author royalties to the I CARE Foundation - a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting prevent international child abduction. The I CARE Foundation's activities include launching a public campaign to build the Department of State's Hague Convention Attorney Network of pro bono lawyers willing to assist targeted children of abduction, heading legislative initiatives geared to stop international abduction, and assisting in prevention or reunification cases of abduction. In fact, over the past two weeks, the I CARE Foundation has assisted in reuniting four children who were previously abducted with their targeted parent.

Senese commented, "I am pleased to donate my author royalties to the I CARE Foundation as the organization is dedicated to making a positive difference for children and parents targeted for abduction. In writing and releasing CHASING THE CYCLONE, similar to my other projects I have created that deal with child abduction, it is my hope to educate others of the real issues at hand so that children and targeted parents may be protected."

In his ongoing effort to assist parents and children targeted for abduction, Peter Thomas Senese is donating 100% of his author royalties earned from 'The Den of the Assassin', 'Cloning Christ', 'The World Turned Upside Down', and 'Chasing The Cyclone' to the I CARE Foundation.

The High Cost of Child Abductions

2012-01-23T17:57:00.000-08:00

This article by the U.S. Daily Review about the I CARE Foundation, along with Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Ann Vlk concerning the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative and how to stop massive numbers of human trafficking and child abduction in the United States is something I recommend every parent and individual interested in stopping these terrible crimes against children to read.

The High Cost of Child Abductions

Peter Thomas Senese Releases Highly Anticipated Novel CHASING THE CYCLONE As Amazon's Hall Of Fame Book Critics Call Novel The Ultimate Love Story

2012-01-23T10:47:00.000-08:00

Peter Thomas Senese Releases Highly Anticipated Novel CHASING THE CYCLONE As Amazon's Hall Of Fame Book Critics Call Novel The Ultimate Love Story

New York & Los Angeles (PRWEB) January 22, 2012

Pacifica TWST and Peter Thomas Senese are pleased to announce the exclusive Amazon E-book release of CHASING THE CYCLONE that is being hailed by numerous Amazon's HALL OF FAME book reviewers and readers everywhere as a fast paced suspense thriller wrapped within the ultimate love story between a father and his son. Inspired by the best-selling author's harrowing experience of racing into the dark and dangerous storms of having a child internationally abducted to the other side of the world, and a father's willingness to stop everything in his life to fight incredible odds to find and reunite with him, critics and readers alike calling CHASING THE CYCLONE by Peter Thomas Senese the ultimate love story that every loving parent should read.

The electrifying novel that darts around the world that has caused more than a few e-book readers to toss their reading device due to Senese's story and ability to enrapture the reader as if they are one with the story's main protagonist, Paul Francesco, has been called by many as a unique novel with potential epic social ramifications. Senese's thriller has been called as a call-to-arms against child abduction, while proceeds from the novel have been used to help build a large pro bono attorney network of lawyers willing to assist parents who have children targeted for abduction, as Peter Thomas Senese has made significant donations to the I CARE Foundation, something he has pledged to continue to do.

CHASING THE CYCLONE is presently available exclusively in E-book on Amazon until February, when the novel will be released worldwide in hardcover. Peter Thomas Senese, who is the founding director of the I CARE Foundation, a not-for-profit organization created to help prevent international child abduction, is donating 100% of his author royalties to the foundation that remarkably reunited 4 different families with their abducted children. Mr. Senese commented, "When I was CHASING THE CYCLONE of child abduction, I made a promise to my God that one day I would come back to this fight, and make a difference for other children and their parents. In donating my royalties to the I CARE Foundation, we were able to help reunite children who were criminally abducted with their families. So in this sense, I suppose, readers of my novels have a direct and measurable way to participate in helping children."

Peter Thomas Senese commented, "CHASING THE CYCLONE is the story of the greatest type of love of all: the love and commitment a parent holds for their child. Imagine having a complete life, filled with all the niceties you can imagine, when suddenly your defenseless child is used in the most unthinkable of schemes intended to cause you great hurt, and is criminally abducted to some unknown place on the other side of the world. Now imagine that the only thing that stands between bringing your child home or having your child lost forever, is you and your willingness to face the ultimate sacrifice. Well, that is what happens when a parent finds themselves CHASING THE CYCLONE of international child abduction.

Amazon's renown HALL OF FAME reviewers are praising Senese's international legal thriller CHASING THE CYCLONE as an electrifying love story fans of high suspense thrillers should read. CHASING THE CYCLONE, presently available exclusively as an E-book on Amazon in E-book, is a heart-pounding story of father's search for his internationally abducted child inspired by the author's own experience chasing the cyclones of abduction.

Amazon Hall of Fame book reviewer Daniel Jolley commented, "Chasing The Cyclone" isn't just a powerful novel; it's a call to arms against a growing epidemic that is tearing lives apart behind the headlines... "Chasing The Cyclone" is much more than just a superb, can't-put-down novel, though; it is a book with a purpose... Peter Thomas Senese has become an outspoken advocate on this issue, and 'Chasing The Cyclone' makes for a clear and profoundly effective call to action. I would go so far as to encourage every loving parent to read this book, as the bond between this father and son is one to be emulated..."

Amazon Hall of Fame book reviewer Harriett Klausner added, "This is an exciting cautionary thriller that grips readers from the onset . . . "Chasing The Cyclone" will shake the audience, this exciting cautionary thriller grips readers from the onset..."

Peter Thomas Senese added, "When I think of CHASING THE CYCLONE, I think of the ultimate and unbowed love a father has for his child. Granted, the circumstances of the story's main character Paul Francesco finds himself in are unthinkable and may make no sense . . . unless of course, you are a parent who knows abduction, thus, this is a legal thriller of immeasurable proportions, however, for me . . . and based upon my own experiences, CHASING THE CYCLONE is the ultimate love story between a parent and their child."

Peter Thomas Senese is also donating all author royalties generated from e-book sales of 'The Den of the Assassin' and 'Cloning Christ' to the I CARE Foundation.

Chasing The Cyclone Author Peter Thomas Senese Uses Proceeds From His Novels To Reunite Abducted Children With Their Families: I CARE Foundation Reunites 3 Families

2012-01-19T12:59:00.000-08:00

Chasing The Cyclone Author Peter Thomas Senese Uses Proceeds From His Novels To Reunite Abducted Children With Their Families: I CARE Foundation Reunites 3 Families

Los Angeles and New York (PRWEB) January 19, 2012

Best-selling author Peter Thomas Senese is writing with a deep purpose: royalties generated from his critically talked about novels have and will continue to be donated to the I CARE Foundation, a not-for-profit charitable organization the writer is a director of that was created to help prevent international child abduction. Peter Thomas Senese's resources have been put to great use: over the past week alone the I CARE Foundation was able to orchestrate the return of three abducted children, including a child taken from a cancer fighting mother, a young child taken and detained in war-torn Ivory Coast for the past 8 years, and another child removed from the southwest. Three international thriller E-books by best-selling author, filmmaker, and child advocate Peter Thomas Senese have been the primary financial resource of the I CARE Foundation. Fortunately, top book critics are raving about the writer's geopolitical must read, inspirational thrillers. Peter Thomas Senese's geopolitical novels include CHASING THE CYCLONE, THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN, and CLONING CHRIST written by best-selling geopolitical thriller writer Peter Thomas Senese. All three titles are available in E-book. Chasing The Cyclone will be released in hardcover this February, while both CLONING CHRIST and THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN are presently available in hardcover.

Commented Peter Thomas Senese, "It has been very satisfying to know that the sales generated from my works are protecting children, and potentially saving lives. I am honored to work with my esteemed colleagues, including renown Department of State "Hague Convention Attorney Network" lawyers Patricia Lee and Joel Walter and the brilliant child psychologist, Dr. Alex Gimon, all whom are directors and warriors for targeted children of the foundation."

Amazon's renown HALL OF FAME reviewers are praising Peter Thomas Senese's international legal thriller CHASING THE CYCLONE as an electrifying story fans of high suspense thrillers should read. CHASING THE CYCLONE, presently available exclusively as an E-book on Amazon in E-book, is a heart-pounding story of father's search for his internationally abducted child inspired by the author's own experience chasing the cyclones of abduction.

Amazon Hall of Fame book reviewer Daniel Jolley commented, "Chasing The Cyclone" isn't just a powerful novel; it's a call to arms against a growing epidemic that is tearing lives apart behind the headlines... "Chasing The Cyclone" is much more than just a superb, can't-put-down novel, though; it is a book with a purpose... Peter Thomas Senese has become an outspoken advocate on this issue, and 'Chasing The Cyclone' makes for a clear and profoundly effective call to action. I would go so far as to encourage every loving parent to read this book, as the bond between this father and son is one to be emulated..."

In the wake of recent international events, including Iran's capture of a U.S. drone spy plane by possible cyber-hacking combined with Russia's immediate protective agreement to develop major oil fields in southern Iran, along with the death of North Korea's isolationist dictator, Kim Jong, II, author Peter Thomas Senese is pleased to announce the release of his geopolitical thriller The Den of the Assassin on e-book.

The multi-dimensional plot is set on Wall Street and is based upon historical events that jettison the reader on a thrilling global geopolitical journey into the hidden and unseen worlds that exists within nations that have different global agendas than the United States and the West, including but not limited to China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. Most concerning, as each nation has become more reliant on one another in our global society, a new level of extraordinary vulnerability to our national security has been created, one perhaps we may not be prepared for. In The Den of the Assassin, believe readers will find the uniquely accurate information on this subject that is carefully weaved through an intricate, entertaining storyline to be quite fascinating - and disturbing.

Amazon Hall of Fame book reviewer Daniel Jolley stated, "This is one seriously good thriller. Billed as "a novel of international finance and espionage," Den of the Assassin is a super-realistic exploration of frightening possibilities, unsurpassed heroism, Lucifer-like evil, and terrorism of the worst kind . . . Peter Thomas Senese does a masterful job traversing the inner hallways of diverse institutions as he slowly brings all of these diverse elements together for a slam-bang climax ... "Peter Thomas Senese displays a wealth of knowledge of geopolitics, espionage, and international finance, describing all the technical intricacies of the story's elements and implications with great attention to detail -without ever letting the pace get bogged down or become confusing to the reader. He also keeps a number of secrets close to the vest, saving them for just the right time in the story . . . Many a writer of thrillers seem to drop the ball somewhere in the middle of their novels, but Peter Thomas Senese's' knowledge of geopolitics, international finance, and 21st century terrorist threats keeps the fires of detailed complexity and story evolution stoked and red-hot for the entire ride. Tyler Boxter is no James Bond, but Den of the Assassin proves to be just as exciting as any 007 caper - and much more realistic."

Cloning Christ, Peter Thomas Senese's theological thriller that asks the question, "What would you do if you held the potential True Cross of Jesus in your hands, and it contained blood and hair strains on it? has had readers from around the world talking about the endless possibilities Senese brings out in his novel that pushes the question of where and how science and faith can co-exist in today's world.

Amazon Hall Of Fame book critic Harriett Klausner commented, "Fans will relish this thriller. The tale is loaded with action yet uses the characters as symbols of mankind similar to a medieval passion play like Everyman. The cast represents the faithful, the disbelievers, the dividers (torn between science and religion) or the selfish. "Cloning Christ" brings the debate of religion vs. science to the forefront in an exciting manner that focuses on the sacredness of life."

Peter Thomas Senese is a child abduction prevention advocate actively engaged in trying to stop international child abduction and human trafficking. He is a director of the I CARE Foundation. 100% of Peter Thomas Senese's royalties earned from the E-book releases of Chasing The Cyclone, The Den of the Assassin, and Cloning Christ will be donated to the I CARE Foundation. He added, "The I CARE Foundation is actively trying to reunite other children who have been internationally abducted with their families. I think my readers have a deep sense of satisfaction knowing that when they purchase one of my novels, they are making a measurable difference in the life of a defenseless child - and that is pretty cool."

Highly Anticipated 2012 Thrillers: CHASING THE CYCLONE By Peter Thomas Senese Draws Praise From Top Critics

2012-01-13T13:01:00.000-08:00

Highly Anticipated 2012 Thrillers: CHASING THE CYCLONE By Peter Thomas Senese Draws Praise From Top Critics

Los Angeles, CA and New York, NY (PRWEB) January 13, 2012

Readers and critics alike are praising Peter Thomas Senese's legal thriller CHASING THE CYCLONE as a heart-pounding international mystery thriller that does so much more than entertain the writer's audience: CHASING THE CYCLONE has been assailed as a call-to-arms against international child abduction, and, an extraordinarily educational book that provides highly useful information for millions of parents each year at risk of having a child abducted.

Best-selling author Peter Thomas Senese's inspirational legal thriller is perhaps one few other writers could have written with such intimacy, familiarity, and depth of understanding: a story of a father doing everything possible to find and reunite with his internationally abducted child that is Peter Thomas Senese's CHASING THE CYCLONE because it is heavily inspired by the writer's experience chasing into the cyclones of international child abduction. The novel has been released in E-book and will be available in hardcover in the beginning of February wherever books are sold.

In fact, many of Amazon's renown HALL OF FAME reviewers are praising CHASING THE CYCLONE as an electrifying story fans of high suspense must read. CHASING THE CYCLONE is presently available in E-book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble in E-book and will be released in hardcover at the end of February, 2012.

Peter Thomas Senese's new book release CHASING THE CYCLONE __title__ ]has caused more than a handful of critics and readers to develop deeply frustrating and angry emotions that they have actually thrown or wanted to throw the author's riveting international legal thriller or their e-book reader against a wall, a door, or through a window. Ordinarily, an author would not have any desire to have a reader's feelings erupt to the point of physical action, unless of course, the storyline is intended to touch the reader's nerve in such a way that they feel the need to physically act.

Additionally, Amazon Top Book Reviewer Shelley Gammon added, "Chasing the Cyclone" is the second book I've read by Peter Thomas Senese, and like "The Den of the Assassin," it's a real page turner... This was a book I could not put down. Senese has a gift in writing a compelling novel that not only keeps the reader engaged, but educates as well."

Peter Thomas Senese's legal thriller is deeply inspired by his own personal experiences of having a child internationally abducted and taken to the other side of the world, as well as the hardship thousands of other targeted parents and children of international abduction face each year. International parental child abduction is a federal crime in most countries, including the United States and Canada.

The author has become an outspoken advocate against international child abduction. Peter Thomas Senese is donating 100% of his author royalties to the I CARE Foundation - a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting prevent international child abduction. Peter Thomas Senese commented, "I am pleased to donate my author royalties to the I CARE Foundation as the organization is dedicated to making a positive difference for children and parents targeted for abduction. In writing and releasing CHASING THE CYCLONE, similar to my other projects I have created that deal with child abduction, it is my hope to educate others of the real issues at hand so that children and targeted parents may be protected."

New York City Mom Fighting Cancer Reunites With Abducted Child

2012-01-12T09:35:00.000-08:00

New York City Mom Fighting Cancer Reunites With Abducted Child

A New York City mother recently diagnosed with cancer is reunited with her child the day she is expected to undergo chemotherapy. The I CARE Foundation and its attorney network act to assist mother reunite with child.

New York & Seattle (PRWEB) January 12, 2012

Carmen Ubinas, a New York City single mother of two young children who is actively fighting a serious form of cancer and who was expected to begin chemotherapy today in order to save her own life has great reason to rejoice: her eight year old son who was abducted and detained in Washington State last week was returned back to New York this morning due to the swift actions of the International Child Abduction Research & Enlightenment Foundation (the I CARE Foundation) attorney Alana Collins-Bullis, and a court order issued yesterday by the Washington State Superior Court in Thurston County (Court Cause Number: 09-3-00292-5).

Ms. Ubinas, who was diagnosed with advanced stage cancer during the Christmas holiday season had initially consented to allow her son to visit with the child's father in Colorado. However, what she did not know at that time was that a plan was hatched to keep the youngest of the two children from her previous marriage. While Ms. Ubimas was undergoing diagnosis and treatment for cancer, her former husband, presently an active member of the U.S. military, filed ex parte court documents seeking to retain the child in Washington State.

With nowhere to turn, Ms. Ubinas turned to renown New York City attorney and I CARE Foundation director Joel Walter for assistance on the evening of January 3rd. Mr. Walter commented, "I was appalled at what I was told. Here is a young women fighting a deadly cancer fight, and all of a sudden she is tossed into the brutal storms of wrongful interstate child detention. This was unthinkable. So, with the immediate assistance of the I CARE Foundation's founder, Peter Thomas Senese, a swift plan of action was created. Part of our action to which Peter Thomas Senese implemented was to seek the assistance of my fellow United States Department of State "Hague Convention Attorney Network" member, Alana Collins Bullis, who practices in Washington and Oregon. Soon thereafter, Alana Collins Bullis filed the necessary appearance documents in Thurston County, Washington on behalf of Ms. Ubinas. Clearly, Ms. Collins-Bullis willingness to act coupled with her extraordinary legal capability says it all: today, Carmen's son is back home in New York, with his mother and sister. And with this horrible ordeal of abduction over, Carmen may now focus on something else really important: conquering her cancer fight, which we are all confident she will."

Carmen Ubinas commented, "The action of Alana Collins-Bullis, Joel Walter, and Peter Thomas Senese is the most wonderful thing that a group of individuals have ever done for me in my life. For Ms. Collins-Bullis, Mr. Walter, and Mr. Senese to come to my, my son's, and my family's immediate assistance is incredible and bespeaks of the caring individuals they are. It is more than appropriate that the foundation is called I CARE because they really do care. I remember Peter Thomas Senese saying to me one week ago from today, 'Carmen, we will get your son home in one week. So during this week, you need to look at this as he being on a vacation, while you have to become a warrior and fight your health fight. And while you do, we will be right by your side and your son will be home by next Thursday.' Well, today is Thursday, and my son is now in New York, and I can now begin my chemo therapy, which I had to delay because of what just happened. And I know I have the support of some amazing new friends. And I can't say thank you enough to Alana Collins-Bullis. What she did in Washington State to make sure my son came home was incredible. She is an angel and I am forever thankful to her and Joel and Peter."

I CARE Foundation director Peter Thomas Senese, and the author of numerous books and studies on abduction, including the recently released novel inspired by his own experience dealing with international abduction titled 'Chasing The Cyclone' added, "I am very happy for Ms. Ubinas, her son, and their family. I am also satisfied to know that the foundation along with Ms. Collins-Bullis and Mr. Walter were able to help this loving mom. It is my hope that this ordeal is over, peace will prevail, and Carmen returns to great health because there is a young boy and girl who need their mother. And clearly, it is cases like Carmen's where lawyers have the ability to make a major difference in the lives of targeted children and parents. In cases of parental child abduction, typically the targeted parent doesn't see it coming. I am really glad to know we were able to help her and her family."

Alana Collins-Bullis added, "I am deeply satisfied to know that this young child will be returned home to his loving mother who has raised him and who is the child's primary care-giver. It is my hope that this will never happen again, and equally, that the stress Carmen had to incur due to this experience will not have any impact on her medical issues she is now facing. I am also pleased to be a part of the I CARE Foundation's network of attorneys who are willing to help in cases such as this. The wrongful removal or retention of a child is a harmful act."

Surging Growth Area For Attorneys: Practicing International Child Abduction Law

2012-01-11T12:13:00.000-08:00

Surging Growth Area For Attorneys: Practicing International Child Abduction Law

The Department of State's Office of Children's Issues is seeking lawyers interested in participating and assisting parents involved in international family law and child abduction cases to join the "Hague Convention Attorney Network". The Department of State's attorney network offers attorneys the opportunity to assist a child who has been abducted abroad, and offers a mentor program where lawyers with limited experience in the growing field of international family law can be mentored by some of the most skilled international family law attorneys in the nation. According to the I CARE Foundation, the surging growth in the number of international child abductions and prevention cases in the United States, which may reach over 100,000 reported and unreported cases over the next decade has created a substantial need for more trained attorneys in the United States who are familiar with international family law.

(PRWEB) January 11, 2012

The I CARE Foundation is urging lawyers interested in assisting the parents of children who have been internationally parentally abducted or who may be targets of international parental abduction to participate in the Department of State's "Hague Convention Attorney Network". The State Department's attorney network offers lawyers interested in joining the network with significant personal and professional opportunities, including the opportunity to increase their own skill-set and professional practice by being mentored by some of the nation's most experienced lawyers who practice international family law.

Joel S. Walter, an lawyer practicing in New York, a member of the I CARE Foundation, and a member of the Attorney Network said, "Having been involved in complex federal litigation cases for 40 years, I have to say that participating in the Department of State's "Hague Convention Attorney Network" has been extremely rewarding on a personal level because I am able to assist children who really need help. But there is another side to this for attorneys who practice or are interested in family law, and that is that the knowledge and experience you may gain by participating in the Department of State's attorney network is priceless. And for all lawyers, but particularly young lawyers starting out in their career, becoming an expert in an area is critical. As international abductions continue to rise to unthinkable numbers, there is a great need for skilled lawyers. How can an attorney gain this much needed experience? By participating in the "Hague Convention Attorney Network."

Unquestionably, international family law and the need for skilled and educated attorneys familiar with this area is growing substantially. In fact, there are over 1,640 'reported' cases of International Parental Child Abduction originating from the United States according to the last published report issued from the Department of State to Congress. This number has nearly tripled since 2006 according to a recent report issued by the Government Accountability Office's ("GAO") recommendation to create a airline screening list for American citizens considered by the courts to be high-risk child abductors. According to the recently published resource guide "The World Turned Upside Down" written by Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Vlk, the growth rate of international abduction is conservatively estimated to be at 20% per year. According to the publication, from 2009 to 2020, if growth rates continue there will be over 50,000 American children criminally abducted abroad. The same publication, as cited in the special report titled 'Crisis In America' cites that it is estimated that there could be between 50,000 and 75,000 unreported cased of international child abduction originating from the United States during the same period. Furthermore, the number of incoming cases originating from a foreign country to the United States has also increased at rates similar to outbound cases.

The anticipated case load does not include or forecast litigation involving international child abduction prevention litigation. I CARE Foundation director Peter Thomas Senese commented, "The number of international child abduction prevention cases that the foundation is involved with are significant and represent more cases than actual abduction cases - which on its own account are substantial and growing. Unquestionably, this is a growing field of law and there appears to be a shortage of qualified attorneys practicing in this arena I think primarily because society as a whole does not realize their is a severe epidemic before us."

The Office of Children's Issues in the U.S. Department of State serves as the U.S. Central Authority for the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (the "Convention"). The International Child Abduction Remedies Act ("ICARA"), establishes procedures for litigating Convention cases in the U.S. The U.S. Central Authority has numerous functions including facilitating the institution of judicial proceedings in the U.S. "with a view to obtaining the return of the child and, in a proper case, to make arrangements for organizing or securing the effective exercise of rights of access." In April of 2008, the U.S.Central Authority assumed the responsibility for all incoming cases, and overseeing a network of volunteer attorneys.

The "Attorney Network" provides critical assistance. Lawyers that join the "Attorney Network" are asked to consider taking Hague Convention return and access cases on a pro bono or reduced fee basis. There is never an obligation to take a case, and legal fees and expenses may be recoverable under the Convention's Article 26 and the implementing statute (42.U.S.C 11607), and under state law when state law remedies are pursued (e.g., UCCJEA). In addition, lawyers with and without Hague experience are welcome to join the Attorney Network, as the Attorney Network offers a host of information and mentor programs. In addition to incoming cases of abduction, attorneys can also represent parents in abduction prevention cases and outgoing abduction cases.

Patricia M. Lee, a Florida attorney practicing in the area of parental child abduction and a member of the I CARE Foundation states, “I feel privileged to have been a referral attorney for the implementing agency for many years of my private practice. The trauma experienced by victimized children and parents when faced with a child abduction, especially in the international arena, is overwhelming, primarily due to the lack of experienced attorneys, but also, due to the great financial burden, and cultural and language barriers. When they have nowhere else to turn and are so desperate, being able to help these people has been a rewarding experience personally, as well as professionally. It is worth every hour I have spent climbing the learning curve in this little known area of the law. OCI has always been responsive and helpful in the practicalities of dealing with clients living abroad, and the network of mentor attorneys available across the U.S., nothing short of a wealth of information and assistance. My experience in taking these cases has been humbling, to say the least, as I have seen the very best of my profession, which is too often the object of jokes and derision. I would encourage any attorney to join the Attorney Network.”

If you are a lawyer interested in finding out more about the Hague Convention Attorney Network, visit http://www.travel.state.gov/childabduction and click “For Attorneys & Judges,” or write to HagueConventionAttorneyNetwork(at)state(dot)gov. To learn more about international parental child abduction please visit http://www.travel.state.gov/abduction. To receive an application to join the Attorney Network, please visit http://travel.state.gov/pdf/AttorneyNetworkFlyer.pdf.

U.S. International Child Abduction Rate More Serious Than Anticipated

2012-01-10T13:38:00.000-08:00

U.S. International Child Abduction Rate More Serious Than Anticipated

According to a recent study by the I CARE Foundation, international child abduction rates are significantly higher than what is commonly projected due to a failure to include the extensive number of unreported cases of abduction connected to undocumented residents failing to report cases of international parental child abduction.

(PRWEB) January 10, 2012

According to Peter Thomas Senese and the I CARE Foundation's recently published resource guide on international child abduction titled 'The World Turned Upside Down,' the total number of 'unreported' cases of international child abduction in the United States is surging at levels forecasted to be equal to or greater than the total number of 'reported' cases due to a lack of knowledge by undocumented residents living in the United States and due to limited understanding by family lawyer practitioners that legal remedies exist under the Hague Convention that can enable for the return of a child. As international child abduction grows to epidemic proportions, the I CARE Foundation seeks lawyers to join the Department of State's "Hague Convention Attorney Network".

Many undocumented residents living in the United States who have had their child abducted abroad do not realize they have legal rights under the Hague Convention or are hesitant to turn to OC I for assistance, though OCI is willing and able to assist them under rules of The Hague Convention.

Due to limited understanding by undocumented residents living in the United States, along with attorneys practicing family law who are unfamiliar with the provisions of The Hague Convention and a child's habitual residency, the majority of targeted undocumented parents of abduction are never reunited with their abducted child due to their failure to file a Hague Convention case with the Department of State. Prevalent amongst unreported abduction are cases of abduction occurring on American soil by undocumented residents who originate from Mexico, South and Central America.

St. Petersburg, Florida Attorney Patricia Lee, a Director of the I CARE Foundation and a member of the Department of State's "Hague Convention Attorney Network" commented, "It is the clear policy of the United States’ implementing agency for the Hague Convention to assist parents victimized by child abduction, regardless of their residency status. It is shocking and heartbreaking to know that any parent would feel they could not avail themselves of what may be the only help available to them to reunite with their children across international borders, out of fear of personal retaliation. In this time of such criticism of our government, I am very proud to know that our State Department’s Office of Children’s Issues takes such a position. They maintain lists of referral attorneys, many of whom are willing to assist victimized parents on a reduced fee or pro bono basis. The office also maintains lists of knowledgeable mentor attorneys, and experienced staff in all areas of child abduction and abduction prevention. They are a wealth of information and assistance to victimized parents, including in obtaining assistance in other countries. Anything we can do to get the word out to legal professionals and every victimized parent, regardless of national origin or residency status, is crucial to staunch the flow of these cases worldwide. Critically, undocumented residents in the United States need to know that if their child is abducted abroad, both they and their child have legal remedy available to them - and it starts with the State Department's Office of Children's Issues”

Gloria Nyberg, born in Bogota, Columbia, a member of I CARE's Advisory Board, and a child advocate with a long and esteemed history of reuniting children who have been particularly abducted to South and Central America, said, "Over 20 years ago, when I first became aware of the incredible amount of children taken by parents and strangers out of the United States, many of them to never been seeing again by the families, I decided to help and bring some remedy to the problem. I have worked successfully with the Mexican and other Latin American countries' governments in particular, assuring the undocumented community living in the United States that the government will cooperate with them and try to protect and return their children regardless of their legal residency status. Personally, I never had or even heard of a deportation due to reporting a child missing. In my many years of experience in these area, and having helped to bring over 60 children back to their custodial parent, I have always found the United States governmental agencies have cooperated extremely cooperative regardless of immigration status. Undocumented residents need to know that they can turn to the OCI for assistance because the individuals are there to truly help them and their abducted children."

A highly informative report compiled by the renowned Washington based Pew Hispanic Center reports that most immigrant groups are comprised of young families. The likelihood that a child will be born while the parents are present in the U.S. is high. Prior to 2007, data collected on parents of children under 18 only identified one parent, and a second parent could only be identified if they were married to the first parent. Currently, a second parent identifier is considered whether or not the parents are married to each other.

In 2008, 22% of all children in the United States had at least one foreign-born parent. According to the Center for Immigration Studies in its March 2007 analysis, immigrants and their U.S. born children under age 18, as a share of population is as follows:

California - 37.9%,
Los Angles County - 50%,
New York State - 27.9%,
New York City - 46.7%
Florida - 27.9%.

Although 31.3% of all immigrants originate from Mexico, other countries have significant entry numbers as well. Included in the March 2007 Current Population Survey (CPS) were statistics indicating that 17.6% of all immigrants were from East/Southeast Asia, 12.5% from Europe, 5.5% from South Asia, 3.5% from the Middle East, and Canada at 1.9%.

In 2007 CPS, it was estimated that of the approximately 37.9 million immigrants present in the U.S., nearly 1 in 3 immigrants were present illegally.

In regards to children born to illegal immigrants, in the five-year period from 2003 to 2008, that number rose from 2.7 million to 4 million. The report published by the Pew Hispanic Centers reported that nationally the children of illegal immigrants now comprise 1 in 15 elementary and secondary students in the U.S. In Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and Texas more than 1 in every 10 students in those states are the children of illegal immigrants.

One of the most recent Department of State reports to Congress reports that over 1,640 American children abducted abroad. In addition, a recent Government Accountability Office report cites that the number of reported international child abduction cases nearly tripled from 2006 to 2009. According to the published findings cited in Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Ann Vlk's 'The World Turned Upside Down', if current growth projections occur, over 50,000 American children will be 'reported' abducted internationally from now until 2020. This number is expected to be mirrored by the number of 'unreported' cases.

New York attorney Joel S. Walter, a Director of the I CARE Foundation, stated, "It is unfortunate that children who have habitual residency in the United States and are the offspring of undocumented residents are internationally abducted without the targeted parent knowing that they and their children have rights under the Hague Convention and that the Office of Childrens Issues is there to assist them. Part of the I CARE Foundation's mission is to help educate this community and potentially attorneys who may be of assistance to them."

For more information, the I CARE Foundation urges all parents, including documented and undocumented residents, who have had a child of habitual residency living in the United States, to contact the Department of State's Office of Children's Issues Outreach Division for further information. Lawyers representing undocumented parents or who are interested in finding out more information, including those considering joining the "Hague Convention Attorney Network" are also urged to contact OCI.

I CARE Foundation and The U.S. Department Of State Seek Lawyers To Join The "Hague Convention Attorney Network"

2012-01-09T09:56:00.000-08:00

I CARE Foundation and The U.S. Department Of State Seek Lawyers To Join The "Hague Convention Attorney Network"

The Department of State's Office of Children's Issues is seeking lawyers interested in participating and assisting parents involved in international family law and child abduction cases to join the "Hague Convention Attorney Network". The Department of State's attorney network offers attorneys the opportunity to assist a child who has been abducted, but also offers a mentor program where lawyers with limited experience in the growing field of international family law can be mentored by some of the most skilled international family law attorneys in the nation. According to the I CARE Foundation, the surging growtih in the number of international child abductions and prevention cases in the United States and abroad has created a substantial need for more trained attorneys in the United States who are familiar with international family law.

Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles (PRWEB) January 09, 2012

The I CARE Foundation is urging lawyers interested in assisting the parents of children who have been internationally parentally abducted or who may be targets of international parental abduction to participate in the Department of State's "Hague Convention Attorney Network". The State Department's attorney network offers lawyers interested in joining the network with significant personal and professional opportunities, including the opportunity to increase their own skill-set and professional practice by being mentored by some of the nation's most experienced lawyers who practice international family law.

Joel S. Walter, a lawyer practicing in New York, a member of the I CARE Foundation, and a member of the Attorney Network said, "Having been involved in complex federal litigation cases for 40 years, I have to say that participating in the Department of State's "Hague Convention Attorney Network" has been extremely rewarding on a personal level because I am able to assist children who really need help. But there is another side to this for attorneys who practice or are interested in family law, and that is that the knowledge and experience gained by participating in the Department of State's attorney network is priceless. As international abductions continue to rise to unthinkable numbers, there is a great need for skilled lawyers in this area."

International family law and the need for skilled attorneys familiar with this area is growing substantially. In fact, there are over 1,640 'reported' cases of International Parental Child Abduction originating from the United States according to the last published report issued from the Department of State to Congress. This number has nearly tripled since 2006 according to a recent report issued by the Government Accountability Office's ("GAO") recommendation to create a airline screening list for American citizens considered by the courts to be high-risk child abductors. According to the recently published resoucre guilde "The World Turned Upside Down" written by Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Vlk, the growth rate of international abduction is conservatively estimated to be at 20% per year. According to the publication, from 2009 to 2020, if growth rates continue there will be over 50,000 American children criminally abducted abroad. The same publication, as cited in the special report titled 'Crisis In America' cites that it is estimated that there could be between 50,000 and 75,000 unreported cased of international child abduction originating from the United States during the same period.

The anticipated case load does not include or forecast litigation involving international child abduction prevention litigation. I CARE Foundation director Peter Thomas Senese commented, "The number of international child abduction prevention cases that the foundation is involved with are significant and represent more cases than actual abduction cases - which on its own account are substantial. Unquestionably, this is a growing field of law and there appears to be a shortage of qualified attorneys practicing in this area."

Alana Collins Bullis, an highly skilled attorney licensed in Washington and Oregon added, "As a member of the Hague Convention Attorney Network, I have an opportunity to help protect children from crimes directed toward them, as any act of abduction is a crime against a child. Participating in the network and making a difference in the lives of innocent families targeted for abduction is a rewarding professional experience."

The Office of Children's Issues in the U.S. Department of State serves as the U.S. Central Authority for the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (the "Convention"). The International Child Abduction Remedies Act ("ICARA"), establishes procedures for litigating Convention cases in the U.S. The U.S. Central Authority has numerous functions including facilitating the institution of judicial proceedings in the U.S. "with a view to obtaining the return of the child and, in a proper case, to make arrangements for organizing or securing the effective exercise of rights of access." In April of 2008, the U.S.Central Authority assumed the responsibility for all incoming cases, and overseeing a network of volunteer attorneys.

The "Attorney Network" provides critical assistance. Lawyers that join the "Attorney Network" are asked to consider taking Hague Convention return and access cases on a pro bono or reduced fee basis. There is never an obligation to take a case, and legal fees and expenses may be recoverable under the Convention's Article 26 and the implementing statute (42.U.S.C 11607), and under state law when state law remedies are pursued (e.g., UCCJEA). In addition, lawyers with and without Hague experience are welcome to join the Attorney Network, as the Attorney Network offers a host of information and mentor programs. In addition to incoming cases of abduction, attorneys can also represent parents in abduction prevention cases and outgoing abduction cases.

Patricia M. Lee, a Florida attorney practicing in the area of parental child abduction and a member of the I CARE Foundation states, “I feel privileged to have been a referral attorney for the implementing agency for many years of my private practice. The trauma experienced by victimized children and parents when faced with a child abduction, especially in the international arena, is overwhelming, primarily due to the lack of experienced attorneys, but also, due to the great financial burden, and cultural and language barriers. When they have nowhere else to turn and are so desperate, being able to help these people has been a rewarding experience personally, as well as professionally. It is worth every hour I have spent climbing the learning curve in this little known area of the law. OCI has always been responsive and helpful in the practicalities of dealing with clients living abroad, and the network of mentor attorneys available across the U.S., nothing short of a wealth of information and assistance..”

If you are a lawyer interested in finding out more about the Hague Convention Attorney Network, visit http://www.travel.state.gov/childabduction and click “For Attorneys & Judges,” or write to HagueConventionAttorneyNetwork(at)state(dot)gov. To receive an application to join the Attorney Network, please visit http://travel.state.gov/pdf/AttorneyNetworkFlyer.pdf.

Book Critics are Praising Best-Selling Author Peter Thomas Senese's 'Chasing The Cyclone' - Renowned Author Fights Against International Child Abduction

2012-01-09T09:18:00.000-08:00

Book Critics are Praising Best-Selling Author Peter Thomas Senese's 'Chasing The Cyclone' - Renowned Author Fights Against International Child Abduction

Chasing The Cyclone, Peter Thomas Senese's deeply inspired novel that critics are praising which is now available in E-book and soon to be released in hardcover, depicts the story of a father who had to Chase the Cyclone of international abduction. The author has become an outspoken child abduction prevention advocate, and has assisted numerous children and parents prevent against abduction or reunite with their children. 100% of Peter Thomas Senese's royalties earned off sales from Chasing The Cyclone are being donated to the I CARE Foundation, a non-profit organization established to help prevent international child abduction.

(PRWEB) January 08, 2012

Imagine having your child internationally abducted abroad, disappearing in a sea of billions of faces. Now Imagine that the only help you're going to get trying to locate your child rests solely on your own shoulders. Best-selling author Peter Thomas Senese, who unexpectedly became a parent Chasing The Cyclone of international child abduction is pleased to announce the release of his deeply inspired Chasing The Cyclone, a novel about a father's global journey into the unthinkable world of child abduction critics and readers everywhere are praising as a thrilling, can't-put-down book with a purpose. Chasing The Cyclone is now available in E-book, and will be released in hardcover later this month wherever books are sold.

The Examiner, in its review of Peter Thomas Senese's "Chasing The Cyclone" stated that the novel, "Very well change the way you look at life, child custody, and interactions with your child's other parent. I cannot endorse this book strongly enough." Amazon top book reviewer Daniel Jolley supported the Examiner's statement when the renown book critic said, "I would go so far as to encourage every loving parent to read this book." Similar sentiments have been shared by some of Amazon's top book reviewers, Peter Thomas Senese's novel "Chasing The Cyclone" is a masterful, high-octane international legal thriller that enraptures readers into the dark and unthinkable world of global parental child abduction.

Inspired by the best-selling author's own experiences racing into the storms of child abduction, Amazon's critics have called "Chasing The Cyclone" 'a Call-To-Arms against this worldwide epidemic and Peter Thomas Senese as a master storyteller.' "Chasing The Cyclone" is now available via E-book from online merchants, and will be available in hardcover wherever books are sold in the beginning of 2012.

Peter Thomas Senese commented, "Chasing The Cyclone is many things. The storyline of what occurs for children and targeted parents of international abduction is in itself, a very tense, thrilling, and insane plot that unfortunately many real-life parents of abduction can relate to. However, throughout the unthinkable, there are in fact many important issues covered that impacts tens of millions of people each year. I am humbled and satisfied that reviewers of 'Chasing The Cyclone' have enjoyed and embraced this story. It means a great deal to me."

Top critics and reviewers have praised Peter Thomas Senese' "Chasing The Cyclone."

..."Chasing The Cyclone" isn't just a powerful novel; it's a call to arms against a growing epidemic that is tearing lives apart behind the headlines... "Chasing The Cyclone" is much more than just a superb, can't-put-down novel, though; it is a book with a purpose... Thomas has become an outspoken advocate on this issue, and 'Chasing The Cyclone' makes for a clear and profoundly effective call to action. I would go so far as to encourage every loving parent to read this book, as the bond between this father and son is one to be emulated... (Amazon top book reviewer Daniel Jolley)

..."Chasing The Cyclone" will shake the audience, this exciting cautionary thriller grips readers from the onset... (Amazon top book reviewer Harriet Klausner)

...Peter Thomas Senese now opens the windows on the magnitude of these tragedies in his excellent "Chasing The Cyclone"... As if the fast paced energy of this story weren't enough to satisfy the reader, Peter Thomas demonstrates his quality as a writer of distinction on many levels... this impossible to put down book... (Amazon top book reviewer Dr. Grady Harp)

...Chasing the Cyclone" is the second book I've read by Peter Thomas Senese, and like "The Den of the Assassin," it's a real page turner... This was a book I could not put down. Thomas has a gift in writing a compelling novel that not only keeps the reader engaged, but educates as well. (Amazon top book reviewer Shelley Gammon)

. . . I highly recommend Chasing the Cyclone as a must-read. You will not be able to put it down. It may very well change the way you look at life, child custody, and interactions with your child's other parent. I cannot endorse this book strongly enough. . . (The Examiner)

Added Peter Thomas Senese, "Chasing The Cyclone" is an entertaining book many readers have connected to as it is a serious legal thriller that hits a nerve with our desire to love our children best we can. Knowing first-hand what it is like to have this type of horror enter your life, I have tried to make a difference for other parents. Part of that is donating 100% of my royalties to the I CARE Foundation."

Patricia Lee, a highly respected international family law attorney practicing international child abduction for nearly 20 years and a Director of the I CARE Foundation (International Parental Child Abduction Research and Enlightenment Foundation) stated, "I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Senese first, not as an acclaimed fiction writer, but as a dedicated child advocate helping victimized parents work through the morass of financial, legal and practical issues in their attempts to reunify with their children.I am humbled by his fierce dedication and support to the I CARE foundation, which portends to be a milestone in the State Department’s efforts to recruit and train lawyers in this area of the law in order to better serve targeted children and parents, while also educating an uneducated judiciary. Thank you, Peter for all of your impactful dedication."

To learn more about Peter Thomas Senese, please visit the author's official website.

Best-Selling Author Peter Thomas Senese Releases Legal Thriller Inspired By HIs Experience CHASING THE CYCLONE Of International Child Abduction That Critics Are Praising

2012-01-05T12:10:00.000-08:00

Best-Selling Author Peter Thomas Senese Releases Legal Thriller Inspired By HIs Experience CHASING THE CYCLONE Of International Child Abduction That Critics Are Praising

Best-selling author Peter Thomas Senese was unexpectedly forced to race into the nightmare known as international child abduction several years ago. Drawing from a tragic experience that took him to the other side of the world, the geopolitical writer who was thrust into a real-life international legal high-stakes thriller, has written a rare novel that few writers possibly could in the gripping story of a father's unbowed love for his abducted son, and his desire to find and reunite with him.

New York & Los Angeles (PRWEB) January 05, 2012

Best-selling author Peter Thomas Senese has written an inspirational legal thriller that perhaps few other writers could have written with such intimacy, familiarity, and depth of understanding: a story of a father doing everything possible to find and reunite with his internationally abducted child that is Peter Thomas Senese'sCHASING THE CYCLONE which is heavily inspired by the writer's experience chasing into the cyclones of international child abduction.

Peter Thomas Senese commented, "CHASING THE CYCLONE is story many readers are connecting with. Unquestionably, it is a legal thriller with many twists and subplots that move the reader into a complex storyline that would have been extremely difficult to replicate if it were not for my own experiences of having a child taken to the other side of the world. Readers quickly descend into the dark, bizarre, and unthinkable world of international child abduction; however, they are also taken into a world of committed love and joy in the form of a father's unending search for his son despite the most bizarre and dangerous obstacles placed in his way. Together, readers and critics appear to be truly enjoying CHASING THE CYCLONE."

Many of Amazon's renown HALL OF FAME reviewers are praising best-selling author's Peter Thomas Senese's recently released E-book international legal thriller CHASING THE CYCLONE as an electrifying story fans of high suspense legal thrillers readers and every loving parent must read. CHASING THE CYCLONE is presently available in E-book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble in E-book and will be released in hardcover at the end of January, 2012.

Peter Thomas Senese's new book release CHASING THE CYCLONE has caused more than a handful of critics and readers to develop deeply frustrating and angry emotions that they have actually thrown or wanted to throw the author's riveting international legal thriller or their e-book reader against a wall, a door, or through a window. Ordinarily, an author would not have any desire to have a reader's feelings erupt to the point of physical action, unless of course, the storyline is intended to touch the reader's nerve in such a way that they feel the need to physically act.

Inspired by the best-selling author's own experiences racing into the storms of child abduction, Amazon's critics have called "Chasing The Cyclone" 'a Call-To-Arms against this worldwide epidemic and Peter Thomas Senese as a master storyteller'.

Amazon Hall of Fame book reviewer Daniel Jolley commented, "Chasing The Cyclone" isn't just a powerful novel; it's a call to arms against a growing epidemic that is tearing lives apart behind the headlines... "Chasing The Cyclone" is much more than just a superb, can't-put-down novel, though; it is a book with a purpose... Thomas has become an outspoken advocate on this issue, and 'Chasing The Cyclone' makes for a clear and profoundly effective call to action. I would go so far as to encourage every loving parent to read this book, as the bond between this father and son is one to be emulated..."

Amazon Hall of Fame book reviewer Harriett Klausner added, . . . "This is an exciting cautionary thriller that grips readers from the onset . . . "Chasing The Cyclone" will shake the audience, this exciting cautionary thriller grips readers from the onset..."

Dr. Grady Harp, a highly respected Amazon Hall Of Fame book reviewer said, "Peter Thomas Senese now opens the windows on the magnitude of these tragedies in his excellent "Chasing The Cyclone"... As if the fast paced energy of this story weren't enough to satisfy the reader, Peter Thomas Senese demonstrates his quality as a writer of distinction on many levels... this impossible to put down book..."

Additionally, Amazon Top Book Reviewer Shelley Gammon added, "Chasing the Cyclone" is the second book I've read by Peter Thomas Senese, and like "The Den of the Assassin," it's a real page turner... This was a book I could not put down. Thomas has a gift in writing a compelling novel that not only keeps the reader engaged, but educates as well."

Added Peter Thomas Senese,"Chasing The Cyclone" is an entertaining book many readers have connected to as it is a serious legal thriller that hits a nerve with our desire to love our children best we can." Peter Thomas Senese is the author of geopolitical thrillers including THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN, CLONING CHRIST, and WAR ON WALL STREET.

Peter Thomas Senese's legal thriller is deeply inspired by his own personal experiences of having a child internationally abducted and taken to the other side of the world, as well as the hardship thousands of other targeted parents and chidlren of international abduction face each year. International parental child abduction is a federal crime in most countries, including the United States and Canada.

The author has become an outspoken advocate against international child abduction. Peter Thomas Senese is donating 100% of his author royalties to the I CARE Foundation - a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting prevent international child abduction. Peter Thomas Senese commented, "I am pleased to donate my author royalties to the I CARE Foundation as the organization is dedicated to making a positive difference for children and parents targeted for abduction. In writing and releasing CHASING THE CYCLONE, similar to my other projects I have created that deal with child abduction, it is my hope to educate others of the real issues at hand so that children and targeted parents may be protected."

As A Wave Of New E-book Readers Search For New Book Purchases, Critics Recommend Peter Thomas Senese's Newly Released Inspirational E-book Thrillers

2011-12-27T14:16:00.000-08:00

As A Wave Of New E-book Readers Search For New Book Purchases, Critics Recommend Peter Thomas Senese's Newly Released Inspirational E-book Thrillers

As a wave of new owners of Kindles, Nooks, iPads, and other e-book readers hit the Internet in search of highly recommended, entertaining e-books to download, author Peter Thomas Senese has released three international thrillers top critics claim inspire and entertained readers. The international legal thriller CHASING THE CYCLONE, the theological thriller CLONING CHRIST, and the geopolitical thriller THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN are now available in E-book.

(PRWEB) December 27, 2011

Top book critics are recommending three page-turning, inspirational thrillers that are now available in E-book format including CHASING THE CYCLONE, THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN, and CLONING CHRIST written by best-selling geopolitical thriller writer Peter Thomas Senese.

Amazon's renown HALL OF FAME reviewers are praising best-selling author's Peter Thomas Senese's recently released E-book international legal thriller CHASING THE CYCLONE as an electrifying story fans of high suspense thrillers should read. CHASING THE CYCLONE, presently available exclusively as an E-book on Amazon in E-book, is the story of a father's search for his internationally abducted child inspired by the author's own experience chasing the cyclones of abduction.

Amazon Hall of Fame book reviewer Daniel Jolley commented, "Chasing The Cyclone" isn't just a powerful novel; it's a call to arms against a growing epidemic that is tearing lives apart behind the headlines... "Chasing The Cyclone" is much more than just a superb, can't-put-down novel, though; it is a book with a purpose... Peter Thomas Senese has become an outspoken advocate on this issue, and 'Chasing The Cyclone' makes for a clear and profoundly effective call to action. I would go so far as to encourage every loving parent to read this book, as the bond between this father and son is one to be emulated..."

Amazon Hall of Fame book reviewer Harriett Klausner added, . . . "This is an exciting cautionary thriller that grips readers from the onset . . . "Chasing The Cyclone" will shake the audience, this exciting cautionary thriller grips readers from the onset..."

Dr. Grady Harp, a highly respected Amazon Hall Of Fame book reviewer said, "Peter Thomas Senese now opens the windows on the magnitude of these tragedies in his excellent "Chasing The Cyclone"... As if the fast paced energy of this story weren't enough to satisfy the reader, Peter Thomas Senese demonstrates his quality as a writer of distinction on many levels... this impossible to put down book..."

In the wake of recent international events, including Iran's capture of a U.S. drone spy plane by possible cyber-hacking combined with Russia's immediate protective agreement to develop major oil fields in southern Iran, along with the death of North Korea's isolationist dictator, Kim Jong, II, author Peter Thomas Senese is pleased to announce the release of his geopolitical thriller The Den of the Assassin on e-book.

The multi-dimensional plot is set on Wall Street and is based upon historical events that jettison the reader on a thrilling global geopolitical journey into the hidden and unseen worlds that exists within nations that have different global agendas than the United States and the West, including but not limited to China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. Most concerning, as each nation has become more reliant on one another in our global society, a new level of extraordinary vulnerability to our national security has been created, one perhaps we may not be prepared for. In The Den of the Assassin, believe readers will find the uniquely accurate information on this subject that is carefully weaved through an intricate, entertaining storyline to be quite fascinating - and disturbing.

Amazon Hall of Fame book reviewer Daniel Jolley stated, "This is one seriously good thriller. Billed as "a novel of international finance and espionage," Den of the Assassin is a super-realistic exploration of frightening possibilities, unsurpassed heroism, Lucifer-like evil, and terrorism of the worst kind . . . Peter Thomas Senese does a masterful job traversing the inner hallways of diverse institutions as he slowly brings all of these diverse elements together for a slam-bang climax ... "Peter Thomas Senese displays a wealth of knowledge of geopolitics, espionage, and international finance, describing all the technical intricacies of the story's elements and implications with great attention to detail -without ever letting the pace get bogged down or become confusing to the reader. He also keeps a number of secrets close to the vest, saving them for just the right time in the story . . . Many a writer of thrillers seem to drop the ball somewhere in the middle of their novels, but Peter Thomas Senese's' knowledge of geopolitics, international finance, and 21st century terrorist threats keeps the fires of detailed complexity and story evolution stoked and red-hot for the entire ride. Tyler Boxter is no James Bond, but Den of the Assassin proves to be just as exciting as any 007 caper - and much more realistic."

Cloning Christ, Peter Thomas Senese's theological thriller that asks the question, "What would you do if you held the potential True Cross of Jesus in your hands, and it contained blood and hair strains on it? has had readers from around the world talking about the endless possibilities Senese brings out in his novel that pushes the question of where and how science and faith can co-exist in today's world.

Amazon Hall Of Fame book critic Harriett Klausner commented, "Fans will relish this thriller. The tale is loaded with action yet uses the characters as symbols of mankind similar to a medieval passion play like Everyman. The cast represents the faithful, the disbelievers, the dividers (torn between science and religion) or the selfish. "Cloning Christ" brings the debate of religion vs. science to the forefront in an exciting manner that focuses on the sacredness of life."

Hot Christmas Kindle & Nook E-book Thrillers Now Available on Amazon, Apple, and Barnes & Noble

2011-12-27T14:12:00.000-08:00

Hot Christmas Kindle & Nook E-book Thrillers Now Available on Amazon, Apple, and Barnes & Noble

Top book critics and reviewers are praising several high-impact fiction thrillers written by best-selling author Peter Thomas Senese that are now available for the Christmas Holiday Season in E-book format including the theological thriller CLONING CHRIST, the heart-pounding inspirational legal page-turner CHASING THE CYCLONE, and the geopolitical financial thriller about a new-world order ripped from today's headlines titled THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN.

Los Angeles, New York (PRWEB) December 25, 2011

Top book critics and readers are praising three page-turning, inspirational thrillers including CHASING THE CYCLONE, THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN, and CLONING CHRIST written by best-selling geopolitical thriller writer Peter Thomas Senese that are now available in E-book format on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other e-retailers.

Several of Amazon's elite book reviewers - members of Amazon's renown HALL OF FAME reviewers are praising best-selling author's Peter Thomas Senese's recently released E-book international legal thriller CHASING THE CYCLONE as an electrifying story fans of high suspense thrillers should read. CHASING THE CYCLONE is presently available exclusively as an E-book on Amazon in E-book through the Christmas Holiday Season. Senese's deeply personal novel will be released in hardcover in early January, 2012.

Peter Thomas Senese's new book release CHASING THE CYCLONE has caused more than a handful of critics and readers to develop deeply frustrating and angry emotions that they have actually thrown or wanted to throw the author's riveting international legal thriller or their e-book reader against a wall, a door, or through a window. Ordinarily, an author would not have any desire to have a reader's feelings erupt to the point of physical action, unless of course, the storyline is intended to touch the reader's nerve in such a way that they feel the need to physically act.

Inspired by the best-selling author's own experiences racing into the storms of child abduction, Amazon's critics have called "Chasing The Cyclone" 'a Call-To-Arms against this worldwide epidemic and Peter Thomas Senese as a master storyteller'.

Amazon Hall of Fame book reviewer Daniel Jolley commented, "Chasing The Cyclone" isn't just a powerful novel; it's a call to arms against a growing epidemic that is tearing lives apart behind the headlines... "Chasing The Cyclone" is much more than just a superb, can't-put-down novel, though; it is a book with a purpose... Thomas has become an outspoken advocate on this issue, and 'Chasing The Cyclone' makes for a clear and profoundly effective call to action. I would go so far as to encourage every loving parent to read this book, as the bond between this father and son is one to be emulated..."

Amazon Hall of Fame book reviewer Harriett Klausner added, . . . "This is an exciting cautionary thriller that grips readers from the onset . . . "Chasing The Cyclone" will shake the audience, this exciting cautionary thriller grips readers from the onset..."

Dr. Grady Harp, a highly respected Amazon Hall Of Fame book reviewer said, "Peter Thomas Senese now opens the windows on the magnitude of these tragedies in his excellent "Chasing The Cyclone"... As if the fast paced energy of this story weren't enough to satisfy the reader, Peter Thomas Senese demonstrates his quality as a writer of distinction on many levels... this impossible to put down book..."

Additionally, Amazon Top Book Reviewer Shelley Gammon added, "Chasing the Cyclone" is the second book I've read by Peter Thomas Senese, and like "The Den of the Assassin," it's a real page turner... This was a book I could not put down. Thomas has a gift in writing a compelling novel that not only keeps the reader engaged, but educates as well."

Added Peter Thomas Senese, "Chasing The Cyclone" is an entertaining book many readers have connected to as it is a serious legal thriller that hits a nerve with our desire to love our children best we can."

In the wake of recent international events, including Iran's capture of a U.S. drone spy plane by possible cyber-hacking combined with Russia's immediate protective agreement to develop major oil fields in southern Iran, along with the death of North Korea's isolationist dictator, Kim Jong, II, author Peter Thomas Senese is pleased to announce the release of his geopolitical thriller The Den of the Assassin on e-book.

The multi-dimensional plot is set on Wall Street and is based upon historical events that jettison the reader on a thrilling global geopolitical journey into the hidden and unseen worlds that exists within nations that have different global agendas than the United States and the West, including but not limited to China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. Most concerning, as each nation has become more reliant on one another in our global society, a new level of extraordinary vulnerability to our national security has been created, one perhaps we may not be prepared for. In The Den of the Assassin, believe readers will find the uniquely accurate information on this subject that is carefully weaved through an intricate, entertaining storyline to be quite fascinating - and disturbing.

Amazon Hall of Fame book reviewer Daniel Jolley stated, "This is one seriously good thriller. Billed as "a novel of international finance and espionage," Den of the Assassin is a super-realistic exploration of frightening possibilities, unsurpassed heroism, Lucifer-like evil, and terrorism of the worst kind . . . Peter Thomas Senese does a masterful job traversing the inner hallways of diverse institutions as he slowly brings all of these diverse elements together for a slam-bang climax ... "Peter Thomas Senese displays a wealth of knowledge of geopolitics, espionage, and international finance, describing all the technical intricacies of the story's elements and implications with great attention to detail -without ever letting the pace get bogged down or become confusing to the reader. He also keeps a number of secrets close to the vest, saving them for just the right time in the story . . . Many a writer of thrillers seem to drop the ball somewhere in the middle of their novels, but Peter Thomas Senese's' knowledge of geopolitics, international finance, and 21st century terrorist threats keeps the fires of detailed complexity and story evolution stoked and red-hot for the entire ride. Tyler Boxter is no James Bond, but Den of the Assassin proves to be just as exciting as any 007 caper - and much more realistic."

Peter Thomas Senese commented, "In THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN it was my hope and intent to create a historical novel readers will not want to put down due to a cleverly created plot combined with a high dose of important facts and information that I believe important to share that when combined, drives the story in a way that both entertains, educates, and causes my readers to think about the subject matter presented. As our global society continues to shift, the subject matter presented in THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN is highly relevant."

Cloning Christ, Peter Thomas Senese's theological thriller that asks the question, "What would you do if you held the potential True Cross of Jesus in your hands, and it contained blood and hair strains on it? has had readers from around the world talking about the endless possibilities Senese brings out in his novel that pushes the question of where and how science and faith can co-exist in today's world.

Amazon Hall Of Fame book critic Harriett Klausner commented, "Fans will relish this thriller. The tale is loaded with action yet uses the characters as symbols of mankind similar to a medieval passion play like Everyman. The cast represents the faithful, the disbelievers, the dividers (torn between science and religion) or the selfish. "Cloning Christ" brings the debate of religion vs. science to the forefront in an exciting manner that focuses on the sacredness of life."

ABP World Group, A Global Security and Investigations Firm, Expands International Child Abduction Reunification Services

2011-12-21T09:08:00.000-08:00

ABP World Group, A Global Security and Investigations Firm, Expands International Child Abduction Reunification Services

In response to the global wide-spread growth of international parental child abduction, world renown child abduction recovery services security firm ABP World Group is expanding its global recovery operations under its Managing Director Mr. Martin Waage.

According to various published reports, including findings published in The World Turned Upside Down, there is a global plague of international child abduction that effects parents everywhere. However, tragically only a limited number of abducted children are successfully reunited with their left behind parents due to a complex, unfair, unjust, biased, and dysfunctional legal process that essentially makes a child's recovery or reunification a near-impossibility. For many parents, particularly those whose children are stolen to countries that are not a member of the Hague Convention On The Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, or taken to a country that is known as a non-compliant member of the Hague Convention, recovery of a child, as reported in the United States Department of State's 'Hague Compliance Report To Congress' issued in 2010 and 20100 clearly demonstrate that it is statistically extraordinarily difficult to have a child recovered from these countries. In addition, children abducted to nations that are considered complying countries is limited.

Martin Waage commented, "The number of international parental child abductions occurring is increasing at unprecedented levels. This is due in part because of the increase in cross-cultural relationships and marriages; however, there is also another issue at hand, and is is something that is not spoken about often. Abduction levels are increasing because an abducting parent knows that the likelihood of them being forced to return the illegally taken child is remote at best. In fact, ABP World Group conducted an analysis that carefully reviewed the total number of reported and estimated unreported cases of abduction occurring from the West, including the United States. Our determination estimates that approximately 5% of the total number of children abducted overseas are ever returned. 5% is completely unacceptable by any means. Unfortunately, the vast majority of parents seeking to reunite with their criminally internationally kidnapped children seek the civil remedy available to them under the Hague Convention, which clearly does not work. Nor does seeking criminal sanctions because law enforcement either is often reluctant to enforce the criminal laws that address this type of crime against an innocent child, or even if they do, the country the child is stolen to or illegally detained in may not have any extradition agreement with the country possessing original jurisdiction of the child."

According to Mr. Waage, ABP World Group has an extraordinary success rate of safely bringing an abducted child home. "ABP World Group has been assisting victimized parents of international child abduction for a long time. We have been directly involved with over 200 safe international child recovery and reunifications, which is a truly remarkable number. ABP's understanding of international law as well as local law where a child is abducted to, combined with our strong working relationships with local and international law enforcement, and our investigative ability to find a child has allowed us to become a global security leader that focusses on safely bringing abducted children home to their loving parents."

ABP World Group operates on all contents and has field operatives in many countries located in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas. Our leadership team is made of multilingual operatives that have an extensive successful history of assisting parents of abduction.

"If the international parental child abduction rate continues to grow the way it is anticipated to in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe, the displacement of innocent children criminally abducted who will never see their targeted, left behind parent will fill many arenas. It is a heartbreaking truth due in great part due to the traditional avenues many parents initially undertake. ABP World Group works very closely with local and international law enforcement, which is why our recovery rates are incredibly high regardless of where a child is stolen to. In response to the growing rate of global abduction, and more parents learning of ABP's capabilities and capacity to assist them, I am pleased to share that our global operations has expanded to meet the needs of our clients. In addition, I have seen time and time again hundreds of outraged parents come to us after their failure to navigate the expensive and time consuming road through the court system with no success, only to realize that ABP offers the most effective, cost-saving, legal and safe way to recover their abducted child. That is why various missing children organizations work with ABP World Group. After all, many of our operatives are loving mothers and fathers, too."

To learn more about ABP World Group, please visit their official website.

Amazon's Hall Of Fame Reviewers Praise Peter Thomas Senese's Newly Released CHASING THE CYCLONE As A Must Read Legal Thriller

2011-12-20T04:30:00.000-08:00

Amazon's Hall Of Fame Reviewers Praise Peter Thomas Senese's Newly Released CHASING THE CYCLONE As A Must Read Legal Thriller

A Score Of Amazon's Renown Hall Of Fame book reviewers are praising author Peter Thomas Senese's international legal thriller about a father's unbowed determination to reunite with his internationally abducted son titled Chasing The Cyclone.

Several of Amazon's elite book reviewers - members of Amazon's renown HALL OF FAME reviewers are praising best-selling author's Peter Thomas Senese's recently released E-book international legal thriller CHASING THE CYCLONE as an electrifying story fans of high suspense thrillers should read. CHASING THE CYCLONE is presently available exclusively as an E-book on Amazon in E-book through the Christmas Holiday Season. Senese's deeply personal novel will be released in hardcover in early January, 2012.

Peter Thomas Senese's new book release CHASING THE CYCLONE has caused more than a handful of critics and readers to develop deeply frustrating and angry emotions that they have actually thrown or wanted to throw the author's riveting international legal thriller or their e-book reader against a wall, a door, or through a window. Ordinarily, an author would not have any desire to have a reader's feelings erupt to the point of physical action, unless of course, the storyline is intended to touch the reader's nerve in such a way that they feel the need to physically act.

Inspired by the best-selling author's own experiences racing into the storms of child abduction, Amazon's critics have called "Chasing The Cyclone" 'a Call-To-Arms against this worldwide epidemic and Peter Thomas Senese as a master storyteller'.

Amazon Hall of Fame book reviewer Daniel Jolley commented, "Chasing The Cyclone" isn't just a powerful novel; it's a call to arms against a growing epidemic that is tearing lives apart behind the headlines... "Chasing The Cyclone" is much more than just a superb, can't-put-down novel, though; it is a book with a purpose... Thomas has become an outspoken advocate on this issue, and 'Chasing The Cyclone' makes for a clear and profoundly effective call to action. I would go so far as to encourage every loving parent to read this book, as the bond between this father and son is one to be emulated..."

Amazon Hall of Fame book reviewer Harriett Klausner added, . . . "This is an exciting cautionary thriller that grips readers from the onset . . . "Chasing The Cyclone" will shake the audience, this exciting cautionary thriller grips readers from the onset..."

Dr. Grady Harp, a highly respected Amazon Hall Of Fame book reviewer said, "Peter Thomas Senese now opens the windows on the magnitude of these tragedies in his excellent "Chasing The Cyclone"... As if the fast paced energy of this story weren't enough to satisfy the reader, Peter Thomas Senese demonstrates his quality as a writer of distinction on many levels... this impossible to put down book..."

Additionally, Amazon Top Book Reviewer Shelley Gammon added, "Chasing the Cyclone" is the second book I've read by Peter Thomas Senese, and like "The Den of the Assassin," it's a real page turner... This was a book I could not put down. Thomas has a gift in writing a compelling novel that not only keeps the reader engaged, but educates as well."

Added Peter Thomas Senese,"Chasing The Cyclone" is an entertaining book many readers have connected to as it is a serious legal thriller that hits a nerve with our desire to love our children best we can." Peter Thomas Senese is the author of geopolitical thrillers including THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN, CLONING CHRIST, and WAR ON WALL STREET.

Peter Thomas Senese's legal thriller is deeply inspired by his own personal experiences of having a child internationally abducted and taken to the other side of the world, as well as the hardship thousands of other targeted parents and chidlren of international abduction face each year. International parental child abduction is a federal crime in most countries, including the United States and Canada.

The author has become an outspoken advocate against international child abduction. Peter Thomas Senese is donating 100% of his author royalties to the I CARE Foundation - a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting prevent international child abduction. Peter Thomas Senese commented, "I am pleased to donate my author royalties to the I CARE Foundation as the organization is dedicated to making a positive difference for children and parents targeted for abduction."

Highy Anticipated International Legal Thriller CHASING THE CYCLONE By Peter Thomas Senese E-book Exclusively Available On Amazon

2011-12-17T15:39:00.000-08:00

Highy Anticipated International Legal Thriller CHASING THE CYCLONE By Peter Thomas Senese E-book Exclusively Available On Amazon

CHASING THE CYCLONE, Peter Thomas Senese's highly anticipated international legal thriller top book critics are praising as a legal thriller every loving parent should read is now available exclusively in E-book at Amazon. Senese's novel has caused a stir amongst readers, as praise for the author's inspirational thriller has caused a few readers to throw their Kindle in reaction to this heartfelt story of a father desperately trying to reunite with his abducted child.

Best-selling author's Peter Thomas Senese's international legal thriller CHASING THE CYCLONE numerous Amazon's top book reviewers are praising as an electrifying, must read is available exclusively on Amazon in E-book through the Christmas Holiday Season.

Peter Thomas Senese commented, "Chasing The Cyclone catapults the reader into the wicked and evil world of international child abduction, where typically, and oddly, the rule of law and international treaty is usually not upheld. Children and parents targeted for this incomprehensible act enter an odyssey so complicated and overbearing that the vast majority of abducted children are never returned home. In writing Chasing The Cyclone, it was not only my intent to write a riveting legal thriller, but to create a tool in the form of a closely-related novel that educates society about the epidemic of abduction we face. I am also pleased to share that I will continue to financially support the I CARE Foundation and the organization's efforts to help stop international child abduction by donating 100% of my author royalties to the foundation."

Peter Thomas Senese's new book release CHASING THE CYCLONE has caused more than a handful of critics and readers to develop deeply frustrating and angry emotions that they have actually thrown or wanted to throw the author's riveting international legal thriller or their e-book reader against a wall, a door, or through a window. Ordinarily, an author would not have any desire to have a reader's feelings erupt to the point of physical action, unless of course, the storyline is intended to touch the reader's nerve in such a way that they feel the need to physically act.

The Examiner, in its review of Peter Thomas Senese's "Chasing The Cyclone" stated that, the novel, "Very well changes the way you look at life, child custody, and interactions with your child's other parent. I cannot endorse this book strongly enough." Amazon top book reviewer Daniel Jolley endorsed the Examiner statement when the renown book critic said, "I would go so far as to encourage every loving parent to read this book." Kate Fitzgerald added, "I am very fortunate that I caught myself as I was about to throw my Kindle against the wall. Senese is a very gifted writer, and his Chasing The Cyclone is one of the best books I have ever read." Similar sentiments have been shared by numerous Amazon top book reviewers, Peter Thomas Senese's novel Chasing The Cyclone is a masterful, high-octane international legal thriller that enraptures readers into the dark and unthinkable world of global parental child abduction.

Inspired by the best-selling author's own experiences racing into the storms of child abduction, Amazon's critics have called "Chasing The Cyclone" 'a Call-To-Arms against this worldwide epidemic and Peter Thomas Senese as a master storyteller'. "Chasing The Cyclone" is now exclusively available via E-book from online merchants, and will be available in hardcover wherever books are sold in the beginning of 2012.

Top Amazon book critics and reviewers have praised Peter Thomas Senese' "Chasing The Cyclone".

..."Chasing The Cyclone" isn't just a powerful novel; it's a call to arms against a growing epidemic that is tearing lives apart behind the headlines... "Chasing The Cyclone" is much more than just a superb, can't-put-down novel, though; it is a book with a purpose... Thomas has become an outspoken advocate on this issue, and 'Chasing The Cyclone' makes for a clear and profoundly effective call to action. I would go so far as to encourage every loving parent to read this book, as the bond between this father and son is one to be emulated...
(Amazon top book reviewer Daniel Jolley)

..."Chasing The Cyclone" will shake the audience, this exciting cautionary thriller grips readers from the onset... (Amazon top book reviewer Harriet Klausner:)

...Peter Thomas Senese now opens the windows on the magnitude of these tragedies in his excellent "Chasing The Cyclone"... As if the fast paced energy of this story weren't enough to satisfy the reader, Peter Thomas demonstrates his quality as a writer of distinction on many levels... this impossible to put down book... (Amazon top book reviewer Dr. Grady Harp)

...Chasing the Cyclone" is the second book I've read by Peter Thomas Senese, and like "The Den of the Assassin," it's a real page turner... This was a book I could not put down. Thomas has a gift in writing a compelling novel that not only keeps the reader engaged, but educates as well. (Amazon top book reviewer Shelley Gammon)

. . . . I highly recommend Chasing the Cyclone as a must-read. You will not be able to put it down. It may very well change the way you look at life, child custody, and interactions with your child's other parent. I cannot endorse this book strongly enough . . . . (The Examiner)

Added Peter Thomas Senese,"Chasing The Cyclone" is an entertaining book many readers have connected to as it is a serious legal thriller that hits a nerve with our desire to love our children best we can." Peter Thomas Senese is the author of geopolitical thrillers including THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN, CLONING CHRIST, and WAR ON WALL STREET.

Peter Thomas Senese's legal thriller is deeply inspired by his own personal experiences of having a child internationally abducted and taken to the other side of the world, as well as the hardship thousands of other targeted parents and chidlren of international abduction face each year. International parental child abduction is a federal crime in most countries, including the United States and Canada. According to published studies, including those cited in Peter Senese and Carolyn Vlk's The World Turned Upside Down, there could be as many as 120,000 American and Canadian children internationally abducted over the next decade.

Amazon's Top Critics Praise Peter Thomas Senese's New Book Release CHASING THE CYCLONE While Readers Fight Urge To Throw Riveting Novel

2011-12-15T08:26:00.000-08:00

Amazon's Top Critics Praise Peter Thomas Senese's New Book Release CHASING THE CYCLONE While Readers Fight Urge To Throw Riveting Novel

Peter Thomas Senese's new E--book release CHASING THE CYCLONE is hitting a raw nerve with many readers. Many readers are praising the geopolitical author's story of a parent's attempt to reunite with an abducted child taken to the other side of the world, while also being so entrenched with the storyline that some readers have actually thrown their book, Kindle or Nook against a wall, only to continue reading Senese's page-turner. E-book versions of Chasing The Cyclone in Spanish, French, German, and Italian will be available January 15th, 2012.

Peter Thomas Senese's new book release CHASING THE CYCLONE has caused more than a handful of book critics and readers to develop deeply frustrating and angry emotions that they have actually thrown or wanted to throw the author's riveting international legal thriller or their e-book reader against a wall, a door, or through a window. Ordinarily, an author would not have any desire to have a reader's feelings erupt to the point of physical action, unless of course, the storyline is intended to touch the reader's nerve in such a way that they feel the need to physically act.

Welcome to the world of CHASING THE CYCLONE, a suspensful legal thriller takes the reader into the unthinkable and horrific world of international parental child abduction. The novel has been inspired by Senese's own experiences as a chasing parent, while also drawing on the experiences of other parents who have had to search for their abducted children.

According to published reports, including those cited in the resource guide on international child abduction titled, THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN, forecasts anticipate that there could be between 100,000 and 125,000 America children and 10,000 to 13,000 Canadia children internationally abducted alone over the next decade.

The Examiner, in its review of Peter Thomas Senese's "Chasing The Cyclone" stated that, the novel, "Very well change the way you look at life, child custody, and interactions with your child's other parent. I cannot endorse this book strongly enough." Amazon top book reviewer Daniel Jolley endorsed the Examiner statement when the renown book critic said, "I would go so far as to encourage every loving parent to read this book." Kate Fitzgerald added, "I am very fortunate that I caught myself as I was about to throw my Kindle against the wall. Senese is a very gifted writer, and his Chasing The Cyclone one of the best books I have ever read." Similiar sentiments have been shared by some of Amazon's top book reviewers, Peter Thomas Senese's novel "Chasing The Cyclone" is a masterful, high-octane international legal thriller that enraptures readers into the dark and unthinkable world of global parental child abduction.

Inspired by the best-selling author's own experiences racing into the storms of child abduction, Amazon's critics have called "Chasing The Cyclone" 'a Call-To-Arms against this worldwide epidemic and Peter Thomas Senese as a master storyteller'. "Chasing The Cyclone" is now available via E-book from online merchants, and will be available in hardcover wherever books are sold in the beginning of 2012.

Peter Thomas Senese commented, "Chasing The Cyclone is many things. The storyline of what occurs for children and targeted parents of international abduction is in itself, a very tense, thrilling, and insane plot that unfortunately many real-life parents of abduction can relate to. However, throughout the unthinkable, there are in fact many important issues covered that impacts tens of millions of people each year. I am humbled and satisfied that reviewers of 'Chasing The Cyclone' have enjoyed and embraced this story. It means a great deal to me. I just hope that there are not many Kindles or Nooks being tossed against a wall because of Chasing The Cyclone."

Top critics and reviewers have praised Peter Thomas Senese' "Chasing The Cyclone".

..."Chasing The Cyclone" isn't just a powerful novel; it's a call to arms against a growing epidemic that is tearing lives apart behind the headlines... "Chasing The Cyclone" is much more than just a superb, can't-put-down novel, though; it is a book with a purpose... Thomas has become an outspoken advocate on this issue, and 'Chasing The Cyclone' makes for a clear and profoundly effective call to action. I would go so far as to encourage every loving parent to read this book, as the bond between this father and son is one to be emulated...
(Amazon top book reviewer Daniel Jolley)

..."Chasing The Cyclone" will shake the audience, this exciting cautionary thriller grips readers from the onset... (Amazon top book reviewer Harriet Klausner:)

...Peter Thomas Senese now opens the windows on the magnitude of these tragedies in his excellent "Chasing The Cyclone"... As if the fast paced energy of this story weren't enough to satisfy the reader, Peter Thomas demonstrates his quality as a writer of distinction on many levels... this impossible to put down book... (Amazon top book reviewer Dr. Grady Harp)

...Chasing the Cyclone" is the second book I've read by Peter Thomas Senese, and like "The Den of the Assassin," it's a real page turner... This was a book I could not put down. Thomas has a gift in writing a compelling novel that not only keeps the reader engaged, but educates as well. (Amazon top book reviewer Shelley Gammon)

. . . . I highly recommend Chasing the Cyclone as a must-read. You will not be able to put it down. It may very well change the way you look at life, child custody, and interactions with your child's other parent. I cannot endorse this book strongly enough . . . . (The Examiner)

Added Peter Thomas Senese, "Chasing The Cyclone" is an entertaining book many readers have connected to as it is a serious legal thriller that hits a nerve with our desire to love our children best we can. Knowing first-hand what it is like to have this type of horror enter your life, I have tried to make a difference for other parents. Part of that is donating 100% of my royalties to the I CARE Foundation."

Patricia Lee, a highly respected international family law attorney practicing international child abduction for nearly 20 years and a Director of the I CARE Foundation (International Parental Child Abduction Research and Enlightenment Foundation) stated, "I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Senese first, not as an acclaimed fiction writer, but as a dedicated child advocate helping victimized parents work through the morass of financial, legal and practical issues in their attempts to reunify with their children.I am humbled by his fierce dedication and support to the I CARE foundation, which portends to be a milestone in the State Department’s efforts to recruit and train lawyers in this area of the law in order to better serve targeted children and parents, while also educating an uneducated judiciary. Thank you, Peter for all of your impactful dedication."

Peter Thomas Senese is the author of geopolitical thrillers including THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN, CLONING CHRIST, and WAR ON WALL STREET.

Top Book Critics Agree That Peter Thomas Senese's CHASING THE CYCLONE Is A Thrilling Must-Read For Every Loving Parent And Fans Of Suspense/Mystery/Thriller Novels

2011-12-13T10:16:00.000-08:00

Top Book Critics Agree That Peter Thomas Senese's CHASING THE CYCLONE Is A Thrilling Must-Read For Every Loving Parent And Fans Of Suspense/Mystery/Thriller Novels

E-Book Must Reads: Amazon and Barnes & Noble Top Book Critics Praise Peter Thomas Senese's Legal Thriller CHASING THE CYCLONE

2011-12-11T05:52:00.000-08:00

E-Book Must Reads: Amazon and Barnes & Noble Top Book Critics Praise Peter Thomas Senese's Legal Thriller CHASING THE CYCLONE

Highly Respected Florida Family Law Attorney Patricia Lee Named to the I CARE Foundation's Board of Directors

2011-12-04T11:00:00.001-08:00

Patricia Lee is a highly respected international family law attorney primarily practicing complex child custody matters, including international child abduction prevention and reunification. The St. Petersburg, Florida lawyer has been named as a Director to the International Child Abduction Research and Enlightenment Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to preventing the illegal removal of children from the country.

New York, New York / St. Petersburg, Florida (PRWEB) December 03, 2011

The International Child Abduction Research and Enlightenment Foundation (I CARE Foundation) is pleased to announce that Department of State "Hague Convention Attorney Network" mentor and renown international family law attorney Patricia M. Lee has been named to the foundation's Board of Directors.

Patricia M. Lee is licensed in the State of Florida and based in St. Petersburg, since 1992. She focuses her law practice primarily on international issues, including the Hague Convention on the International Aspects of Child Abduction and interstate parental kidnapping, as well as the enforcement and modification of foreign orders of support and property distribution. Ms. Lee's international experience includes cases involving international family law, and parental child abduction, support enforcement or modification, and ancillary probate matters from countries such as Belgium, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Columbia, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, and Guatemala. Ms. Lee utilizes both her language skills and international experience to assist in such cases, which often involve a morass of legal difficulties in foreign languages and cultures. Ms. Lee is proficient in both Spanish and German. She has traveled extensively in both Europe and Latin America, and worked with such legal issues involving clients from around the world.

The I CARE Foundation's mission is to conduct critically needed research in the area of cross-border child abduction, and publish such findings in hope to educate both government and non-government stakeholders in order to establish or modify existing policy that will protect children from abduction. In addition, the I CARE Foundation is assisting in building the Department of State's "Hague Convention Attorney Network", and creating outreach initiatives to assist undocumented parents living in the United States who have had their child abducted abroad.

Peter Thomas Senese, a director of the I CARE Foundation said, "The foundation is extraordinarily fortunate to have St. Petersburg, Florida attorney Patricia Lee join our Board of Directors. Patricia is one of the country's most experienced international family law attorneys, having participated with great success in a large number of international child abduction and custody cases around the world. Enormously intelligent, honest, fair, and committed to helping children, not only is the foundation fortunate to have Ms. Lee join our cause, but we look forward to the Department of State "Hague Convention Attorney Network" mentor's leadership, particularly as the foundation continues its efforts to recruit other attorneys to come to the aid of targeted children of abduction."

New York City based attorney Joel S. Walter, who has practiced complex law matters primarily in the federal courts for the past 40 years, and who is a director of the I CARE Foundation spoke of Patricia M. Lee. "In the circle of lawyers who practice international family law matters, including international child abduction cases to both Hague and non-Hague countries, Patricia Lee is one of our country's most established and knowledgeable attorneys. It is a privilege and an honor to have Patricia formally join the foundation's Board of Directors as her insight, knowledge, and capability will not only serve the foundation, but the individuals we seek to help."

Gloria Nyberg, who has assisted in the recovery and reunification of over 60 American children who were internationally abducted and is a Special Advisor to the I CARE Foundation's Board of Directors stated, "Patricia Lee is an immensely talented attorney deeply familiar with the complexities of international family law and Hague Convention cases. Her addition to the I CARE Foundation's leadership I anticipate will have many positive results, including our outreach to assist undocumented residents living in the United States and who have had their children internationally abducted abroad. As a person of Latin decent, Patricia is aware of the hardships and challenges this group faces, and I know her to be deeply committed to helping them and their abducted children. Today is a very good day for parents and children targeted for abduction because Ms. Lee is now part of a very strong leadership team of the I CARE Foundation."

Patricia Lee commented, "I see ICARE as a wonderful opportunity to use my skills in a very positive way. The legal and practical needs of families victimized by child abduction are overwhelming. So the training, research, education, and recruiting of other attorneys for the State Department's Attorney Network through ICARE is something I am very excited about. I think together, we really can make a difference."

For more information on international parental child abduction, please visit Peter Thomas Senese's 'Chasing The Cyclone'.

Best-Selling Author's Extraordinary Experience 'Chasing The Cyclone' Of International Child Abduction Shared In Highly Anticipated Novel

2011-11-23T08:11:00.001-08:00

Novelist Peter Thomas Senese was extraordinarily busy with his career until he was unexpectedly forced to race into the unthinkable nightmare known as international parental child abduction. Inspired by the writer's experiences, the novel CHASING THE CYCLONE has been critically hailed as a fast-paced, educational mystery and legal thriller, and Peter Senese as a masterful storyteller. Since this time, the author has become an outspoken advocate of child abduction prevention, and has created an arsenal of tools that have helped at-risk parents.

(PRWEB) November 23, 2011

Peter Thomas Senese's novel "Chasing The Cyclone" has been hailed as a masterful international legal thriller that enraptures readers into the dark and incomprehensible world of global parental child abduction. Inspired by the best-selling author's own experiences racing into the storms of child abduction, critics and readers alike have called "Chasing The Cyclone" a Call-To-Arms against this worldwide epidemic, and Peter Thomas Senese as a master storyteller. "Chasing The Cyclone" will be released on December 1st, 2011 in hardcover and is now available via E-book from online merchants.

Mr. Senese will donate 100% of his royalties to the International Child Abduction Research and Education Foundation (I CARE), a non-profit organization he has previously provided significant financial aid to.
Added Peter Thomas Senese, "Chasing The Cyclone" is an entertaining book that puts the reader on a roller-coaster of emotions - which is most targeted parents of abduction experience. In fact, I have had more than one reviewer write to me and tell me that while in the midst of reading this novel, they actually physically threw the book due to pure frustration over the story's protagonist's unthinkable experiences while fighting to find and reunite with his son, only to immediately pick up the book and continue reading - only to want to throw the book again. But that's just it - for parents who are targets of abduction, many enter into an insane world. So, where the resource guide "The World Turned Upside Down" is a collection or important research reports and published studies, "Chasing The Cyclone" is a novel deeply inspired by and drawn from my own experiences."

Critics and readers have praised "Chasing The Cyclone".

... "Chasing The Cyclone" isn't just a powerful novel; it's a call to arms against a growing epidemic that is tearing lives apart behind the headlines . . . "Chasing The Cyclone" is much more than just a superb, can't-put-down novel, though; it is a book with a purpose . . . Peter Thomas Senese has become an outspoken advocate on this issue, and 'Chasing The Cyclone' makes for a clear and profoundly effective call to action. I would go so far as to encourage every loving parent to read this book, as the bond between this father and son is one to be emulated . . . (Renown book reviewer Daniel Jolley)

... "Chasing The Cyclone" will shake the audience, this exciting cautionary thriller grips readers from the onset ... (Renown book reviewer Harriet Klausner)

... Peter Thomas Senese now opens the windows on the magnitude of these tragedies in his excellent "Chasing The Cyclone" . . . As if the fast paced energy of this story weren't enough to satisfy the reader, Peter Thomas demonstrates his quality as a writer of distinction on many levels . . .this impossible to put down book . . . (Renown book reviewer Dr. Grady Harp)

. . . Chasing the Cyclone" is the second book I've read by Peter Thomas Senese, and like "The Den of the Assassin," it's a real page turner . . . This was a book I could not put down. Thomas has a gift in writing a compelling novel that not only keeps the reader engaged, but educates as well (Renown book reviewer Shelley Gammon)

Patricia Lee, a highly respected international family law attorney practicing international child abduction for nearly 20 years and a Director of the I CARE Foundation(International Parental Child Abduction Research and Education Foundation) stated, "I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Senese first, not as an acclaimed fiction writer, but as a dedicated child advocate helping victimized parents work through the morass of financial, legal and practical issues in their attempts to reunify with their children. I am humbled by his fierce dedication and continued financial support to the I CARE foundation, which, amongst many things, portends to be a milestone in the State Department’s efforts to recruit and train lawyers in this area of the law in order to better serve targeted children and parents, while also educating an uneducated judiciary. Thank you, Peter for all of your impactful dedication."

Joel S. Walter, another Director of the I CARE Foundation and a lawyer who has practiced primarily in the federal courts for 35 years added, "Peter Thomas Senese's dedication to making a positive impact on the lives of children and parents is inspiring. His 'Chasing The Cyclone' is brilliant - and a book readers will not put down. But Peter Thomas Senese is much more than a highly gifted writer: he is a man who cares deeply about others and, for 15 years that I have known Peter, I have watched him act through his heart. The I CARE Foundation is very appreciative of Peter's previous financial contributions as well as his diverse and tireless effort to help other parents."

Mr. Senese commented on his activism. "For the vast majority of defenseless children and their parents who are targeted for international parental child abduction, they enter a horrific, little-understood world where law and order and justice are fleeting concepts, but typically not reality. Knowing this first-hand, and having successfully navigated this ordeal under the Hague Convention, it was important to me to try to make a difference and help other targeted children and parents. Having a voice as an established storyteller has allowed me to do some of that in both written word, and in creation of the educational documentary film 'Chasing Parents'. Yet there is a great deal of work to be done, and so initiatives continue."

Please visit the official website of "Chasing The Cyclone". To learn more about Peter Thomas Senese, please visit the author's official website.

Peter Thomas Senese: After Facing Down Storms Of International Child Abduction, Best-Selling Author's CHASING THE CYCLONE Mesmerizes Critics

2011-11-22T08:26:00.001-08:00

Novelist Peter Thomas Senese was extraordinarily busy with his career until he was unexpectedly forced to race into the unthinkable nightmare known as international parental child abduction. Inspired by the writer's experiences, the novel CHASING THE CYCLONE has been critically hailed as a fast-paced, educational mystery and legal thriller, and Peter Senese as a masterful storyteller. Since this time, the author has become an outspoken advocate of child abduction prevention, and has created an arsenal of tools that have helped at-risk parents.

(PRWEB) November 22, 2011

Patricia Lee, a highly respected international family law attorney practicing international child abduction for nearly 20 years and a Director of the I CARE Foundation (International Parental Child Abduction Research and Education Foundation) stated, "I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Senese first, not as an acclaimed fiction writer, but as a dedicated child advocate helping victimized parents work through the morass of financial, legal and practical issues in their attempts to reunify with their children. I am humbled by his fierce dedication and support to the I CARE foundation, which portends to be a milestone in the State Department's efforts to recruit and train lawyers in this area of the law in order to better serve targeted children and parents, while also educating an uneducated judiciary. Thank you, Peter for all of your impactful dedication."

Joel S. Walter, another Director of the I CARE Foundation and a lawyer who has practiced primarily in the federal courts for 35 years added, "I remember when Peter first became aware of his own child's abduction as I was one of his very first phone calls. His ordeal was unthinkable, and the challenges he faced beyond every parent's nightmare. Yet Peter did everything he needed to do: in essence stopping everything he was doing and dedicated his time and resources toward reuniting with his abducted son, who was taken to the other side of the world. Knowing Peter for as long as I do, and knowing him for the good-natured, generous, and direct man that he is, I was not surprised to see him try to make important changes in the world of abduction prevention so that other parents and children will never have to experience what he and his family have. The I CARE Foundation is actively making a difference for other paents, and Peter Thomas Senese is a very big reason for this."

Since the time Mr. Senese was forced to chase the cyclone of child abduction, the established geopolitical novelist has become an active advocate of child abduction prevention, including initiatives to pass new laws such as Florida's "Child Abduction Prevention Act', and to widely utilize existing federal policy in order to protect children from abduction such as the "Prevent Departure Program".

As a Director of the International Child Abduction Research and Education Foundation, Mr. Senese is actively engaged in two new federal policy initiatives: to modify the "Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative" so all American citizens regardless of age would be required to present a passport when traveling abroad by land, sea, or air. The second initiative, as recommended by the GAO, is to create a secondary airline screening list for individuals possessing American citizenship considered to be high-risk child abductors. In addition, under Mr. Senese's leadership, the I CARE Foundation has commenced a nation-wide recruitment effort seeking attorneys to join the Department of State's "Hague Convention Attorney Network".

While the writer has written prolifically about child abduction prevention, including numerous essays and the previous publication of the groundbreaking and extensive IPCA resource guide he co-authored with Carolyn Vlk that was made available for free to the world via E-book, "Chasing The Cyclone" is a deeply personal story. "When I wrote "Chasing The Cyclone" the words flowed onto the pages very easily. My previous novels are based upon heavy research. In this story, my research was my life's experiences."

Mr. Senese commented on his activism. "For the vast majority of defenseless children and their parents who are targeted for international parental child abduction, they enter a horrific, little-understood world where law and order and justice are fleeting concepts, but typically not reality. Knowing this first-hand, and having successfully navigated this ordeal under the Hague Convention, it was important to me to try to make a difference and help other targeted children and parents. Having a voice as an established storyteller has allowed me to do some of that in both written word, and in creation of the educational documentary film 'Chasing Parents'. Yet there is a great deal of work to be done, and so initiatives continue."

Please visit the official website of "Chasing The Cyclone". To learn more about Peter Thomas Senese, please visit the author's official website.

I CARE Foundation Urges Lawyers In Texas, Nevada, Arizona & New Mexico Sought To Join Department of State's "Attorney Network"

2011-11-21T08:29:00.001-08:00

The International Child Abduction Research & Education Foundation (I CARE Foundation) has launched a recruitment campaign urging attorneys located in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada to join the United States Department of State's Hague Convention Attorney Network ("Attorney Network") - and help protect innocent children victimized or targeted by international parental child abduction (IPCA). Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada are hotbeds for IPCA due to a significant increase in reported and unreported parental kidnapping cases to and from Mexico and remaining Central America. The Department Of State's recruitment of attorneys in these states is due to the rise in abduction cases, combined with their effort to educate undocumented parents living in the United States who have been victimized by child abduction that they and their abducted children have protective rights under the Hague Convention.

The I CARE Foundation is urging lawyers in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada interested in assisting parents of children who have been internationally abducted or who may be targets of international parental abduction to participate in the Department of State's "Hague Convention Attorney Network" according to Peter Thomas Senese, a director of the foundation. "In order to prevent child abduction, the reality is lawyers educated on the complex issues of international child abduction need to be mobilized within the Department of State's attorney network. When this occurs, there will be significant opportunity to educate a less than knowledgeable judiciary who are too often unfamiliar with the complexities typically present in these cases. Additionally, and of equal importance, particularly in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada is the need for undocumented individuals living in the United States to know that if their child is abducted from the United States, they have major recourse under the Hague Convention, and that the Department of State's Office of Childrens Issues is ready, willing, and able to assist them.

The Office of Children's Issues in the U.S. Department of State serves as the U.S. Central Authority for the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (the "Convention"). The International Child Abduction Remedies Act ("ICARA"), establishes procedures for litigating Convention cases in the U.S. The U.S. Central Authority has numerous functions including facilitating the institution of judicial proceedings in the U.S. "with a view to obtaining the return of the child and, in a proper case, to make arrangements for organizing or securing the effective exercise of rights of access." In April of 2008, the U.S.Central Authority assumed the responsibility for all incoming cases, and overseeing a network of volunteer attorneys.

The "Attorney Network" provides critical assistance. Lawyers that join the "Attorney Network" are asked to consider taking Hague Convention return and access cases on a pro bono or reduced fee basis. There is never an obligation to take a case, and legal fees and expenses may be recoverable under the Convention's Article 26 and the implementing statute (42.U.S.C 11607), and under state law when state law remedies are pursued (e.g., UCCJEA). In addition, lawyers with and without Hague experience are welcome to join the Attorney Network, as the Attorney Network offers a host of information and mentor programs. In addition to incoming cases of abduction, attorneys can also represent parents in abduction prevention cases and outgoing abduction cases.

Presently, there are over 1,640 'reported' cases of IPCA originating from the United States according to the last published report issued from the Department of State to Congress. The number of cases has nearly tripled from 2006 to 2009 alone according to a recent report issued by the Government Accountability Office's ("GAO"). According to I CARE, the number of 'unreported cases' of IPCA appears to be substantial and at least equal the number and growth rate of 'reported' cases.. Many of the 'unreported' cases appear to involve immigrants who originate from Central and South American, and Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada (along with California) clearly have a high-volume of incoming and outgoing cases.

Peter Thomas Senese added, "Overall growth rate of IPCA is conservatively estimated to be between 15% - 20% per year, and there could be well over 100,000 children abducted from the United States between 2009 and 2020 if current trends conservatively stay the same."

As the growing rate of abduction and the shortage of trained attorneys becomes more well known, key media voices in the legal community have recently come to support I CARE's recruitment campaign for attorneys to join the Department of State's "Attorney Program." Aware of the growing crisis in Connecticut, the Connecticut Law Tribune(CLT) recently published an important article concerning this issue.

Patricia M. Lee, a Florida attorney practicing in the area of parental child abduction and a Director of the I CARE Foundation who was interviewed by the CLT states, “I feel privileged to have been a referral attorney for the implementing agency for many years of my private practice. The trauma experienced by victimized children and parents when faced with a child abduction, especially in the international arena, is overwhelming, primarily due to the lack of experienced attorneys, but also, due to the great financial burden, and cultural and language barriers. When they have nowhere else to turn and are so desperate, being able to help these people has been a rewarding experience personally, as well as professionally. It is worth every hour I have spent climbing the learning curve in this little known area of the law. OCI has always been responsive and helpful in the practicalities of dealing with clients living abroad, and the network of mentor attorneys available across the U.S., nothing short of a wealth of information and assistance. My experience in taking these cases has been humbling, to say the least, as I have seen the very best of my profession, which is too often the object of jokes and derision. I would encourage any attorney to join the Attorney Network.”

Joel S. Walter, an lawyer practicing in New York, a member of the I CARE Foundation, and a Director of the Attorney Network said, "As a lawyer practicing complex cases primarily in federal court for over 30 years, it is astonishing to learn of the tragedies children of abduction and their targeted parents face. In joining the Department of State's "Attorney Network", I have an opportunity to give back to our community, and make a difference in the life of a child. Participating in the network is not just good lawyering, but it is good citizenship. The I CARE Foundation looks forward to assisting the Department of State by educating other lawyers about the attorney network in hope that they too may participate in this critical program."

Denise Gunn Garno, a Naples, Florida based lawyer practicing primarily complex family law matters and who is a member of the Department Of State's Hague Convention Attorney Network commented on the significance of lawyers from Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada to join the 'Attorney Network' when she stated, "Florida's new CAPA law presents a challenge to attorneys attempting to ensure CAPA is applied in cases wherein children are in imminent danger of abduction. A lack of judicial awareness is extremely detrimental as it puts children's lives in jeopardy. In order for the State of Florida and our nation to protect our children from abduction, we must not only create abduction prevention laws, but the rules of law must be adhered to. My participation in the Department of State's Hague Convention Attorney Network will make a difference in the lives of my clients and hopefully the children targeted of this crime from my home state."

Carolyn Ann Vlk, writer of Florida's CAPA law and a director of I CARE said, "The reality is that laws that have been established to protect children are not followed in part due to an uneducated judiciary. The way to remedy this is to have informed litigators who can make a difference before the courts. Texas, Nevada, New Mexico, and Arizona have a high case load and clearly attorneys are needed by the Department of State to join their "Attorney Network."

An extensive report to be published by I CARE this December puts the cost of IPCA in the United States over the next 10 years at over 1.6 Billion dollars.

If you are a lawyer interested in finding out more about the Hague Convention Attorney Network, please visit http://travel.state.gov/pdf/AttorneyNetworkFlyer.pdf or call 202-501-4444. To learn more about international parental child abduction please visit http://www.travel.state.gov/abduction.

Connecticut Law Tribune discusses I CARE Foundation activity

2011-11-19T09:16:00.001-08:00

The I CARE Foundation along with Patricia M. Lee, Peter Thomas Senese, Joel S. Walter, and Carolyn Ann Vlk have launced a recruitment campaign seeking lawyers to join the Department of State's "Hague Convention Attorney Network" and assist children and their parents targeted for international parental child abduction. A common concern amongst the legal and child abduction prevention advocacy community is that the judiciary is not educated about the complex legal issues concerning international parental child abduction. In order to address this growing and harmful concern, the I CARE Foundation has launched its campaign in hope and anticipation that an educated legal community will make a difference in the fight to protect children from abduction.

The following article appeared in the Connecticut Law Tribune and discusses I CARE's activity.

Wanted: Lawyers Willing To Help Abducted Children

By CHRISTIAN NOLAN - Staff Writer For The Connecticut Law Tribune

Non-profit group seeks help enforcing provisions of international treaty

Imagine how helpless any parent would feel if his or her child were abducted by an estranged spouse. Now think about how much more horrifying it would be if the child was whisked away to another country.
A recent study estimated that between 2009 and 2020, there will be more than 50,000 reports of children involved in custody arrangements being smuggled out of the U.S. The study goes on to say that the number of unreported cases will likely equal or exceed the reported total.

What can the other parent do to try to get their child back? Hiring a lawyer might help.

But few attorneys are trained to do this sort of work. That’s why a non-profit group called the I CARE Foundation is on the recruiting trail.

An agency spokeswoman said Connecticut is among the places where volunteer attorneys are needed because “a large international migratory population” lives in the state. Other “hotbed” states include New York, New Jersey, Texas and California.

“The statistical increase in abduction will continue to rise due to multi-cultural relationships and as individuals embrace global citizenship,” said I Care’s Maria Gina. “Many individuals who originate from a foreign country and see their marriage or partnership end typically seek to return back to their country of origin. If there is a child involved, they often attempt to take the child with them without court order.”

Gina said “there are simply not enough lawyers familiar with the [legal] issues, and this is true in Connecticut.”

I CARE Foundation Director
Patricia M. Lee

One lawyer who specializes in these kinds of cases spoke of the difficulty in finding an attorney to handle these complex cases. “You get a call out of the blue to help someone for free or for very little money. Would you be willing to take on a case you know very little about?” said Patricia Lee, a Florida attorney. “Very few attorneys know how to do it… I think of the experienced attorneys that I’ve spoken to, it may be they’ve had an issue arise in their family law practice once in a lifetime.”

International Treaty

The cases often fall under the jurisdiction of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. The international treaty, signed in the early 1980s, has provisions for punishing the kidnapping parents and returning children to the pre-abduction status quo.

In 2008, the Office of Children’s Issues in the U.S. State Department assumed responsibility for all new cases, and for overseeing a network of volunteer attorneys. The government partnered with the I CARE Foundation to recruit lawyers willing to be trained to become part of the Hague Convention Attorney Network.

Lee was one of the early enlistees. In one of her memorable cases — a child abducted in Europe had been brought to the U.S.

A Belgian man had married an American woman. They had a child, and then the relationship deteriorated. The wife’s mother lived in Florida; on a visit there with the child, the woman decided to get a divorce and stay.

After federal officials found the woman, Lee was contacted. She filed a Hague petition, which can be done in federal or state court. Lee recommends state court, because there is usually less delay. “We had a trial relatively quickly and the judge ruled that the child had to be returned to Belgium,” Lee said.

Back in Europe, the couple went ahead with a divorce, and the woman and child were eventually allowed to move to the U.S. But the father was guaranteed parental and visitation rights.

In most cases, Lee said, the fleeing parent claims to be a victim of domestic violence. That is not a legitimate excuse for abducting a child. “The Hague Convention assumes the signatories have laws in place to address domestic violence so persons victimized should avail themselves to the laws in the country they live,” said Lee.

Lee warned that the longer a parent waits to try to track down the estranged spouse and to file a Hague petition, the tougher it is to regain custody. She said the defense is allowed to present evidence that it is in the child’s best interest to remain in the foreign country if the child is well settled into his or her new environment.

Lee had one client who learned the hard way. A U.S. male married a German national who fled back to her homeland with the kids. She filed for divorce there. Meanwhile, the man had hired a family attorney unfamiliar with the Hague Convention who simply initiated divorce proceedings in the U.S.

Eventually Lee, who speaks German, became involved when she was asked to translate legal documents. More than a year had gone by and a German court gave the woman sole custody. She had told the German court the father was an abuser who neglected his family. She also had time to convince the children of this, too.

Ultimately the father couldn’t afford to pay attorneys in both the U.S. and Germany and the cost of repeated air travel between the two nations. So he gave up his attempt to regain custody. “Basically, he lost the kids,” said Lee. “It’s a very sad story, but it’s not unique. That happens all the time.”

Lawyers interested in finding out more about the Hague Convention Attorney Network should visit www.travel.state.gov/childabduction and click “For Attorneys & Judges;” contact HagueConventionAttorneyNetwork@state.gov; or call 202-501-4444.

Geopolitical Thriller Novelist Peter Thomas Senese Launches E-Book Publication Series

2011-11-15T11:57:00.001-08:00

Peter Thomas Senese is the author of a variety of compelling, highly acclaimed international suspense thrillers including "The Den of the Assassin," "Cloning Christ," and "Chasing The Cyclone."

Best-selling author Peter Thomas Senese is pleased to announce the upcoming E-book release of select publications from the novelist's international geopolitical thrillers. Peter Thomas Senese's title release includes the geopolitical espionage thriller "The Den of the Assassin," the international theological thriller cliff-hanger "Cloning Christ," and the riveting, deeply personal global legal drama "Chasing The Cyclone."

The writer, filmmaker, and dedicated child advocate previously commenced his E-book series release with "The World Turned Upside Down" which he co-authored with Carolyn Ann Vlk. "The World Turned Upside Down" has been called a landmark resource guide on international parental child abduction prevention, and was made available as a free E-book so that those individuals in need of the highly informative information contained in the publication would have immediate access to it.

"The Den of the Assassin," the spine-tingling Post 9-11 financial espionage and geopolitical thriller that catapults an unsuspecting young Wall Street banker, Tyler Boxter, into a world of incomprehensible possibilities and insane apocalyptic challenges was recently released on E-book (second edition) to the praise of readers. Renowned critic Daniel Jolley said of "The Den of the Assassin," “This is one seriously good thriller. Billed as “a novel of international finance and espionage,” Den of the Assassin is a super-realistic exploration of frightening possibilities, unsurpassed heroism, Lucifer-like evil, and terrorism of the worst kind … Peter Thomas Senese displays a wealth of knowledge of geopolitics, espionage, and international finance, describing all the technical intricacies of the story’s elements and implications with great attention to detail -without ever letting the pace get bogged down or become confusing to the reader. He also keeps a number of secrets close to the vest, saving them for just the right time in the story. This serves to make the book thoroughly believable and increasingly suspenseful. There’s no shortage of action here . . . Many a writer of thrillers seem to drop the ball somewhere in the middle of their novels, but Peter Thomas Senese’s knowledge of geopolitics, international finance, and 21st century terrorist threats keeps the fires of detailed complexity and story evolution stoked and red-hot for the entire ride. Tyler Boxter is no James Bond, but "The Den of the Assassin" proves to be just as exciting as any 007 caper – and much more realistic.”

On December 1st, 2011, the gut-wrenching, inspirational theological thriller "Cloning Christ" that jettisons readers to the spiritual and physical battlefront of good vs. evil in Peter Thomas Senese's electrifying, bone-chilling story of faith evolves around the global manhunt for Dr. Max Train, a once-devout, now faithless genomic scientist who may be in possession of the True Cross of Jesus of Nazareth. "Cloning Christ" will cause heart-racing readers to contemplate the challenges between science and faith while contemplating physical and spiritual issues we all face today in our pursuit to enrich the human condition and experience. Top critic Harriett Klausner commented, "Fans will relish this thriller. The tale is loaded with action yet uses the characters as symbols of mankind similar to a medieval passion play like Everyman. The cast represents the faithful, the disbelievers, the dividers (torn between science and religion) or the selfish. "Cloning Christ" brings the debate of religion vs. science to the forefront in an exciting manner that focuses on the sacredness of life."

December 1st also marks the highly anticipated release of Peter Thomas Senese's deeply personal novel, 'Chasing The Cyclone', the critically acclaimed heart-pounding international legal thriller of a father and son's unbowed and unbreakable love and belief in one another in lieu of a wicked international child abduction as told in a way very few writers ever could, and that was inspired by Peter Thomas Senese's unimaginable experiences as a parent chasing the cyclone of international child abduction. Highly acclaimed critic Dr. Grady Harp stated, " ... As if the fast paced energy of this story weren't enough to satisfy the reader, Peter Thomas demonstrates his quality as a writer of distinction on many levels ... this impossible to put down book, readers will likely return to these moments of intelligence Peter Thomas shares."

"I am, as I will continue to be, extremely grateful for the worldwide reception my stories have received. This interest and appreciation supports my strong belief that society continues to evolve into global citizens, and with each and every passing day, the concerns or interests that one person shares in one part of the world has relevance to another person living on the other side of the planet. I think this is truly remarkable, particularly since one of the primary undercurrents of each of my books is the value of global citizenship. The other undercurrent - and I once thought this was a secret only a few readers realized, but in time I came to know how much I have been mistaken - is that if you hear the voice attached to the words in my novels, you will hear the voice of a parent who deeply loves his child. As I now have come to understand, a substantial number of my readers have heard and indentified with that voice. So perhaps these are two of the reasons why my writing continues to be embraced and evolve onto the global stage."

Peter Thomas Senese

Peter Thomas Senese is a storyteller focusing on messages in all formats that bespeak global connectivity. He is actively involved in supporting issues that impact the lives of children, including demonstrative support to keep our nation's public libraries properly funded and open seven days a week; and, actively engaged in numerous and extensive activities surrounding international child abduction prevention; and, actively advocating for new legislation that will protect children and others from malicious online impersonation.

Please visit the official website of Peter Thomas Senese to read more about Peter's writing and advocacy work.

Upcoming Report On Financial Burden Of International Child Abduction In the U.S. Expected To Report Extensive Losses For Targeted Parents: WHTI Policy Flaws Cited

2011-11-08T09:08:00.001-08:00

Authors and child advocates Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Vlk recently published report on international parental child abduction originating from the United States points to major loopholes in the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative as a primary reason how American children are illegally removed from the country.

New York, NY (PRWEB) November 06, 2011

A landmark study conducted by child abduction prevention advocates Carolyn Ann Vlk and Peter Thomas Senese reveals astonishing loopholes in Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) travel documentation requirements for children 16 years old or younger that inadvertently have created substantial opportunities for international parental child abductors and human traffickers who target thousands of U.S. children each year for cross-border abduction.

The report is titled “International Child Abduction and Human Trafficking In The Western Hemisphere,” and is contained in the child abduction prevention advocates' recently published resource guide on child abduction titled "The World Turned Upside Down", which has been made available as a free E-book by the authors.

The extensive study focuses in part on the limited ground and sea travel documentation requirements needed for children traveling to contiguous nations as defined by the WHTI, including to the two nations that represent the highest concentration of abduction cases to and from the United States: Mexico and Canada, while also focusing on illegal travel to the Caribbean via cruise ship.

Under existing United States WHTI policy, a child under 16 years of age traveling by land or by sea to Canada, Mexico, or any number of Caribbean island-nations is required to present as little as a photocopy of their nationalization papers such as a photocopy of a birth certificate. No valid passport is required unless a child is traveling by air. With fraudulent travel documentation being a major issue for the Department of Homeland Security, it is clear that all travel of minors must include use of a valid passport regardless of how travel is conducted.

According to the 2010 Report on Compliance with the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspect of International Child Abduction prepared by the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Children’s Issues, there were 1,621 ‘reported’ international parental child abductions originating from the U.S. during 2009. The average growth rate over the past several years is approximately 20% per year.

Additionally, the number of ‘unreported’ cases of international child abduction to contiguous nations is believed to be substantial and is discussed in "Crisis in America: International Parental Child Abduction Today" that is included in Peter Senese and Carolyn Vlk's "The World Turned Upside Down." Supporting the concern of the existence of significant ‘unreported’ cases is the most recent National Incidence Study of Missing, Abducted, Runaway and Thrownaway Children (NISMART-2) study, which reports that of the 203,900 children that are estimated to be parentally abducted annually in the U.S., only 28% (56,500) of these abductions were reported to law enforcement.

The “International Child Abduction and Human Trafficking In The Western Hemisphere” report has two main objectives: the first goal is to raise awareness of the loopholes traffickers and child abductors may utilize to facilitate their criminal acts of child-stealing so that targeted parents of child abduction, the judiciary and its court officers, law enforcement officials, and policymakers may act to protect children from this hideous type of crime. The second objective is to offer potential solutions through preventative measures and legislative changes that may assist in preventing child abduction and human trafficking as it is uniquely related to current WHTI policy.

In addition, the child abduction prevention advocates have recently created a White House petition site urging others to share their voice in seeking to modify the existing WHTI policy so that all U.S. citizens, regardless of age, must travel with a vaild passport.

Peter Thomas Senese, the author of the upcoming novel ‘Chasing The Cyclone’ critics have called a ‘Call-To-Arms’ against child-stealing that was inspired by his experience as a father who faced international parental child abduction stated, “The information furnished in our report provides substantial insight on how each year thousands of targeted children of international abduction living in the Western Hemisphere, including a considerable number of defenseless U.S. children-citizens, may be criminally transported across international borders. The loopholes in current government policy that may allow abductors to steal children across international borders are severe. In releasing this comprehensive study and by offering measurable solutions, it is Carolyn Vlk’s and my aspiration to raise awareness so that existing policy may be changed in the name of our children’s best interest."

Carolyn Ann Vlk commented, “International child abduction and human trafficking are urgently critical issues that necessitate an immediate response. As children do not have the ability to protect themselves, we must continue to identify risk factors and loopholes that lead them to becoming victimized. The current situation is intolerable and the sheer numbers of children that are disappearing is unacceptable. These are horrendous crimes which mandate our highest priority and that necessitate legislative changes to take place immediately at the federal level. A mandate requiring a passport for all international travel will create the type of change necessary to further protect the innocent ones from this unconscionable crime.”

Mr. Senese added, "In the near future, we will be releasing a comprehensive study on the financial cost and financial loss associated with international parental child abduction originating from the United States. Our preliminary findings are shocking, and surely will open up many lawmakers eyes on the exteme financial impact international parental child abduction has on our nation and its economy. All this aside - what we're interested in getting our hands around is rather straight-forward: we want to fully understand how our children are being abducted and what can we do about it. Obviously prevention is key. And that means we must, under all circumstances, modify the WHTI because we're not talking about 1 or 10 or 100 defenseless American child-citizens lives here, we're talking about thousands of children. And this is unacceptable."

Costs for targeted American citizen parents associated with an international parental child abduction include but are not limited to extensive legal costs in the United States and abroad (to the country that the child was illegally taken to and/or detained in, costs associated with finding a child if the child's location is unknown or costs associated with hiring private security to monitor the child's whereabouts while legal proceedings take place, and travel related costs associated with a targeted parent's litigation and hopeful reunification abroad. In addition, the financial burden for the courts and law enforcement are also extensive.

Best-selling author Peter Thomas Senese stated, "When we consider the growing rate of abduction for reported international child abduction cases and the anticipated growing rate of abduction for unreported international child abduction cases in the Untied States, and then factor in the overall costs associated with an abduction, including factoring in a series of additional factors as will be reported in the upcoming study, the overall financial impact on American citizens over a ten year period will far exceed One Billion dollars."

To read more about the “International Child Abduction and Human Trafficking In The Western Hemisphere,” please download a free copy of "The World Turned Upside Down."

Peter Senese and Carolyn Vlk Make Major Contribution To Child Abduction Prevention Community: Publish Historic Resource Guide

2011-10-30T10:05:00.001-07:00

Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Ann Vlk are child abduction prevention advocates who have spent endless resources researching issues related to international parental child abduction (IPCA). Recently, the child advocates published the historic 'THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN', a 330 page resource guide containing groundbreaking research and landmark findings on a diverse number of issues surrounding IPCA. At the core of the manifesto, the authors ask the questions, "How are our children being internationally abducted, and, what can we do to prevent this from happening?"

Reviewers, critics, and more importantly, the intended audience of 'THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN' - targeted parents of at-risk children and professionals and advocates who actively act to prevent abduction from occurring have praised Mr. Senese and Ms. Vlk's publication as a resource tool that has had a significant impact on the safety of many children.

Peter Thomas Senese commented, 'THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN' is the product of years of research and study into various issues of child abduction. Both Carolyn Vlk and I volunteer our time and resources to this important issue because it is our hope to stop as many child abductions as possible from occurring. Unfortunately, too many targeted children and many family law practitioners are not fully aware of the complex issues of international child abduction. So we decided to publish this extensive resource guide and make it free for everyone who needs it, while also using our finding to push for new state and federal laws and policy that will prevent international child abduction."

Written reviews of 'THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN' tell a story of two child advocates making a positive difference in the lives of many. For insight on the high-impact work of Mr. Senese and Ms. Vlk, please read the following reviews:

Written By: Joel S. Walter (Esquire and Renown Child Advocate)
The World Turned Upside Down is a must read for all parents! The authors, Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Vlk are leading advocates in the world of International Parental Child Abduction. Mr. Senese's work in this area is exemplary and impactful, and he and Ms. Vlk, author of Florida's Child Abduction Law, have both been successful 'chasing' parents, and they offer a detailed manual providing that which one needs to know if one's child is at risk ...The WORLD provides one with strategies by explaining the different laws and treaties that come into play regarding child abduction. Also, the authors provide the reader with those "risk factors" to watch for and methods to protect against a child's abduction with steps to take should the abduction actually occur.It is critical that any partner in a cross-cultural relationship pay attention to the risk factors which are detailed by the authors ...This clearly written resource guide will either help prevent an abduction or assist in the recovery of your child ... The authors have demonstrated their activism by uploading a full free copy of The World Turned Upside Down which is a HOME RUN! Kudos!

Written By: Jill Jones-Soderman (Executive Director: 'The Foundation For The Child Victims Of The Family Court')
We wish to note that Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Ann Vlk's THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN is filled with accurate, usable, effective information dealing with that which is certainly one of the most horrifying experiences of a parent's life, the abduction of their child by a co-parent.In fact, it is in the authors' clear and thoughtful research on various issues concerning international parental child abduction that new and important light is shed on critical topics that ask the questions 'How are our children internationally kidnapped?' and 'What can we do to prevent this?' In answering these questions in various ways, Mr. Senese and Ms. Vlk continue to assess previously published statistics, research, and data, and analyze how this information was derived. What has become clear and certain is that the general public, the court's, lawmakers, and attorneys know very little about international parental child abduction, and the widespread impact it has on society. Concrete material which galvanizes the strength of a stricken parent includes such material as the research report titled 'Crisis In America: International Parental Child Abduction Today' ...Truly, for the first time has there been a thorough analysis that provides the full view of abduction, while also dissecting and discarding previously inaccurate information based on faulty past studies ... Another brilliant component of THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN is a section titled 'International Parental Child Abduction and Human Trafficking In The Western Hemisphere'. Here, the authors hit pay-dirt. In asking the question, 'How are our children abducted?', the authors are led toward studying the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). Under the WHTI, it has become clear how children are abducted. Specifically, the WHTI allows for children under the age of 16 traveling by land or by sea from the United States to present a photocopy of their citizenship papers such as a birth certificate! As the authors point out, only the use of a passport at departure provides some control over possible abduction ... Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Ann Vlk have created a highly valuable manifesto on international parental child abduction prevention and recovery that is clearly geared toward two objectives. The first is obvious: to help other parents and children who are targets of abduction. The second objective is to create a highly informative and accurate resource for lawmakers, members of the judiciary, and child advocates alike, as the authors focus their actions toward changing, modifying, or implementing new law and policy at either a state or federal level ... THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN is a unique, outstanding, generous contribution unknown to date for its desire to help a huge public that has suffered immeasurably for lack of information as to how to proceed and who to trust in their quest to find a missing/lost child. THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN by child advocates Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Ann Vlk is a true manifesto that every parent potentially at risk, that every family court lawyer, and every lawmaker interested in protecting our nation's children should read.

Written By: Rianna Pearson (Targeted Parent of at-risk children)
Undeniably, Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Vlk's `The World Turned Upside Down' is so much more than a brilliant resource guide selflessly created by two highly respected child abduction prevention advocates who have had an immensely impactful influence on a large and growing global community seeking to find effective remedies to this abusive crime against children. And I know this first-hand because I am a parent at risk who was able to protect my three children from abduction due in no small way because of Mr. Senese and Ms. Vlk's intervention and the knowledge they directly shared with me which is also contained in `The World Turned Upside Down'. The reality is my children were not abducted to a foreign country because of the information contained in `The World Turned Upside Down' and the extraordinary knowledge and actions of Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Vlk ... There are individuals who decide to act in the face of adversity in order to help others. In creating `The World Turned Upside Down', Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Vlk have not only acted and acted again, but the information they share will help many others throughout the world ... `The World Turned Upside Down' is a carefully written manifesto on how to stop a growing worldwide problem. As for Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Vlk, what can I say? I know if it was not for them, my children would be long gone. As I shared earlier in this review, "God bless both of you, and thank you so much for all you did for me and my children." Help other customers find the most helpful reviews.

Written By: G. Nyberg (Renown Child Advocate)
The World Turned Upside Down is written by a parent who experienced firsthand the horror, pain, and financial burden of having his child abducted. Peter got directly involved in the search for his son and remained persistent in his quest despite the many setbacks and obstacles. Through his experience he recognized the necessity to help and educate parents facing the same circumstances. Peter wanted to empower parents with the knowledge, statistics, contacts, and networks he discovered effective and useful, so he wrote, "The World Turned Upside Down". This book is essential for not only parents searching for their children, but for law enforcement, advocates, an NGO, and other professionals involved in international child abduction and human trafficking ... The World Turned Upside Down is a must read not only for parents at risk of child abduction, such as those who believe a non-custodial parent is capable of taking their child illegally and leaving the country, but for anyone close to them.

Written By: Amanda Bayoumi (Targeted Parent of At-Risk Children)
In THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN, Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Vlk have created an extraordinary vital tool for any parent who's child is at risk of international parental child abduction or has been criminally abducted. Packed with a plethora of resources,important contacts and information right at your fingertips, THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN is the creation of years of research complied into to a easy to read format that will be always evolving based on the needs of the left behind parent. This will be a living and breathing book that with completely change the fight against international parental child abduction. I applaud the authors for their significant effort to help parents like myself who have been targets for a potential criminal child abduction. Not only has the written book THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN been a great resource to me and my legal representatives, but the material presented has in fact made a very big difference on my and my children's safety. I am extremely grateful that this book has been published and made available the way it has. Clearly both Peter Senese and Carolyn Vlk dedication to helping parents and children like myself is most commendable. THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN is a must read for targeted parents of abduction, lawmakers, and most of all, judges who oversee cases involving children and a potential abduction risk.

Written By: Maurizio Rigamonti (Targeted Victim of International Parental Child Abduction)
I'm presently chasing the nightmarish cyclone of international parental child kidnapping and the incomprehensible legal and prejudicial maze many targeted parents unfairly face while trying to protect their criminally victimized child and I can say that, "Thanks to `The World Turned Upside Down' and the admirable efforts of it's authors Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Vlk, we have a real manual that tells us in detail a substantial amount about the world of international parental child abduction. As a parent involved in a case of international child abduction, I can say that this book is a precious help to all who are subject to the horror of having a child kidnapped abroad. THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN is a must read for targeted parents of abduction, lawmakers, and most of all, judges who oversee cases involving children and a potential abduction risk.

Written By: David Bokel (Child Advocate and Targeted Parent)
The World Turned Upside Down is a great resource for law enforcement, judges, lawyers, legislatures, and parents. It is so painful to imagine your own child suddenly missing. Many parents and whole communities of people do not know what to do when a child goes missing. This book provides valuable answers. If more people worked on prevention, there would be fewer children missing. We need to look past the pain in order to find ways to prevent child abduction. I invite all to educate themselves and work hard to advocate for our children and reduce the numbers of children abducted. Together we can make a difference for the benefit of our precious children.

Written By: Vivian Middleton (Child Advocate)
The World Turned Upside Down is a book that is filled with Knowledge. Knowledge is POWER! Parental Alienation is an Epidemic throughout our world, yet very little is being done to prevent it. This book offers the reader to gain the knowledge necessary to bring about CHANGE! If one sit's idly by and does nothing, then nothing changes. I can not emphasize enough just how very important it is for each of us to become involved. I feel that this book gives one an extended helping hand in bringing about a profound change and protect our children from such a horrific episode in their life and that of their loved ones, that forever leaves permanent scars. This is a preventable occurrence. But one must want and seek out change. I think that this book offers so much information to those who have not fully explored the World of Parental Alienation. It offers so much to those who are going through it. A GREAT RESOURCE of INFORMATION. Well worth reading and sharing and doing everything possible to bring about change to protect the innocent children that we are suppose to protect.

Written By: Peggy G - (Grandparent of at-risk children)
The "World Turned Upside Down" by Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Vlk is a book that has truly impacted my family's life. Speaking from experience, I know first-hand the serious challenges that a parent faces when their child is at risk for international child abduction. In my family's case, this is even more true when the other parent is from the Middle East and from a country that is not a party to any international treaty and where women are not nationals of that nation and have NO rights. There is no doubt that abduction prevention is the key. Every case is unique and with jurisdictional laws that vary from state to state, it is so important to have the critical and up-to-date information on international parental child abduction and prevention that is found in "The World Turned Upside Down." It is a wonderful gift that Peter and Carolyn have given to all of us to provide great insight on every issue that a targeted parent or family MUST pay attention to. I urge every parent involved in a cross-cultural relationship to read "The World Turned Upside Down." Don't wait. It may very well be the most important book you will ever read. On a personal note, I want to thank Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Vlk for being so dedicated to helping other parents and their children. Their work and actions alone with my family have made such a big difference and we are so thankful to them both.

Written By: N. Caraballo (Child Advocate)
Although I was not personally and directly involved during the time in which the International Parental Abduction was committed in our situation, I am now having to deal with the aftermath and prevention of a potential re-abduction of a minor child that I have come to love, care and cherish. Although our child is back home where he belongs in Florida, the hardest and most challenging issue has been to educate the judge and the legal system to put in place the preventive measures to avoid another re-abduction. This book has all the information to educate the judges, courts, and attorneys to take into consideration the preventive measures that can be put into place to avoid re-abduction by the parent who have no respect to the laws of our country. I've learned so much from this book. Parental International Abduction is a CRIME, it is CHILD ABUSE!! Let's get together and spread this informational book to avoid and deter those people who think they can commit this crime and get away with it!! THANK YOU, PETER AND CAROLYN FOR SHARING ALL THE INFORMATIVE RESOURCES CONTAINED IN THIS BOOK. I know with all this information, we can continue to stay strong and keep our child safe at home!

Written By: Ann Kerlin (Child Advocate)
It is sad and disgusting to know that grown adults play a cat and mouse game with one another using their own child(ren) as a pawn. In a lot of instances, one parent abducts their child(ren) from the guardian parent and crosses international lines to flee and hide. The mental and spiritual damage this causes to the child(ren) is staggering yet it doesn't just continues but is growing more rampant each year. On top of having to deal with parent against parent, there are also still many child(ren) abducted by strangers for whatever reason, be it greed or just evil intentions. In order to bright light to this worldwide epidemic, Peter Thomas Senese, being experienced as a "Chasing Parent" himself and Carolyn Ann Vlk, who has experienced the threats of abductions of her son, wrote this comprehensive e-book to outline the numbers (which is staggering), the financial burden on the "Chasing Parent" of trying to recover their abducted child(ren), as well as resources that the "Chasing Parents" can utilize to perhaps locate and recover their abducted child ... As much as we want to keep our eyes closed to this type of tragedy, they happen and more times than we would like. Kudos to Peter and Carolyn for their hard work and dedication in bringing this book and awareness to the forefront.

Written By: Stephen Bryer (Targeted Parent Of At-Risk Children)
I hope it is not viewed as to strange to say in my review of THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN 'God Bless both of you, Peter Senese and Carolyn Vlk': without the information that you have provided in your incredible resource guide, I am certain my son and daughter would be long gone and out of the country. It was due to the information you created that my lawyer was able to persuade the court to act carefully and not permit my ex-wife leave the country with my son and daughter. As it turned out, she had every intention of abducting my kids and staying in Russia ... The acts of Mr. Senese and Ms. Vlk to create such a thorough and detailed guide - and publish it for free only leads me to say one thing: God Bless you, Peter Senese and Carolyn Vlk.

For more information, please visit http://www.peterthomassenese.com/ or http://www.chasingthecyclone.com/

Internation Family Law Attorney Patricia M. Lee Seeks For Implementation Of New Child Abduction Prevention Laws

2011-10-27T06:54:00.001-07:00

St. Petersburg, Florida Attorney Patricia M. Lee is seeking for U.S. government lawmakers to implement additional child abduction prevention policies including the creation of a secondary non-departure list for U.S. citizens suspected of being high-risk child abductors. Patricia M. Lee, whose practice primarily evolves around complex international family law matters has created a White House petition site and urges others to support the Government Accountability Office's recommendation to create a no-fly screening list for potential child abductors.

St. Petersburg, Florida Child Advocate and Lawyer Patricia M. Lee, whose legal practice evolves around complex international family law matters has recently created a White House petition site in support of new legal initiatives that would create landmark child abduction prevention policies in order to protect tens of thousands of American child-citizens at risk each year of international cross-border abduction.

Patricia M. Lee's law practice evolves primarily around international family issues, including the Hague Convention on the International Aspects of Child Abduction and interstate parental kidnapping, as well as the enforcement and modification of foreign orders of support and property distribution. Ms. Lee's international experience includes cases involving international family law, and parental child abduction, support enforcement or modification, and ancillary probate matters from countries such as Belgium, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Columbia, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, and Guatemala.

Recently, a groundbreaking United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) report has recommended for the creation of a new international parental child abduction prevention program aimed at establishing a non-departure fly list for United States citizens who have been determined by either our courts or law enforcement as potential high-risk international parental child abductors. In the report that Gerald Dillingham, the Director of Physical Infrastructure Issues for the U.S. GAO issued, the GAO recommendation states, "To further help prevent international parental child abduction involving airline flights, particularly for persons identified as high risk for attempting such abductions, we recommend that the Secretary of Homeland Security consider creating a program similar to the child abduction component of the Prevent Departure program that would apply to U.S. citizens."

Patricia M. Lee commented,, "The legal environment for parents whose children are at risk of abduction is daunting. To begin with, targeted parents are often not aware of the other parent's imminent plans to abduct their child. All too often local courts may not realize the complex issues involved in these types of cases, and the challenging legal remedies that a targeted or left behind parent faces in order to prevent or attempt to reunite with their child, not to mention the incredible financial burden. Present loopholes in existing laws and policies make it possible for children to be abducted internationally, despite injunctive relief or federal assistance under existing programs. I have to ask why American citizens should be treated differently than resident aliens when the risk of abduction is the same, if not greater, as we are addressing preventing abduction of children from or by parents resident in the United States. These parents most likely possess dual citizenship, or American citizenship documentation. The disparity in treatment of U.S. citizens and resident aliens certainly raises legitimate constitutional concerns, and more importantly, leaves gaping holes in the prevention system. I believe that the recommendations by the GAO are appropriate, timely and much needed. For example, without the creation of a secondary screening departure list established to prevent would-be abductors who possesses a United States passport and/or a secondary passport issued from another country, there are limited remedies available that could realistically prevent a child from being wrongfully taken abroad. What is needed is exactly what the Government Accountability Office and the Department of Homeland Security are recommending: a preventive program that focuses on the point of departure that ensures that children who are not permitted to leave the country with a particular parent due to potential child abduction are unable to do so. This type of program would be of great benefit to at risk parents seeking to prevent child abduction by a dual national and/or American citizen parent. In our ever shrinking world, this is a very real threat that is not currently being addressed."

A response from Jim Crumpacker of the Departmental GAO/OIG Liaison Office of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) concurs with the recommendation and need to create a secondary security screening list in order to stop American child-citizens from being illegally abducted abroad; however, DHS cites challenges that exist to implement such a program. Specifically, "DHS strongly agrees that preventing international child abduction is a very important issue. The Department also agrees that expanding its current efforts along these lines to include pre-departure flight screening for potential U.S. citizen abductors could be helped in preventing some abductions."

According to Ms. Lee, "The United States government has several programs in place to prevent international parental child abduction; however, these policies in themselves are not enough to prevent abduction. They presently include the State Department's requirement that both parents or guardians consent prior to the issuance of a child's U.S. passport. In addition, the State Department has created the 'Children's Passport Issuance Alert Program' to prevent the issuance of a passport to an individual who does not possess a right of custody or guardianship of a child. And finally, parents can contact the State Department's Office of Children's Issues and request that a suspected non-U.S. citizen abductor be placed on the Department of Homeland Security's 'Prevent Departure Program' or to seek addition in the filing of a Hague petition. Each is good, sound policy. However, collectively they are not enough to stop international child abduction from occurring as is indicated by the substantial growth of reported and suspected unreported international child abductions in the United States and abroad each year.

"Specifically, we need new policies that include the creation of a non-departure list for high-risk child abductors possessing rights ofAmerican citizenship. And equally as important, we need to modify the existing Western Hemisphere Travel Initiatives to include that all individuals, children included, must present a valid passport when traveling abroad, regardless if they travel by land, sea, or air."

Supporting Patricia M. Lee's statement is the GAO report, which further emphasizes the need for a secondary prevent departure list. "Department of Homeland Security officials told us that their Prevent Departure list - which requires a custody or court order specifically banning the child in question from traveling internationally with a specified parent or someone acting on behalf of the parent - is quite effective at preventing abductions involving non-U.S. citizen abductors. Officials at the State Department added that a similar list for U.S. citizens would be very effective in cases where there was already a custody or court order preventing the child from traveling abroad with the specified parent."

Patricia M. Lee is the mother of four adult children, and when not traveling, lives and works primarily in St. Petersburg, Florida. She is involved with numerous charitable and legislative groups working to protect the welfare of children and to address domestic violence. Ms. Lee has handled client referrals in international kidnapping matters for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Child Watch, the Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center, and for numerous United States Servicemen stationed abroad and/or with children of foreign nationals. She is also active in legislative reform to proactively prevent child abduction and human trafficking. She has been court appointed to represent the interests of children as a guardian ad litem in high conflict custody and abuse cases, and is currently undergoing additional training to represent the interests of abused children. She has presented legal advice seminars for domestic violence shelters and is an active volunteer for the Community Law Program, and in 2009, was recognized with an annual award for her work on behalf of the poor in her community.

In addition, Ms. Lee is a referral attorney for the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children, the United States implementing agency for the Hague Convention, and is experienced in the international aspects of child abduction, the federal Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act, the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act, the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, international and national relocation issues, the impact of immigration laws upon dissolution of marriage, the domestication, modification and enforcement of foreign custody and support orders, and other bi-national divorce issues.
Ms. Lee is a sole practitioner maintaining her primary office in St. Petersburg, Florida, but is also of counsel to the international law firm of Urban Thier Federer & Chinnery, P.A., with offices in London and Manchester, England, Munich, Germany, and Orlando, Florida.

To show your support for the creation of a security screening list for individuals considered to be high-risk abductors or to voice your concern over poor travel document requirements needed for children traveling abroad under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative PLEASE sign the WHITE House petition at http://wh.gov/2MC

For more information on Attorney Patricia M. Lee, please visit: http://www.thelawofficeofpatricialee.com/

Filmmaker Peter Thomas Senese & Florida Family Law Attorney Patricia M. Lee Interview With 'The Hour of Truth & Honesty' Radio Host Bill Peterseim

2011-10-24T12:55:00.001-07:00

Patricia M. Lee

Recently, Patricia Lee, who in my opinion is one of our country's leading international family law attorneys and an incredible expert in international parental child abduction, and I had the privelage of sitting with radio talk show host Bill Peterseim on his 'Hour Of Truth & Integrity' broadcast by World Action Radio and Television Network (WATV).

Bill Peterseim

Our interview with Bill Peterseim evolved around international parental child abduction prevention and new policy initiatives Patricia and me, along with other advocates such as Carolyn Vlk, Joel Walter, Jill-Jones Soderman, and David Bokel have been seeking to have enacted.

The interview runs one hour long, and is filled with great insight on this growing epidemic that could very well victimize over 100,000 American children alone from now until 2020.

CLICK HERE to listen to the interview.

To sign our White House petition site in support on new child abduction prevention laws, CLICK HERE.

To learn more about our initiatives please visit the official website of Chasing The Cyclone or the official website of Peter Thomas Senese.

Peter Thomas Senese Creates WHITE HOUSE Petition Site Urging Support For New Child Abduction Prevention Policies

2011-10-19T12:25:00.001-07:00

The United States' Government Accountability Office Recently Recommended A No-Fly List For High Risk Child Abductors. Child Abduction Prevention Advocates Like Myself, Carolyn Vlk, Joel Walter, Patricia Lee, Eric Kalmus, and Pamela Michell Applaude This Recommendation As A Means To Dramatically Reduce Abduction.

PETER THOMAS SENESE HAS CREATED A WHITE HOUSE PETITION SITE URGING YOU TO SUPPORT CHILD ABDUCTION PREVENTION LAWS.

Peter Thomas Senese
After A Long Day At The
United States Capitol

A groundbreaking United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) report has recommended for the creation of a new international parental child abduction prevention program aimed at establishing a non-departure fly list for United States citizens who have been determined by either our courts or law enforcement as potential high-risk international parental child abductors. In the report that Gerald Dillingham, the Director of Physical Infrastructure Issues for the U.S. GAO issued, the GAO recommendation states, "To further help prevent international parental child abduction involving airline flights, particularly for persons identified as high risk for attempting such abductions, we recommend that the Secretary of Homeland Security consider creating a program similar to the child abduction component of the Prevent Departure program that would apply to U.S. citizens."

A response from Jim Crumpacker of the Departmental GAO/OIG Liaison Office of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) concurs with the GAO recommendation to create a secondary security screening list in order to stop American child-citizens from being illegally abducted abroad; however, DHS cites challenges that exist to implement such a program. Specifically, "DHS strongly agrees that preventing international child abduction is a very important issue. The Department also agrees that expanding its current efforts along these lines to include pre-departure flight screening for potential U.S. citizen abductors could be helped in preventing some abductions."

In response to Mr. Dillingham and Mr. Crumpacker, I was recently quoted as saying, "The recommendation from the Government Accountability Office, agreed by both the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State, sends an important message to local courts involved with a child's welfare when they consider the potential for a child's international abduction that there is a real and growing problem of American child-citizens who are either criminally abducted from the United States or illegally detained in a foreign country after travel orders are granted. The local courts charged with oversight of a child must take note that the United States federal government is directly saying that existing state and federal government programs and policies created to prevent abduction are not enough to prevent child abduction, and serious loopholes exist that allow for children to be stolen and taken abroad - where too many defenseless children are never recovered. It is my hope that the convergence of multiple government agencies cited in the GAO report, each declaring that IPCA is a real problem, will cause local courts to realize their need to act prudently and with keen insight on all the local and international issues involving a potential child abduction. With thousands of children criminally abducted from the United States and taken abroad each year, the creation of a secondary security departure list will stop a substantial number of American child-citizen kidnappings from occurring each year. This recommended policy is exactly what the child abduction prevention community has been calling for."

CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE WHITE HOUSE PETITION

Groundbreaking Government Recommendation To Create Secondary Non-Departure List For U.S. Citizens Considered High-Risk Abductors Supported By Child Abduction Prevention Advocates Peter Senese, Patricia Lee, Carolyn Vlk and Joel Walter. Advocates Create White House Petition Site

2011-10-17T13:10:00.001-07:00

The GAO report, titled ‘Program Aimed At High-Risk Parent Abductors Could Aid In Preventing Abduction’ was requested by Congressmen Jerry Costello (D – Illinois) and Tom Petri (R – Wisconsin), the respective Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the House of Representatives ‘Subcommittee On Transportation And Infrastructure’. The landmark report states that since the year 2000, the number of outbound international parental child abduction cases reported to the Department of State, many of which likely included air travel, has nearly tripled. In addition, various nongovernmental child abduction prevention stakeholder reports, including the comprehensive studies published in Peter Senese and Carolyn Vlk’s newly published resource guide on IPCA titled ‘The World Turned Upside Down’, indicate that the number of unreported international parental child abductions have also substantially increased due to various factors including population growth and immigration migration trends.

A response from Jim Crumpacker of the Departmental GAO/OIG Liaison Office of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) concurs with the GAO recommendation to create a secondary security screening list in order to stop American child-citizens from being illegally abducted abroad; however, DHS cites challenges that exist to implement such a program. Specifically, “DHS strongly agrees that preventing international child abduction is a very important issue. The Department also agrees that expanding its current efforts along these lines to include pre-departure flight screening for potential U.S. citizen abductors could be helped in preventing some abductions.” The response by DHS then states that there do exist challenges in implementing a secondary security screening list when he states, “However, a number of challenges exist to visibly implementing a high-risk abductor list for U.S. citizens. These include potential constitutional, operational, privacy, and resource issues, among others. DHS remains committed to continuing its work with the U.S. State Department, the airlines, and other stakeholders to better prevent these abductions. DHS will consider options to expand its efforts, as reasonably appropriate.”

The statements by both the GAO and DHS of the grave necessity for a security screening program in the face of the rapid expansion of the criminal international child abduction of American child-citizens originating from the United States offers keen insight for the courts of local jurisdiction who are responsible in issuing orders and remedies that will protect a child from abduction.

A petition site allowing U.S. citizens over the age of 13 to demonstrate their support for child abduction prevention policies and programs has been created on the Official White House website.

Peter Thomas Senese, the author of IPCA related books including ‘Chasing The Cyclone’ and the co-author of ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ as well as the creator/producer of the educational documentary film series on IPCA titled ‘Chasing Parents’ commented, “The recommendation from the Government Accountability Office, agreed by both the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State, sends an important message to local courts involved with a child’s welfare when they consider the potential for a child’s international abduction that there is a real and growing problem of American child-citizens who are either criminally abducted from the United States or illegally detained in a foreign country after travel orders are granted. The local courts charged with oversight of a child must take note that the United States federal government is directly saying that existing state and federal government programs and policies created to prevent abduction are not enough to prevent child abduction, and serious loopholes exist that allow for children to be stolen and taken abroad – where too many defenseless children are never recovered. It is my hope that the convergence of multiple government agencies cited in the GAO report, each declaring that IPCA is a real problem, will cause local courts to realize their need to act prudently and with keen insight on all the local and international issues involving a potential child abduction. With thousands of children criminally abducted from the United States and taken abroad each year, the creation of a secondary security departure list will stop a substantial number of American child-citizen kidnappings from occurring each year. This recommended policy is exactly what the child abduction prevention community has been calling for.”

According to the new report, government and nongovernment stakeholders agree that the creation of a security program similar to the existing ‘Prevent Departure Program’ (established in 2003) which is administered by the Department of Homeland Security and utilized by the Department of State’s Office Of Children’s Issues may significantly reduce the growing number of cross-border parental child abductions each year. Presently, the ‘Prevent Departure Program’ allows for precautionary security checks to occur, whereas a legal or illegal alien resident living in the United States and who is considered to be a potential parental child abductor is prohibited from traveling abroad with their child due to court orders prohibiting the child from international travel. Additionally, in order for an individual to be placed on the Prevent Departure Program, either a court or law enforcement must determine that a potential international child abduction threat is a possibility.Once this occurs, it is up to the Department of State to request to the Department of Homeland Security that a person be placed on the non-departure list.

One of the great challenges targeted children and parents of international parental abduction face is the limited amount of abduction prevention laws or government programs in place to prevent a United States citizen, or more commonplace, a United States citizen possessing rights of dual citizenship from departing the country with a United States child citizen despite non-removal orders issued by a court. Specifically, one of the glaring ways that a parent of dual nationality living in the United States is able to illegally remove a child from the country is if they and their child travel by air on either a valid United States passport, or, if they travel on a secondary passport issued by their country of origin, which, in most cases, the child would have automatic rights of citizenship to. In both scenarios, a program such as the Prevent Departure Program would not be able to prevent abduction from occurring because the individual is a U.S. citizen and as such is not eligible for inclusion in the Prevent Departure Program. In addition, international abduction by either land or sea would have similar challenges.

If the Government Accountability Office recommendation is acted upon, and a new security screening process is created to protect children at risk who cannot be protected under present government programs, then children who are either the product of multicultural relationships targeted for illegal international removal or children of parents simply desiring to leave the United States with their child despite court orders will be significantly more protected.

Presently, the United States government has several programs in place to prevent international parental child abduction. This includes the following:

1. The State Department requires both parents or guardians consent prior to the issuance of a child’s U.S. passport.

2. Parents can sign up for the State Department’s Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program.

3. Parents can contact the State Department’s Office of Children’s Issues to place a suspected non-U.S. citizen abductor on the DHS’s Prevent Departure.

According to Joel S. Walter, a New York City based attorney who focuses on federal court and family law matters including international child custody, “There currently exists no database that captures information pertaining to child custody and a court’s orders concerning a child’s travel restrictions. And even with court orders in place, it is difficult for law enforcement to uphold travel orders, in part due to the lack of an up-to-date nationwide database. When we add that the United States generally does not exercise departure controls at our borders for citizens possessing a valid passport from leaving our country, we begin to realize the ease at which certain individuals may be able to illegally remove a child. Clearly, the Prevent Departure Program offers abduction prevention assistance for targeted parents and children who are non-nationals. However, without a security screening process for parents possessing American citizenship that are considered high-risk abduction threats, prevention of these types of cases will remain extremely difficult. There is no question in my mind that children who face potential international abduction need the United States government to establish additional policy or program that will protect them such as the secondary screening program recommended by the Government Accountability Office and the Department of Homeland Security. The work conducted by the GAO Infrastructure team in thoroughly researching this issue and bringing to light the real need for their suggestions hits right on one of the key issues that attorneys like myself who practice international family law as well as targeted parents of abduction realize: that our nation’s children must be protected from the cruel threat of parental kidnapping. I urge others to sign the White House petition site and send a message to our policymakers that we need to new abduction prevention programs.”

Supporting Mr. Walter’s statement, the GAO report states, “The lack of exit controls makes timing crucial in preventing international parental child abductions involving an airline flight. If a child has a valid passport, preventing an abduction on an international airline flight could be very difficult even if a parent has obtained a custody order barring such travel because that parent would not only need to involve law enforcement but do so with enough time to intercept the abducting parent and child before they board an international flight.” The report further adds that often, “A parent does not know that another family member plans to board the child on an international flight, and thus may not contact law enforcement on time.” Various studies show that many abductions occur when the targeted parent is unaware of the other parent’s abduction scheme.

Patricia M. Lee, a seasoned St. Petersburg and Orlando, Florida based attorney practicing international parental child abduction prevention and reunification added, “The legal environment for parents whose children are at risk of abduction is daunting. To begin with, targeted parents are often not aware of the other parent’s imminent plans to abduct their child. All too often local courts may not realize the complex issues involved in these types of cases, and the challenging legal remedies that a targeted or left behind parent faces in order to prevent or attempt to reunite with their child, not to mention the incredible financial burden. Present loopholes in existing laws and policies make it possible for children to be abducted internationally, despite injunctive relief or federal assistance under existing programs. I have to ask why American citizens should be treated differently than resident aliens when the risk of abduction is the same, if not greater, as we are addressing preventing abduction of children from or by parents resident in the United States. These parents most likely possess dual citizenship, or American citizenship documentation. The disparity in treatment of U.S. citizens and resident aliens certainly raises legitimate constitutional concerns, and more importantly, leaves gaping holes in the prevention system. I believe that the recommendations by the GAO are appropriate, timely and much needed. For example, without the creation of a secondary screening departure list established to prevent would-be abductors who possesses a United States passport and/or a secondary passport issued from another country, there are limited remedies available that could realistically prevent a child from being wrongfully taken abroad. What is needed is exactly what the Government Accountability Office and the Department of Homeland Security are recommending: a preventive program that focuses on the point of departure that ensures that children who are not permitted to leave the country with a particular parent due to potential child abduction are unable to do so. This type of program would be of great benefit to at risk parents seeking to prevent child abduction by a dual national and/or American citizen parent. In our ever shrinking world, this is a very real threat that is not currently being addressed.”

According to the critically herald Government Accountability Office report that was significantly contributed to by GAO Assistant Director – Infrastructure - Maria Edelstein, Samer Abbas, Jessica Bryant-Bertail, Lauren Calhoun, Pamela Davidson, and Amy Rosewarne that child abduction prevention advocates are praising, “Preventing international parental child abductions can be very difficult and depends on a number of factors, including the parent’s knowledge of the abduction risk and the existence of clear custody status for the child. While prevention efforts available to parents, such as contacting the State Department to request a passport alert for a child, generally require that the parent has some knowledge beforehand of the risk that an abduction might occur, abductions often occur when the parent has no such knowledge. In general, prevention efforts also require clear custody status. For example, in order for a parent to add a child and suspected abductors to the DHS’ Prevent Departure list, the requesting parent must demonstrate that he or she has parental or custodial rights to the child and that there is a court order barring the child from traveling internationally with the suspected abductor. However, custody laws vary by state, and many parents may not have such clear custody documentation available.” The report further states that according to the Department of Justice, as cited in the GAO report, “In cases where the parent is unaware of the abduction risk, and where there is no documentation of the child’s custody status, preventing such abductions is extremely difficult.”

Gloria Nyberg, a child abduction prevention advocate who has been involved in the successful reunification of numerous children over the past 30 years of her volunteer activism stated, “A security screening program that identifies U.S. citizens as high risk for committing international parental child abduction crimes, including violations under the Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act, would have far reaching and substantial benefits that would immediately reduce the number of international child abductions. Given the great difficulty a parent and our courts have in being able to recover a child who is criminally removed or detained, combined with the surging growth of abduction in our country and abroad, I welcome this news and pray that the recommendation is followed. I have no doubt that this suggested policy, if implemented will save countless thousands of lives from abduction while also saving an incredible amount of resources that must be utilized in order to litigate in local and foreign courts, to search for and track an abducted child, and to hopefully reunite with a child. Stopping the horror of abduction before it happens is critical. I urge others to sign the petition found on the White House website.”

Jill Jones-Soderman, Ph.D, and the Director of nonprofit The Foundation For The Child Victims Of The Family Court as well as the Founder of the Family Resolution Center based in New York observed, “Child abduction of any kind is a severe form of child abuse toward a child. The sociopathic tendencies of a parental abductor can be relentless to the point that individuals intending to criminally abduct a child overseas will often attempt to do so until they are successful. Parental abductors generally do not care about the true welfare of the child they abuse, but rather, they use a child in order to cause hurt in the other parent’s life. The short-term and long-term damage that is often done occurs well before the actual act of abduction, as parental alienation is commonplace. As an active voice against child abduction, the Foundation for Child Victims of the Family Court applauds the efforts of the Government Accountability Office and its report titled ‘Program Aimed At High-Risk Parent Abductors Could Aid In Preventing Abductions’. We are in full support of the creation of a secondary security screening program as has been recommended.”

The GAO report further emphasizes the need for a secondary prevent departure list when it states in its report, “Department of Homeland Security officials told us that their Prevent Departure list – which requires a custody or court order specifically banning the child in question from traveling internationally with a specified parent or someone acting on behalf of the parent – is quite effective at preventing abductions involving non-U.S. citizen abductors. Officials at the State Department added that a similar list for U.S. citizens would be very effective in cases where there was already a custody or court order preventing the child from traveling abroad with the specified parent.”

Carolyn Ann Vlk, who drafted Florida’s Child Abduction Prevention Act that is now law, co-author of ‘The World Turned Upside Down’, co-producer of the documentary film ‘Chasing Parents’, and the writer of numerous articles and research reports on international parental child abduction stated, “The reality is that our nation’s children are not safe from international parental child abduction, and the legal remedies available to targeted parents of abduction in the international community are not typically efficient. The single most important way to stop a child from being abducted is to prevent it from happening in the first place. That was and is the intent of Florida’s Child Abduction Prevention Act. However, as this highly regarded GAO report specifically points out when addressing risk factors targeted parents who are desperately trying to protect their children face, ‘Department of Homeland Security officials told us that many judges who deal with custody issues simply are not aware of the risk for international parental child abductions and thus may fail to issue a court order banning such travel. Officials at the State Department added that some judges are not adequately trained to issue court or custody orders that ban international travel in cases where abduction is a real concern.’ And so, with local courts of jurisdiction not possessing the knowledge of the great harm of parental child abduction onto a child, and, the unimaginable hardship a parent faces who is trying to find and reunite with their stolen child, the current trend of sharply rising abductions will continue. If and when the noteworthy GAO recommendation is created, there will be many thousands of children who will be better protected from international abduction.”

Eric Kalmus, a child abduction prevention advocate and the co-founder of The Japan Children's Rights Network added, "The reality that American citizens face is that the vast majority of children illegally removed abroad do not come home. A microcosm of this problem is Japan's failure to ever return an American child-citizen back to the United States, and Japan is supposedly one of America's biggest allies. In order for international parental child abduction to be reduced, our policymakers must create and uphold programs geared at preventing the illegal removal of our children. New programs or policies such as creating a screening list of individuals possessing American citizenship who are considered high-risk abductors would make a significant impact on reducing cross-border abductions. Additionally, closing the loopholes associated with minimal international travel documentation requirements for children traveling by land or sea as created under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative will also be a major step in preventing these crimes from occurring. The community of child abduction prevention advocates has been saying for a long time that preventive programs and policies are key. The GAO recommendation is a recommendation for good policy that will unquestionably stop many illegal international child kidnappings."

Obstacles for the Department of Homeland Security to implement a secondary prevent departure list do exist. According to the GAO report, “DHS may need additional statutory authority and potential additional financial resources to implement a high-risk abductor list for U.S. citizens. As previously discussed, the Immigration and Nationality Act provided departure control officers with the statutory authority necessary to prevent non-U.S. citizens from departing the country through the Prevent Departure program. This authority is insufficient to establish and administer such a list for U.S. citizens. Consequently, DHS would need to explore other current existing statutory authority to seek new authority to administer a program similar to the Prevent Departure program that would apply to U.S. Citizens.”

T. Pederson, a ranking senior naval officer and a parent undergoing custodial litigation that includes a possibility of parental abduction to a country that is noncompliant with the Hague Convention, comments, "Having consulted several attorneys and sat through court proceedings concerning the safety and welfare of my only child, where key abduction risk indicators under the newly-established Florida Statute 61.45 existed, I am deeply concerned about the lack of awareness of international parental abduction among the judiciary and applaud efforts to create a program similar to the existing Departure Prevention program for U.S. citizens that are potential international parental child abductors. The emotional duress and alienation abducted children endure, as well as the financial burden and emotional suffering a targeted parents would face if their child were abducted, must be averted. It is my hope that such a program would lead to education of the judiciary while ensuring the safety of many of our nation's at-risk children."

Peter Thomas Senese stated, “Reducing the capability of an abducting parent to depart the United States illegally with a child is one of the most pressing preventive matters our government must address. There are two significant steps that will dramatically reduce the number of children from abduction. One is the GAO recommendation for a security screening program geared for U.S. citizens considered to be high-risk abductors. The second method is to alter international travel documentation requirements for minors under 16 traveling by land or sea to Canada, Mexico, or to certain Caribbean-island nations under the existing Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. Presently, under the WHTI, a child may present only a photocopy of their citizenship papers such as a photocopy of a birth certificate in order to travel abroad. As discussed in 'The World Turned Upside Down' I co-authored with Carolyn Vlk, existing WHTI departure policy for children traveling abroad by land or sea offer parental child abductors a significant method to abduct, and this too must stop. If the Prevent Departure program is replicated to prevent individuals possessing a right of U.S. citizenship, we will create a formidable barrier for would-be abductors intending to abduct defenseless children. Unquestionably, it is the goal of parents, advocates, the judiciary, law enforcement, lawmakers, and government agency stakeholders to prevent the abduction of children domestically or abroad. All programs designed to stop abducting parents who have circumvented existing abduction prevention policies will dramatically reduce the number of children criminally abducted abroad. I urge others to sign the petition in support of creating new abduction prevention programs and policies located on the White House website.”

Joel S. Walter added, "The number of reported and unreported cases of U.S. child-citizens being abducted abroad continues to grow at significant and unacceptable rates. The exact number of abductions is unknown due to unreported cases of parental abduction to law enforcement of the Office of Children's Issues; however, we do know many thousands of U.S.child-citizens are abducted from America alone each year, and that this number is growing significantly. If the abduction growth rate remains the same over the next ten years, we will have more defenseless American children criminally abducted abroad and wrongfully detained than can fill a professional football stadium. And that is absurd!"

David Bokel, who had his only child criminally abducted but was able to stop his child before she was taken out of the country, added, "The reality is most children who are abducted abroad do not come home. For those of us who know the horror of abduction, we would not wish this ordeal onto anyone. It is the worst form of terrorism I can imagine. For those of you who do not know first-hand what it is to have a child internationally abducted, close your eyes for a moment and think what your life would be like knowing your child is gone but you can't do anything to help him or her, and you can't protect them. Welcome to the world of international child abduction. As a loving parent who had to protect my 3-year old daughter from this crime, I urge everyone to support any government policies or laws that will help protect our nation's children. If we don't stand up for them, who will?"

Pamela Michell, Founder of 'Survivor On A Mission', which focuses on raising awareness and preventing abduction and human trafficking spoke of the horror of abduction. "As both a survivor of abduction and human slavery, and as a global advocate assisting many others who have been abducted, abused, and violated, I urge others to rise up in the name of children. No person thinks this can or will happen to them or their family. Yet hundreds of thousands of children are targeted for abduction each year. We ask you to support child abduction prevention laws and programs everywhere. Please."

"We urge everyone to sign the petition site placed on the Official White House website, and show your support for the GAO recommendation and other child abduction prevention programs," urged Amanda Bayoumi, a mother at risk who is trying to ensure her children are not abducted to Saudi Arabia.

To show your support for the creation of a security screening list for individuals considered to be high-risk abductors or to voice your concern over poor travel document requirements needed for children traveling abroad under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

For more information on international parental child abduction, PLEASE CLICK HERE. For specific information on child abduction to Japan, please visit WWW.CRNJAPAN.NET. To contact Jill Jones-Soderman, PLEASE CLICK HERE. To contact attorney Joel S. Walter, PLEASE CLICK HERE. To contact attorney Patricia M. Lee, PLEASE CLICK HERE. To contact Peter Thomas Senese, please visit www.peterthomassenese.com .

We invite you to view Part I of

CHASING PARENTS: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction

Created By: Peter Thomas Senese

To View The Full Educational Documentary Film Series On International Parental Child Abduction

Please Visit:

www.chasingthecyclone.com

How Are Children Illegally Internationally Abducted?

2011-10-01T18:03:00.000-07:00

The following excerpt has been taken from the publication 'The World Turned Upside Down' by international parental child abduction prevention advocates Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Ann Vlk. For a free E-book copy of 'The World Turned Upside Down', please click on the cover jacket image.

How AreChildren Illegally Abducted Into And Out Of The United States?

The World Turned Upside Down
By:
Peter Thomas Senese
&
Carolyn Ann Vlk

International Parental Child Abduction is a premeditated criminal act of kidnapping according to U.S. federal law. Each U.S. state also has state criminal law that addresses the illicit act of parental child abduction. Similarly, many countries around the world have created criminal statutes associated with parental child abduction. Undeniably, parental child abduction is severe child abuse. However, the act of kidnapping alone does not typically constitute the only crime committed by a child abductor. In the vast majority of cases that occur, a parental child abductor has conspired to commit substantial acts of fraud against both the targeted parent and the abused child.

As our world becomes smaller, and cross-cultural relationships become more common, there is a direct correlation in the increase of international child abduction cases.

Security flaws that can lead to our children becomingvictimized include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Failures by courts and judges toproperly assess abduction risk and attach court orders that would preemptinternational child stealing; and,

2. Failure by judges to realize that their judicial court orders may be irrelevant in foreign jurisdictions, particularly when 'inbound' nations where a child is illegally kidnapped to may not participate or comply with international treaties such as The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects Of International Parental Child Abduction; and,

3. Failure to create or upholdpresent child abduction prevention laws or other laws created to protect ourchildren’s safety; and,

4. Failure by judges and courts they oversee to use existing criminal laws to punish parental child abductors for their criminal act of kidnapping as established by federal law; and,

5. Hesitation by judges located in 'inbound' abducting countries to return a parental child abductor if the courts of original jurisdiction intend to criminally prosecute a parental child abductor; and,

6. Identity and traveldocumentation fraud; and,

7. A lack of uniform requirementsfor travel documentation when departing or entering the U.S. such as a valid passport for all citizens, including children traveling by land or by sea as established by the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative; and,

8. The ability under present law to easilyillegally transport children under age 16 across borders during land and seatravel; and,

9. Human error during verificationof travel documents by CBP at a point-of-entry or departure; and,

10. Failures by law enforcement toact expeditiously to a potential abduction threat; and,

11. Inefficient communication anddata sharing between government agencies responsible to assist in preventing orresolving aninternational child abduction case; and,

12. The deficiency by our federal governmentto create and interlink a children's travel alert, travel restriction data base consistingof real-time family court decisions at the state level with all U.S. bordercontrol agencies and transport companies similar to capabilities availablethrough the Prevent Departure Program; and,

13. A lack of or outdated or underutilized state or federallaws and programs that fail to prevent the abduction of a child andin fact may enable an abduction to occur; and,

14. Dual citizenship travel documents such as the issuance of a secondary passport of a child by the nation of origin from a foreign born parent, whereas, there presently exists limited court capability to prevent a soverign nation from issuing a valid passport for a child with citizenship claims by birth to thei country; and,

15. The Lack of a national database capable to informing both government agencies and private travel industry security personnel including ground, rail, sea, and air transportation companies whether a child is legally able to leave the country, and with whom; and,

16. Illegal border-crossings through rural areas that are not closely monitored by border control.

For More information On International Parental Child Abduction, Please View:

CHASING PARENTS:

RACING INTO THE STORMS OF INTERNATIONAL PARENTAL CHILD ABDUCTION

Created By: Peter Thomas Senese

PART I & PART II

Child Abduction Prevention Advocates Peter Senese and Carolyn Vlk Release Landmark Publication That Addresses The Question 'How Are Our Children Criminally Internationally Abducted?"

2011-10-01T16:06:00.001-07:00

The following report focuses on fraud associated with the criminal removal and international parental child abduction of children, and in particular, documentation fraud associated with illegal cross-border removals associated with the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative in North America. Excerpts of this report originate from 'The World Turned Upside Down' written by international parental child abduction prevention advocates Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Ann Vlk.

International Parental Child Abduction involves the conspired criminal and fraudulent scheme by one parent to illegally remove a child from their country of origin or jurisdiction and away from the child's other parent against court orders or rights of custody. According to U.S. federal law, this act of abduction is in fact considered kidnapping and is covered by the 'International Parental Kidnapping Crimes Act' and the federal 'Prevention Kidnapping Crimes Act'. Many nations throughout the world have similar laws. The act itself of child abduction is a severe form of child abuse as established by leading therapist and cited and upheld throughout national and international law enforcement and judicial circles. Ongoing acts of parental alienation are strategically implemented by an abducting parent in order to have the abducted child sanction the criminal acts that have been cast upon them. Too Often, abducted children take on the conditions associated with Stockholm Syndrome, whereas, they gradually are coerced to sanction the criminal acts of the abducting parent.

Undeniably, an abducted child is a prisoner forced to coop with the behavior and aggressions of the abducting criminal parent, who, according to various federal law enforcement and government agencies, describes a parental child abductor as someone who often displays sociopathic tendencies. Tragically, a child victimized by abduction will suffer both short-term and long-term consequences at the hand of a manipulative, criminal abductor: according to various federal and independent reports and studies, a child abductor often uses the child of a relationship to cause harm and injury to the targeted parent, superficially being demonstrative to the child, but in fact actually acting with severe abuse and manipulative control of the child. The reality is a child who is abducted by one parent is the target of hideous abuse whereas the abducting parent will do everything possible to deprive the child of their identity, their rights to love and interact with their other parent, and a sense of family. In many cases the child's physical safety is placed into grave danger. Spiritually and psychologically a child is spiritually ambushed and physiologically terrorized to the point that their innocence is denied at the hands of the abductor's coercion and manipulation.

Make no mistake, fraud is the primary tool of a child abductor. Displaying sociopathic tendencies, these scheming child abductors typically have a pre-meditated and well planned strategy evolving around how they intend to illegally remove the child from the country of jurisdiction, particularly if there are court orders in place prohibiting a removal.

In the United States, as is elsewhere, including in particular the European Union, travel documentation fraud and poor exit control policies for minors traveling abroad are significant problem that enables abductors to criminally remove a child across a border.

In 'The World Turned Upside Down' I co-authored with Carolyn Ann Vlk, we discuss our findings to the question 'How are our children being abducted abroad?' Our findings led us to investigate, research, and study the ramifications of the 'Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative' Our findings and conclusions are extremely concerning.

The following is an excerpt taken from 'The World Turned Upside Down' by Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Ann Vlk concerning fraudulent documentation as it is connected to how children are illegally removed from one country to another in North America. In addition, our unpublished findings concerning global documentation fraud, including in the European Union, is expected to be published in early 2012. Present determinations and findings demonstrate that Europe, Asia, and Africa have similar challenges due to fraudulent documentation issues connected to travel under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

The World Turned Upside Down
By
Peter Thomas Senese
&
Carolyn Ann Vlk
Has Been Made Available As A Free
E-book. For More Information Visit
http://www.peterthomassenese.com/

Excerpt From 'The World Turned Upside Down'

The WHTI requirements for air travel took effect on January 23, 2007. According to U.S. Customs Border Protection, “All U.S. citizens and non-immigrant aliens from Canada, Bermuda, and Mexico departing from or entering the United States from within the Western Hemisphere at air ports-of-entry are required to present a valid passport (or NEXUS card, if utilizing a NEXUS kiosk when departing from a designated Canadian airport).” We believe that this stringent mandate for verifiable documentary identification prior to air travel has significantly reduced the ability to unlawfully remove a child from the United States.

Additionally, the U.S. increased the security of its child citizens when on February 1, 2008 new requirements under Public Law 106-113, Section 236 took effect requiring the permission of both parents prior to the issuance of a U.S. passport for children under the age of 16. According to the Department of State Office Of Children's Issues, “U.S. law requires the signature of both parents, or the child's legal guardians, prior to issuance of a U.S. passport to children under the age of 16. Generally, to obtain a U.S. passport for a child under the age of 16, both parents (or the child’s legal guardians) must execute the child’s passport application and provide documentary evidence demonstrating that they are the parents or guardians. If this cannot be done, the person executing the passport application must provide documentary evidence that he or she has sole custody of the child, has the consent of the other parent to the issuance of the passport, or is acting in place of the parents and has the consent of both parents (or of a parent/legal guardian with sole custody over the child to the issuance of the passport)."

Due to the implementation of these new requirements, the ability to unlawfully transport children that do not possess dual citizenship across borders has become increasingly difficult. The two-parent signature necessary for a minor child's U.S. passport issuance has strengthened our border security and reduced the ability to present incomplete or fraudulent documentation in order to travel with a child across international borders. Thankfully, our child citizens are better protected than they were just a few years ago.

The two-parent signature requirement necessary for a U.S. Passport to be issued for a child has greatly reduced the opportunity that a passport will be issued without another parent’s knowledge or consent. Unfortunately, documentation fraud is still very difficult to detect and remains a severe threat to our nation's children, especially if initiated by parental forgery. Tragically, for many targeted-parent victims of international parental child abduction this type of fraud is common. Unquestionably, it is critical that precautionary steps continue to be taken before issuing passports to children due to substantial evidence of documentation fraud.

Additionally, and to our great concern, it appears to be relatively easy to obtain fraudulent or falsified identification or residency documentation.

Tere Silva, resident agent in charge of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, said in a statement issued on November 17th, 2010, "Among the various schemes and artifices being used by some unscrupulous persons are offers to provide immigration services, including ways to avoid the established channels for adjusting one's immigration status, offers to provide false and forged identity documents, even threats and false impersonation of immigration officials."

On November 19th, 2010 Daniel Lane, assistant special agent in charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Sacramento, California stated, "Targeting those responsible for making and selling fraudulent documents is an enforcement priority for ICE HSI. Anyone who knowingly and indiscriminately sells phony identity cards is putting the security of our communities and even our country at risk. Documents like this could potentially be used by dangerous criminals and others seeking to obscure their identities and mask their motives." Agent Lane's comments came after ICE arrested four individuals for running a highly sophisticated forged document factory that included creating fraudulent California drivers licenses, permanent resident cards (Green Cards), U.S. birth certificates and other documents capable of removing a child from the U.S. under the WHTI.

In response to the rise of illegal entry and exodus to the United States, the implementation of WHTI policy has effectively narrowed the types of documents that are acceptable in proving identity and citizenship. Although this change is a critical step towards meeting the challenge of securing our borders there still remain significant security challenges due to certain allowable exemptions. Unfortunately, when it comes to cross border travel by children being transported by land or sea, numerous security defects exist. Unquestionably, individuals or organizations with intent to breach the law have exploited these policy flaws. Our nation’s children as well as children from other countries are suffering either as defenseless victims of international parental child abduction or as helpless slaves taken into the world of human trafficking, where the worst types of crimes against humanity are the norm.

As a nation concerned with our children’s safety and welfare, it is unacceptable that large gaps in security protocol exist in our nation’s international travel document requirements for children traveling in the Western Hemisphere. In the 2009, annual Report on Compliance with the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, Janice L. Jacobs, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs writes, "Unfortunately, current trends reflect a steady increase in the number of international parental child abduction cases and highlight the urgency of redoubling efforts to promote compliance with Convention obligations and encourage additional nations to join the Convention." She also writes, "Very few options exist for parents and children who are victims of parental child abduction." In the 2010 annual report Ms. Jacobs continues to voice concerns over the increasing numbers of our child-citizens who have been wrongfully removed or wrongfully detained.

Assistant Secretary of State of Consular Affairs Jacobs concern about the growing rate of international parental child abduction (IPCA) is alarming, yet our adjacent borders remain relatively open for those with the knowledge on how to circumvent border security protocol. Make no mistake, nearly every IPCA case is well thought out and planned.

Human Trafficking

The buying and selling of humans is the second largest criminal activity in the world. In the U.S., this problem is much more severe than commonly discussed. Of particular concern is that it is estimated that over 70% of all humans trafficked into the U.S. originate from Latin America: countries such as Mexico, Honduras, and El Salvador are well-known supply sources for human cargo.

A significant number of these enslaved are young teenagers between 13 and 15 years old who originate from poverty-stricken communities, and who are lured into the dark world of slavery due to false promises of legitimate jobs and a better life in America. What awaits them is an inhuman slave world filled with torture, violence, and threats of death to family members they left behind if they ever attempt to flee their imprisoned ‘cantinas’ – prison-like brothels where they are never allowed to leave. Tragically, sure death awaits those imprisoned into this inferno: they are either murdered, die of drug overdose, or die of disease and infection.

One of the grave concerns we must ask is How are these individual doomed to enter the awaiting world of human slavery trafficked into the United States from Latin America and crossing our border?

It is apparent that the majority of human cargo entering our borders due so illegally. Though limited data is available, sound reasoning leads us to anticipate that this number is substantial.

Due to limited border documentation requirements under WHTI policy, particularly for minors traveling, there is substantial concern that human traffickers are currently using this loophole in order to move their young human cargo into the United States from Mexico and Caribbean island-nations.

The world of human trafficking and slavery is very real. According to author of Free The Slaves, Kevin Bale, there are nearly 27 million people across the world caught in modern-day slavery. The United States Department of State Trafficking In Persons Report (TIP Report) estimates this number to be between 4 million and 27 million individuals. Additionally, the Department of State estimates that there are over 800,000 individuals each year being transported across international borders. And according to their 2005 report titled Facts About Child Sex Tourism, there were over 1 million children exploited by the global commercial sex trade every year. All of these numbers continue to increase. Human trafficking is a dark world without any peer and most organizations involved in human trafficking and slavery are highly sophisticated.

Yet our borders remain relatively unencumbered for children traveling abroad in the Western Hemisphere.

U.S. Passport Requirements For International Travel

For U.S. Citizens, a Federal Statute mandates that any citizen of the U.S. must possess a valid U.S. passport to depart from or enter the U.S. Following is the text of Federal Statute 8 U.S.C. 1185 (b).

(b) Citizens Except as otherwise provided by the President and subject to such limitations and exceptions as the President may authorize and prescribe, it shall be unlawful for any citizen of the United States to depart from or enter, or attempt to depart from or enter, the United States unless he bears a valid United States passport.

When WHTI requirements for land and sea became effective on June 1, 2009 exceptions to the Federal Statute passport requirement were allowed. The new regulation states that U.S. citizens and citizens of Canada, Bermuda and Mexico may present a passport or other WHTI-compliant documents when entering or departing the United States at sea or land ports-of-entry from within the Western Hemisphere.

Due to exceptions to the passport requirement, our research has concluded there exists distinct areas of vulnerability at the border for our children.

Fraudulent Documentation

The presentation of fraudulent documents at border points has long existed and is well illustrated in the publication of Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) Land and Sea Final Rule" that was released March 27, 2008 by the Department of Homeland Security. It was reported that CBP officers had intercepted over 129,000 fraudulent documents since January 2005 from individuals trying to cross the border over an approximate 3 ½ year period. This is a substantial number; however, we must ask ourselves how many fraudulent documents were never uncovered and successfully used?

To better demonstrate the severity of this problem we take note of a scenario that occurred several years ago in Texas and was reported by the Department of Immigration and Naturalization Services. A women acting as a lay-midwife was charged and convicted with fraudulently filing and obtaining over 3,400 United States birth certificate claims over a ten year period: almost one American birth certificate a day was fraudulently obtained and sold on the black market over a decade by one woman alone. This individual was one of eleven individuals convicted of filing and obtaining false birth certificates that were sold on the black market in Texas during a federal investigation. Of immense concern to us is that WHTI allows a child to cross international borders by land or sea and in lieu of a passport an original or copy of a birth certificate may be presented.

As noted in language of the Federal Statute above, limitations and exceptions do exist. According to CBP passport exceptions exist when traveling with U.S. or Canadian citizen infants and children. Of grave concern are the deficiencies that could be utilized in the cross border unlawful removal by land or sea of at risk children. If traveling by air everyone, even infants require a passport. However, WHTI allows that U.S. and Canadian citizen children “will not require passports for travel by land or sea when the June 1, 2009 rule goes into effect requiring all land and sea travelers to have a passport. Children under the age of 15 will have a blanket exemption from this requirement – although they will be required to present a copy of a birth certificate and, if not traveling with both parents, a consent letter from the other parent(s).”

We are especially concerned about the ability to falsify travel documentation for children. The capability to easily present travel documentation without another parent's consent or to falsify travel documents for children in cases where a passport is not required appears relatively easy. The fact that simply a birth certificate or worse, a “copy” of a birth certificate and a letter of permission with no documentation to verify its validity, is sufficient to cross international borders is a serious security concern. And although it is also recommended that a parent or guardian possess a letter of consent from the absent parent(s) this may or may not be required or requested. We must also consider that there is no way to verify the validity of a parental consent letter.

These concerns should sound an alarm bell directed at courts presiding over child custody cases where there is concern for potential international parental child abduction. Peter Thomas Senese, the co-writer of this report wrote in Chasing The Cyclone, “I know first-hand of several international parental child abduction cases where a false international travel consent letter was either fraudulently produced or never produced by the other parent in order for that abducting parent to depart from Canada into the United States or from the United States into Canada. The court’s orders were not followed, as is the case with all abducting parents. More troubling is the fact that in each of these cases, none of the necessary consent letters were ever checked by either countries border patrol or immigration agencies. This is absurd, particularly when knowing many of these consent to travel letters were not notarized and not original documents. It must be a requirement on both sides of the border for all land and sea travelers regardless of age to use a passport, which is the policy in place for air travel.”

When we consider the growing rate of international abduction here in the U.S. and abroad, there is a very real concern that our borders are used not only as a final destination for an abducting parent or trafficker, but as the launching point for an abductor to travel to their intended final destination. Although most countries recognize that documentation fraud is a severe concern it is clear that the minimization of travel document requirements needed for a minor to travel across our borders enables would-be abductors to criminally abduct a child. For example, if a would-be abductor traveling by land from the U.S. to Canada has in their possession any child’s original or ‘a copy’ of a birth certificate and a falsified consent to travel letter, they have the capability to internationally abduct any child from the U.S.

Realistically, all a potential abductor may need is a copy of a birth certificate. Although it is recommended that children traveling alone or with one parent posses a consent letter from any absent parents this is not a requirement. In reference to the birth certificate requirement, many parents obtain several copies of a child’s birth certificate: it is not as if you are allowed only one copy such as a U.S. Passport. Unquestionably, if all cross-border travel for children of all ages does not include the much more secure and controllable use of a passport, then abducting parents and human traffickers will still be capable of abducting children.

The required travel document for an infant under age one who is traveling by land or sea between the U.S. and Canada is alarming. The CBP states that “If you have not yet received a birth certificate for a U.S. or Canadian citizen infant, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will accept either the birth record issued by the hospital or a letter on hospital letterhead providing details of the birth, including the name of the child, time and place of birth, and parents names. Birth certificates should be used for children over 1 year old.” Once again, the ease of fraudulently creating this type of “document” exists and a child could easily be smuggled across international borders.

International Parental Child Abduction Prevention: Be Careful Of Cruise Ship Travel

2011-09-22T17:55:00.001-07:00

How Are Children Internationally Abducted Via Cruise Ships?

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative Loopholes:

Sea Travel Closed-Loop Voyages

An excerpt taken from THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN written by Peter Thomas Senese & Carolyn Vlk

Under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative policy, a minor 16 years old or younger traveling by land or by sea abroad is not required to present a valid passport to travel. All that is required is a photocopy of a citizenship document, such as a photocopy of a birth certificate. This policy has created a significant loophole for would-be abductors intent to abduct or traffic a child abroad.

We are also very concerned that the documentationrequirements for a “closed loop” cruise ship or other water vessel’s voyage oritinerary to contiguous countries or adjacent islands allows travelers to beexempt from the documentary requirements necessary for other types of travel.The CBP defines “closed loop” as occurring when “a vessel departs from aU.S. port or place and returns to the same U.S. port upon completion of thevoyage. U.S. citizens who board a cruise ship at a port within the UnitedStates, travel only within the Western Hemisphere, and return to the same U.S.port on the same ship may present a government issued photo identification,along with proof of citizenship (an original or copy of his or her birthcertificate, a Consular report of Birth Abroad, or a Certificate ofNaturalization). A U.S. citizen under the age of 16 will be able to presenteither an original or a copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Reportof Birth Abroad issued by DOS, or a Certificate of Naturalization issued byU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.”

Travel requirements for children traveling at sea are quite alarming. Theporous documentation controls in place due to the WHTI facilitate childabduction opportunity at sea in unthinkable ways. For example, there arecertain cruise ships that have ports of call in other countries that caterspecifically to children. These cruise ships hold over 5,000 passengers andtypically have weekly departures. With thousands of children boarding one ofthese cruise ships; we acknowledge it is clear there is substantial opportunityfor a parental or non-parental child abduction to occur.

In a likely scenario for cruise ship related internationalparental child abduction or child trafficking, an individual could presumablyboard a cruise ship with a targeted child with limited or fraudulentdocumentation for the child, travel to WHTI designated foreign ports, disembarkwith the child at a port of call and simply choose not to re-board the ship,effectively circumventing the necessity of a passport which is requiredfor other types of travel.

The potential to illegally remove a child acrossinternational borders via cruise ship travel is substantiallymagnified because currently there are no systematic data base controls and othersecurity measures that would prevent a child's illegal departure from theUnited States. Exemplifying this grave concern are direct statements madefrom the security departments of two of the world's largest cruise linesoperators. Instatements made by both companies, neither have a security database thatwould enable a parent nor a court of law to place a child's name on a 'noembarkment' list due to specified court order. So even if a court order isissued that either directly names the cruise ship company as part of the actionor if the court order references the cruise ship company to prohibit achild's departure but does not list the cruise ship as part of the legalaction, the cruise ship companies have nothing in place that would enable themto comply with the court order.

When representatives in the security departments of bothcruise ship companies were asked what could be done with a court orderprohibiting a child's departure, each spokesperson suggested that if thetargeted parent knew what cruise ship and departure date their childwas scheduled to travel on, then it would be up to the parent to contactlocal law enforcement.

Obviously, the ability fora single parent trying to protect their child's abduction to run from cruise shipport to cruise ship port hoping to determine if their child is traveling on oneof the ships is more than daunting and unrealistic, particularly since the vastmajority of international child abductions are well planned, and cleverlyorchestrated.

In a time of increased international security concerns, itis inconceivable that the only type of data bases most cruise ship operatorshave in place is a data base that flags previous passengers from traveling ontheir fleet due to past conduct on board one of their ships.

Remarkably, there is no systematic check to determine if achild’s name has been placed on any law enforcement or government travel alertlists. However, if a U.S. passport was required and the U.S. passport wasscanned, then a border patrol agent would have immediate access to potentiallycritical information regarding the safety of the child. We call upon thecruise ships to act responsibly by establishing security procedures including a'no-embarkment' database that would assist in the prevention of internationalparental child abduction and human trafficking.

When we consider there are approximately 760 cruisesscheduled to depart from the U.S. and travel in a ‘closed loop’ to theCaribbean during fiscal year 2011, this becomes very concerning. Our worryincreases after we consider there are 47 "closed loop" cruisesscheduled to depart the U.S. to Canada during the same period. And finally, ourconcern surges when we realize that there are 379 cruises scheduled to departthe U.S. and travel in a "closed loop" to Mexico.

As previously discussed in this report, Mexico is a hotbedfor ‘reported’ and ‘unreported’ incoming and outgoing international parentalchild abduction cases. A substantial number of U.S. parents havefiled a Hague application due to the criminal international abduction oftheir child or children. Unfortunately, very few abducted childrenreturn to the U.S. despite court orders demanding the child’sreturn. These opinions are substantially backed by the U.S. Department ofState, as Mexico has repeatedly been reported to Congress as a non-compliantmember of the Hague Convention. In addition, Mexico’s record as a country knownfor its criminal activity of human trafficking is substantial.

We express our grave concern that cruise ships may be utilizedto transport children illegally to and from the U.S., Mexico, and Canada aswell island nations of the Caribbean.

It is inconceivable that U.S. children are still permittedto travel to specific foreign countries in accordance with the WHTI withouta passport. Today, nearly 30% of all U.S. citizens possess apassport. As that number continues to grow substantially each year it isunthinkable not to require a passport for a child to travelabroad. In 2011 cruise ships are scheduled to originate from the U.Sand travel to 63 ports of call in Mexico, 48 ports in the Caribbean, and from20 ports of call in Canada. We contend that a failure to require children topresent a passport for all international travel is an act of misguidednegligence.

Closed-LoopForeign Destination Number ofCruises Number of Ports

Caribbean 760 63

Canada 43 20

Mexico 379 48

The CBP does state that a U.S. Citizen “may” be required topresent a U.S. passport if disembarking at a foreign port but that thisrequirement is up to the individual ports-of-entry. We must also consider thatsmaller personal watercrafts traveling to foreign ports under a “closed-loop”journey offerdistinct opportunity for child abductors and human traffickers to circumventour nation’s laws or court orders. The lack of formidable travel documentationfor cruise ship or other water vessel excursions originating from and returningto the United States is a black hole for would-be child abductors ortraffickers.

The fact that cruise ships are being utilized in humantrafficking is not unrecognized within the U.S. or in other countries. Thefollowing statements come directly from a human rights watchdog organization inBelize.

The Belize Organizationfor Responsible Tourism (ORT) issues this appeal to cruise lines bringingpassengers to Belize, a superhighway for human trafficking. “We are asking for your help in stoppinghuman trafficking in Belize. In particular, we appeal to Norwegian Cruise Lineand Carnival Cruise Lines, which bring a combined 700, 000 tourists to Belizeannually.

Cruise lines have a moral responsibilityto help stop human trafficking in Belize. Each year thousands of humantrafficking victims are transited through Belize via its porous and corruptborders. Many are exported to other countries and never seen again by theirfamilies. Many endure lives of forced prostitution in Belize ficha bars.”

As these serious challenges come to light, we need tocreate a comprehensive short-term and long-term strategy that will preventchild abduction and human trafficking from occurring due to limited WHTIchild travel documentation requirements for land and sea travel. There remainsa significant amount of work necessary to enhance border security so thatcurrent weaknesses will no longer be available to be exploited. Our childrenmust become a priority and the risk of abduction and human trafficking belessened through mandating legitimate and uniform travel documentation.

The issues of child abduction and child slavery havereceived relatively limited public exposure. There has been limited government reactiondirected toward changing public policy, government agency operations andprotocol, and reform of laws that may facilitate or enable internationalabduction. It is important to recognize that over the past two years there havebeen over 1,000 ‘reported’ cases of U.S. child citizens being criminallyabducted to Mexico and untold numbers of unreported cases. Imagine how ournation would act if:

1. 25 school buses containing 40defenseless 5^th grader American students disappeared in Mexico; or,

2. 4 Boeing 757 passenger jetscontaining 250 middle school children each was hijacked; or,

3. A cruise ship with 1,000 high schoolstudents on a spring break trip was pirated off of Mexico’s borders; or,

4. A train traveling with 1,000students and their teachers was hijacked.

Undoubtedly, there would be public outcry and reform atevery level. However, our public and government concern has not reached levelsthat it should. The many voices of this unthinkable crime tend to be diluteddue to the singular reporting methodology. It is imperative that immediaterevisions in law and government policy be initiated including reform of theWHTI land and sea travel requirements for minors.

Peter Thomas Senese: Best-Selling Geopolitical Novelist Releases Electrifying International Financial-Political Thriller THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN: Senese Launches E-book Series

2011-09-13T08:32:00.001-07:00

Author Peter Thomas Senese is pleased to announce the E-book release of the international espionage thriller titled THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN on September 11th, 2011. Critics have praised THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN as an international financial espionage thriller steeped in the modern-day realities of our post 9-11 world, providing the story a visceral prescience teeming with realism and frightful possibilities of global cyber and biological terrorism, and Peter Senese as a masterful writer of international intrigue. Peter Senese's THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN is the first E-book release in a series of the best-selling author's previously hardcover releases of his noteworthy historical fiction novels, which include CLONING CHRIST, CHASING THE CYCLONE, PREDATORS GAMES (Winter, 2011), and QUEST (Spring, 2012).

Peter Senese commented on THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN, "For readers who enjoy fast-paced, multi-dimensional plots based upon historical events, substantial and thorough research, and plausible possibilities relevant to the world we live in today, THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN will take readers on a thrilling global geopolitical journey that begins in New York City's Wall Street, but soon darts into the hidden and unseen worlds that exists within nations that have highly questionable agendas towards the United States and the West, including but not limited to China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. And it is here, in these hidden worlds that disturbing plans that stand against America and the West's idea of liberty and freedom are carefully hatched and cultivated. Most concerningly, as each nation has become more reliant on one another in our global society, a new level of extraordinary vulnerability to our national security has been created, one perhaps we may not be prepared for. In THE DEN OF THE ASSASIN, I believe readers will find the uniquely accurate information on this subject that is carefully weaved through an intricate, entertaining storyline to be quite fascinating - and disturbing."

THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN opens in New York City, where an unassuming investment banker, Tyler Boxter, is preoccupied with his all-consuming career on Wall Street that acts as a personal shield against the trappings of life that hide guilt and pain and memories he doesn't want. In the midst of the biggest deal of his successful career, and unknown to Boxter, he is about to play a sophisticated but explosive game against a madman who is more savage and merciless than the winds of an atomic holocaust.

Once a mysterious theft leads Boxter from the sanctity of his Wall Street office and thrusts him into the dark world of international terrorism -- where zealot religious leaders stir and awaken hateful minds in the brutal desserts in the capitol of the Middle East's ancient, once mighty empire, where dark, sunken eyes eager to return to world-glory look into the abyss of Siberia's desolate terrains, where prisoners -citizens- who live on a remote peninsula in Asia would rather submit to isolationist cleansing than feel the wrath of a deceitful troll intent on destroying the ideals of the West - and where a city of scientists continue their unseen diabolical activity deep in the earth and protected by the menacing walls that surround the Forbidden City - knowing that what they have embarked upon is the West's greatest nightmare.

Peter Thomas Senese: writer, filmmaker, and dedicated child advocate will commence his E-book launch by releasing the highly praised, spine-tingling Post 9-11 financial espionage and geopolitical thriller that catapults the reader into a world of incomprehensible possibilities and insane apocalyptic challenges in Senese's intense, page-turning 'THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN', which will be released on September 11th, 2011. THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN is presently available in hardcover format from traditional retailers and online merchants. THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN was initially released in hardcover prior to the author's unexpected race into the cyclones of international child abduction. CHASING THE CYCLONE, inspired by Peter Thomas Senese's experiences in the horrific arena and depicts the horrific insanity of having a child internationally kidnapped, will be released in hardcover later on November 1st, 2011.

Reviewers of THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN have praised Peter Thomas Senese's storytelling. Renowned book critic Daniel Jolley commented: "This is one seriously good thriller. Billed as "a novel of international finance and espionage," Den of the Assassin is a super-realistic exploration of frightening possibilities, unsurpassed heroism, Lucifer-like evil, and terrorism of the worst kind ... The novel revolves around some kind of Day of the Jackal-like assassination plot, but the complexity of this novel stretches its tendrils deeply into international finance, the vagaries of the American legal and health care systems, international terrorism, diplomacy, intelligence, WMD, and cold-blooded murder - with a little romance thrown in just to stir up the pot a little more. Peter Thomas Senese does a masterful job traversing the inner hallways of diverse institutions as he slowly brings all of these diverse elements together for a slam-bang climax ... Peter Thomas Senese displays a wealth of knowledge of geopolitics, espionage, and international finance, describing all the technical intricacies of the story's elements and implications with great attention to detail -without ever letting the pace get bogged down or become confusing to the reader. He also keeps a number of secrets close to the vest, saving them for just the right time in the story. This serves to make the book thoroughly believable and increasingly suspenseful. There's no shortage of action here. What Tyler finds himself involved in is nothing less than a war, and he must fight to save not only himself, his friends, and his company, but his very country from an unimaginable catastrophe. The Father's network of agents and killers is as formidable as they come, and the security-related forces Tyler brings into the game are some of the best money can buy. In the end, though, the drama becomes deeply personal, as The Father and Tyler Boxter rush headlong toward a face-to-face encounter of epic proportions . . . Many a writer of thrillers seem to drop the ball somewhere in the middle of their novels, but Peter Thomas Senese's knowledge of geopolitics, international finance, and 21st century terrorist threats keeps the fires of detailed complexity and story evolution stoked and red-hot for the entire ride. Tyler Boxter is no James Bond, but Den of the Assassin proves to be just as exciting as any 007 caper - and much more realistic."

The best-Selling author Peter Senese's upcoming E-book series launch of selected publications from the novelist's previously released and upcoming international geopolitical thriller genre' publications will occur over a six month period and will include a total of four new edition E-book format releases that are intended to be translated and made available in multiple languages, allowing the growing number of readers who enjoy Mr. Senese's novels immediate and affordable access to his written works.

The gut-wrenching, inspirational theological thriller 'Cloning Christ' that jettisons readers to the spiritual and physical battlefront of good vs. evil in Peter Thomas Senese's electrifying, bone-chilling story of faith evolves around the global manhunt for Dr. Max Train, a once-devout, now faithless genomic scientist who may be in possession of the True Cross of Jesus of Nazareth. Cloning Christ will cause heart-racing readers to contemplate the challenges between science and faith while contemplating physical and spiritual issues we all face today in our pursuit to enrich the human condition and experience.

'Cloning Christ' will be released in E-book on October 15th, 2011.

Peter Thomas Senese's deeply personal novel, 'Chasing The Cyclone', the critically acclaimed heart-pounding international legal thriller of a father and son's unbowed and unbreakable love and belief in one another in lieu of a wicked international child abduction as told in a way very few writers ever could, and that was inspired by Peter Thomas Senese's unimaginable experiences as a parent chasing the cyclone of international child abduction, will released in hardcover and E-book on November 1st, 2011.

'Predator's Games' the riveting sequel of 'The Den of the Assassin', that propels readers into the shocking and deadly world of alternative energy speculation and depicts the world's power-nations conspiring against one another in an extremely dangerous and potentially cataclysmic quest to control what was once the unthinkable unfolds as unique characters initially introduced in 'The Den of the Assassin' race into real and startling possibilities evolving around advances in alternative energy and mankind's greed. 'Predator's Games' by Peter Thomas Senese will be released during the Thanksgiving Holiday Season.

QUEST, the sequel of CLONING CHRIST will be released during the early spring of 2012, and THE PRODUCTION is presently scheduled to be released in May, 2012.

In keeping true to the outspoken child abduction advocate's intent and desire to raise public awareness on the growing plague known as international parental child abduction, and staying steadfast to his desire to assist children and their parents at risk of being criminally kidnapped abroad, Peter Thomas Senese recently released the extensive and landmark resource guide on this subject he co-authored with renown child advocate Carolyn Vlk titled THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN. Mr. Senese and Ms. Vlk made the highly informative publication available free of charge via E-book on his personal websites (including www.peterthomassenese.com or www.chasingthecyclone.com) so that those individuals around the world who may need the contained information may have immediate access to it. THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN is also available from traditional E-book retailers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Peter Thomas Senese commented, "I am extremely pleased to announce the E-book publications of selected novels that readers from all over the world have embraced. It is indeed a very humbling experience to have such a large and diverse number of book lovers from Los Angeles to Christ Church to Beijing to St. Petersburg to Athens to Oslo to The Isle of Skye to New York, and from Anchorage to Cape Town and places in between to have interest in my novels.

"I am, as I will continue to be, extremely grateful for the worldwide reception my stories have received. This interest and appreciation supports my strong belief that society continues to evolve into global citizens, and with each and every passing day, the concerns or interests that one person shares in one part of the world has relevance to another person living on the other side of the planet. I think this is truly remarkable, particularly since one of the primary undercurrents of each of my books is the value of global citizenship. The other undercurrent - and I once thought this was a secret only a few readers realized, but in time I came to know how much I have been mistaken - is that if you hear the voice attached to the words in my novels, you will hear the voice of a parent who deeply loves his child. As I now have come to understand, a substantial number of my readers have heard and indentified with that voice. So perhaps these are two of the reasons why my writing continues to be embraced and evolve onto the global stage."

Not lost on Peter Thomas Senese, who splits his time between New York and Los Angeles is that 'THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN's E-book release falls a day after September 11th, 2011. Commenting from New York's Ground Zero where he was paying tribute on the ten year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on American soil, Peter Senese commented, "Having spent substantial time here, in and around New York's Ground Zero, losing many close friends and having had many other friends and family directly impacted by the malicious attacks or who were attached to the rescue operations, including an amazing heroic brother who was and is today with the FDNY, I was witness to the pain, suffering, and tragedy that occurred. But as you can see, on September 11th and the days that lead up to the unprovoked attacks against an innocent people that believe in freedom, an isolated group of men and women from around the world lost their faith in God and in each other. However, as those moments and days after these attacks occurred as has been demonstrated, mankind demonstrated an incredible belief in one another and in God. It was in our resolve, determination, and spirited remembrance for those who left this physical world, only to move on to His world, took place, that we were able to feel and see the love, the miracles, and the human connectivity of man's goodness. On a personal note, THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN, which is very much a New York book, I believe replicates the great spirit that surged forward that day and the days that ensued in New York City and the world thereafter. In fact, I wrote portions of this story on Wall Street; inside Trinity Church, inside Federal Hall, and from a historic building built in 1836 and was once the headquaters for National City Bank - Citibank. There is no question in the story that is THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN is there ever a failure to remember what occurred that day."

According to the Association of American Publishers, E-book sales represent the largest single format for book sales in the United States. Paperback sales are considered second, followed by hardcover book sales, both of which sales figures continue to decline.

Peter Senese added, "As an author who embraces my publishing independence, and having had considerable success, including having several of my books hit and stay on various publishing-industry best-seller lists, the ever-expanding use of e-book readers will allow for good writers with important issues that they desire to share with worldwide opportunity to reach audiences via e-book publications. Over the course of the past years, I have purposefully delayed the electronic release of my novels until I felt comfortable with the evolution of electronic distribution of my writings, and that my readership audience, who was accustomed to reading my books in hardcover format, would support my E-book publication. After receiving an incredible number of inquiries from book lovers all over the world expressing their desire to have my novels made available in E-book format and in multiple languages, I have become extremely comfortable that now is the time to launch selected books I have written on E-book format. This is very exciting!

Peter Thomas Senese is a storyteller focusing on messages in all formats that bespeak global connectivity.

Mr. Senese is actively involved in supporting issues that impact the lives of children, including demonstrative support of literacy programs and our nation's public libraries. He is actively engaged in numerous and extensive activities surrounding international child abduction prevention including the production of the groundbreaking documentary film on IPCA titled CHASING PARENTS, the publication of the landmark resource guide titled THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN and various actively evolving around legislation that will protect children and others from international child abduction or, malicious online impersonation.

To learn more about Peter Thomas Senese and his various writings, activities, child advocacy, or to order an autographed and dedicated copy of one of Peter's novels, please visit his official website (www.petersenese.com, www.thedenoftheassassin.info, www.chasingthecyclone.com, or www.peterthomassenese.blogspot.com). All of Peter Thomas Senese's books (print and E-book) are available through all traditional online and traditional bookstores as well as his personal website where consumers may order a signed and dedicated copy of one of Peter's books.

http://www.1888pressrelease.com/peter-thomas-senese-best-selling-geopolitical-novelist-rele-pr-332915.html

Peter Senese: Child Abduction Advocate and Best-Selling Author Adds New Tools To Help Parents Fight Against Child Kidnapping.

2011-09-06T14:27:00.001-07:00

Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA (1888PressRelease) August 30, 2011 - Best-selling author Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Ann Vlk are pleased to announce the official international publication of their ground-breaking international child abduction prevention open-tablet E-book titled 'THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN'.

Continuing the child abduction prevention advocates' commitment to assist targeted children and their parents against the rapidly expanding cruel criminal act of international parental child abduction (IPCA) while striving to raise the public's understanding and responsiveness to the growing epidemic of cross-border child kidnapping, Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Ann Vlk have made the highly illuminating and educational 'The World Turned Upside Down' (Pacifica 315 pp) available as a free E-book to ensure the published information will be immediately accessible.

Comprising years of extensive research in the area of international child abduction, 'THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN' is the intended cornerstone of the Peter Senese and Carolyn Vlk's pioneering vision to create an interactive cyber-library of educational resources and information pertaining to the global epidemic of child abduction.

CHASING PARENTS Produced By Peter Senese

The landmark 'THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN' is another innovative resource Peter Senese and Carolyn Vlk have voluntarily created and widely distributed to the benefit of a global community desperately trying to end the perplexing, little-understood, yet rapidly growing epidemic of IPCA. Previous efforts of Peter Senese and Carolyn Vlk include:

• The creation of the highly noteworthy 10-segment educational documentary film series on IPCA titled 'CHASING PARENTS: RACING INTO THE STORMS OF INTERNATIONAL PARENTAL CHILD ABDUCTION', and;
• The breakthrough, extensively researched reports on child abduction including the milestone reports:
o 'Crisis In America: International Parental Child Abduction Today', and;
o 'International Parental Child Abduction and Human Trafficking In The Western Hemisphere'
o 'The Prevent Departure Program: A Most Efficient Tool To Combat IPCA', and;
o Global International Parental Child Abduction (October, 2011), and;
• Mr. Senese's critically acclaimed upcoming international legal thriller novel inspired by his own personal experiences as a Chasing Parent, titled 'CHASING THE CYCLONE'.

Coinciding with Peter Senese and Carolyn Vlk's efforts to create tools that will help at-risk parents protect their targeted children is the advocates continued efforts to create or participate in dialogue that will either create or implement existing state or federal laws that will protect children including the State of Florida's 'Child Abduction Prevention Act' (Abduction Prevention [Abductor Risk Assessment]) the Federal 'Prevent Departure Program' (Abduction Prevention [Abductor Departure]), and online digital impersonation criminal laws in order to protect against malicious acts of identity theft, impersonation, and slander in international parental child abduciton cases enacted by a predatorial, abducting parent (California and New York State law[Protection Against The Hague Convention's Article 13 Defense]).

Carolyn Ann Vlk, who drafted Florida's landmark 'Child Abduction Prevention Act' that is now law commented, "Our efforts to create the tools we have has had two purposes: tantamount to our efforts is to provide useful information that will help parents and courts prevent a child's kidnapping. But equally as important is to use the heavily researched information we have published in order to create legislative initiatives that will lead to the creation of new laws that will drastically reduce and eventually stop child abduction. Presently, we are currently working on three dynamic federal legislative initiatives that will make a dramatic differences in the lives of many if passed. 'THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN' is one of the tools we have created and now have so we may continue to educate our nation's policymakers as we strive to add and implement legislation to help protect children."

CHASING THE CYCLONE author Peter Thomas Senese added, "It has been Carolyn and my intent to continue to make a substantially helpful impact for defenseless children and their parents who are targeted by predator parents or others intent on committing the criminal, abusive, and cruel act of international child kidnapping. One of the many aspects that makes 'The World Turned Upside Down' a unique and beneficial book is that in its open-tablet E-book format we will be able to add new and relevant material and cross-index this information as it comes to light so individuals in need of the new information will have immediate access to it.

"What we're creating is a living E-book that is expected to evolve into a single-resource for the millions of targeted parents, law enforcement officers, children advocates, and lawmakers who are interested in stopping child abduction. Along the way what we have realized is that the most efficient way to have an internationally abducted child legally returned - something that is extremely - extraordinarily difficult to do - is to not allow the abduction to occur to begin with. Prevention is critical. Yet major flaws exist at all levels of protection, from a lack of laws, to an uneducated judiciary, to a failure by the courts and law enforcement to uphold abduction laws. Undeniably, every nation must protect its children from abduction, particularly as we become a more globally connected community. Thus, our legislative efforts focus on child abduction prevention from within our border, though there undeniably must exist a serious political and diplomatic effort to enforce international treaties in full. 'The World Turned Upside Down' is a highly informative tool not only for targeted parents, but for lawmakers as we move our legislation initiatives forward."

Carolyn Ann Vlk included, "Peter Senese and I have been extremely committed to raising the public's awareness on the high-growth and seriousness of the crime of international parental child abduction while also seeking to implement child abduction prevention measures. Our present activity includes creating new legislation that will close the significant abduction and trafficking loopholes associated with the 'Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative' that clearly has created a black hole on international abduction and human trafficking We're actively engaged in creating legislation that will hold non-citizen child abductors accountable for their kidnapping crime with respect to our nation's immigration policy. And we're actively seeking solutions that will take a stand against dual-passport issues with respect to a child of duel citizenship possessing a foreign passport when this child has been declared a risk for criminal abduction by one parent.

"In our extensive voluntary child abduction prevention advocacy together, Peter and I continue to ask the questions, 'How and why are our children being criminally internationally abducted at such staggering rates, and what can be done about it?" 'The World Turned Upside Down' takes into consideration, and offers answers to many facets of these questions while also providing valuable insight on the issues at hand that are based upon our extensive and ongoing research as demonstrated."

Peter Thomas Senese, reached in Washington, D.C. where he was actively working on a legislative initiative that would modify the WHTI policy added, "Tragically, there is limited social understanding as to the inherent cruel acts of child abuse and serious dangers associated with the pandemic of international parental child abduction. And despite parental child abduction being a federal crime of kidnapping in the United States, as well as in most every other nation, the growth of these malicious acts against children has increased in substantial part due to failures by lawmakers to create child abduction prevention laws, and more glaringly, even greater failures by the judiciary to implement and uphold these laws created in order to protect children from the act of international criminal kidnapping. Thus, in part, it is our hope that 'The World Turned Upside Down' sheds further light into just how dangerous a situation we have on our hands, while offering certain solutions that can make a sizeable difference in curtailing the unyielding growth of international parental child abduction and child trafficking. In reality, there are very real solutions that can be implemented that will dramatically reduce the number of criminal abductions, I think the key is to look within at prevention issues, while of course, holding all nations accountable who do not comply with international law."

According to Carolyn Ann Vlk, "The statistical challenges of this pandemic as published in 'Crisis In America: International Parental Child Abduction Today' Peter Senese and I previously released include the harsh reality that many nations do not even attempt to keep record of how many children are criminally removed from their borders each year. And those nations that do, such as the United States, have only published the 'reported' number of cases without providing any insight into what clearly is a much more sizeable number of 'unreported' cases of international child abduction. There are millions of children each year around the world who are targeted for abduction each year, with a substantial number of these children intended to be removed from their native country of origin. In fact, if the growth rate of international parental child abduction continues to rise as projected, in the year 2020 alone the United States will have more children criminally parentally kidnapped from our nation's borders than can fill a professional baseball stadium!"

The title for the publication 'THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN' was created due to the reality that many parents who are targeted for international parental child abduction enter into a nightmarish ordeal where limited help and understanding is found, and the majority of criminally kidnapped children are never returned.

Supporting this reality is Janice L. Jacobs, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs for the United States Department of State who writes, "Very few options exist for parents and children who are victims of parental child abduction." Ms. Jacobs also stated, "Unfortunately, current trends reflect a steady increase in the number of international parental child abduction cases and highlight the urgency of redoubling efforts to promote compliance with [Hague] Convention obligations and encourage additional nations to join the Convention."

Ernie Allen, President and CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children has previously stated, "The problem of missing, abducted, trafficked and sexually exploited children is large, growing, under-recognized and under-reported" Mr. Allen observed, "Children are the single most victimized segment of our population. Even with all of the progress we have made, most Americans still don't understand that basic fact. According to Justice Department research, more than 2,000 children will be reported missing in the United States today!" Additionally, Mr. Allen stated, "The numbers are staggering. The tragedies continue and too many children do not make it home."

Mr. Martin Waage, Director of ABP World Group, a leading global security, investigation and child recovery organization with an incredible track record of participating in the safe reunification of over 200 criminally internationally abducted children with their targeted parents, and who has contributed to 'THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN' states, "Over many years, my organization has seen the rapid increase of criminal international child abductions throughout the world. One of the great challenges we are aware of is that targeted parents who are trying to protect their children from international kidnapping or who have had their child criminally stolen abroad is a lack of cohesive information on what to do if your child is at risk or is stolen. There are, in reality, not many efficient options, and timing is critical. Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Ann Vlk's remarkable efforts to create this resource will have a substantially beneficial impact on the global community. I applaud their voluntary work and commitment in creating 'THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN' and further acknowledge their ongoing research projects that have an intended end-result to create new laws that will aid children everywhere. International parental child abduction is a well-documented act of child abuse surrounding a series of criminal acts by the abducting, scheming conspirator. ABP World Group looks forward to continuing in our global efforts of preventing this type of crime from occurring against children, as we are committed to adding to the evolution of 'THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN's' living library"

Patricia Lee, a renown international family law attorney who has successfully navigated a substantial number of international child abduction cases all over the world and who is based in Tampa added, "The World Turned Upside Down" is an incredible resource, with awesome possibilities for growth and interactive commentary in the future. As an attorney working in the international arena of child abduction, I bookmarked it to my desktop as an immediate reference tool in dealing with child abduction cases. I do not know of any other similar comprehensive resource so freely available to families victimized or threatened with child abduction. Most families, and often the lawyers and law enforcement personnel they turn to for help, do not know what should be done preventatively, during, or following a child abduction, or even where to turn for help. This ebook contains a much needed wealth of information to address this heartrending problem, which is growing exponentially as our world shrinks. It is also capable of being updated as pending preventative legislation, such as the WHTI, is passed. Thank you so much for your efforts Peter Senese and Carolyn Vlk!"

Gloria Nyberg, a leading child abduction prevention advocate who has participated in a substantial number of international parental child abduction reunifications and who has acted endlessly to prevent targeted children from becoming victims of criminal child abduction stated, "For many parents who face having a child abducted abroad, the maze of complex legal and personal issues they must immediately attempt to navigate can be devastating. The challenges are magnified many fold due to the fact that most every parent does not expect for this crime against them and their child to happen. They are typically victims of a well-conspired fraudulent plan. By creating 'THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN', Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Vlk are providing the world with yet another very special gift: a remarkable resource guide that will help a tremendous number of people, including parents and children facing this type of crime. Combining this publication with the extensive previous research reports and educational documentary film Peter and Carolyn have previously created or published, along with their tireless effort to create and implement new laws that will serve children everywhere, their efforts have and will continue to bring positive awareness of the dangerous and growing issues at hand."

David B, a father who successfully reunited with his previously abducted child commented, "IPCA is a severe crime against both the child and targeted parent. The malice of an abducting parent is well documented by leading experts and government officials in the United States and elsewhere. The fact is, international child abduction is a criminal act of kidnapping. The severity of this crime can be long lasting for the child. Today, we need to uphold the criminal statutes in place in order to protect our children. Those individuals known to have criminally abducted a child internationally should not be allowed back in the country due to the severity of their crime and the likelihood that they will attempt to re-abducted a child once again: an occurrence that is well documented. 'THE WOLRD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN' is an incredible resource guide that not only will help targeted parents, but will educate policymakers as to just how bad and dangerous this situation really is. The book's free release and the material contained in it demonstrates how deeply committed and knowledgeable Carolyn Vlk and Peter Senese are to helping children everywhere."

A. Castro, whose child was previously criminally abducted to Europe, successfully reunited with his child, to only need to act again to prevent a second abduction added, "The failure by courts and their judges to understand the gravity of international parental child abduction and the ease of which a parent can criminally abduct a child has led to the substantial spike in the number of tragic abduction cases. The information contained in 'THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN' and the selfless and dedicated efforts of Carolyn Ann Vlk and Peter Thomas Senese to provide assistance to targeted children and parents like myself is incredible. This publication is an extremely helpful resource guide every person involved in child abduction should read."

Eric Kalmus, the co-founder of The Japan Children's Rights Network , said "Peter, and Carolyn's work with 'The World Turned Upside Down' will dramatically curtail the ease Japanese parents flee North America. Children removed by air account for over 50% of the losses Left Behind Parents with children in Japan currently face. The outlook for parents of children criminally kidnapped abroad seeking to reunite with their kidnapped children is tragically alarming. For instance, there are over 350 criminally abducted U.S. and Canadian child-citizens illegally detained in Japan right now. In our history, no U.S. or Canadian child who was abducted from either the U.S. or Canada has ever been legally returned home with help from the Japanese government or court systems. Sadly this occurs even when there are already family court orders in place."

Amanda B, a mother presently at risk of having her young children abducted to the Middle East added, "The selfless efforts of Peter Senese and Carolyn Vlk have made a direct impact on the safety and welfare of my children. I am grateful for their direct assistance on my and my children's behalf: today my children are safe at home, and I am extremely grateful. 'THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN' is such a vital resource that parents like myself, who are at risk of having their children internationally abducted, can turn to. It is an incredibly useful tool written by two caring child advocates who give of themselves freely in order to help others."

Maurizio R, who is presently chasing the nightmarish cyclone of international parental child kidnapping and the incomprehensible legal and prejudicial maze many targeted parents unfairly face while trying to protect their criminally victimized child said, "Thanks to 'THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN' and the admirable efforts of it's authors Peter Senese and Carolyn Vlk, we have a real manual that tells us in detail a substantial amount about the world of international parental child abduction. As a parent involved in a case of international child abduction, I can say that this book is a precious help to all who are subject to the horror of having a child kidnapped abroad. And as for Peter, I can say that I found on the other side of the world a person who has opened his heart to me, helped me as I continue to reunite with my child, and who has made me feel less alone in this terrible experience."

Jill Jones Soderman, PHD the Executive Director of 'The Foundation For The Child Victims Of The Family Courts' (501c3), and the Founder of 'The Family Resolution Center', located in Chester, New York, which focuses on issues surrounding children, including international child abduction and parental alienation added, "Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Ann Vlk have committed a significant portion of their lives and personal resources to the intervention and prevention of child abduction. As part of such efforts, Peter and Carolyn have written one of the most comprehensive, understandable written works bound by groundbreaking and landmark research on a plethora of issues surrounding the criminal act of international child abduction. In 'THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN' Peter Senese and Carolyn Vlk's commitment toward defenseless children and their targeted parents is undeniable, extraordinarily impactful, and speaks volumes from the loving hearts of Peter Senese and Carolyn Vlk. 'The Foundation For The Children Victims Of The Family Courts' looks forward to contributing to the ongoing resource guide 'THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN' as this incredible evolving open-tablet E-book will make a positive difference against the war on international parental child abduction and child abuse."

'THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN' is available for free download on best-selling author Peter Thomas Senese's official website (http://www.peterthomassenese.com/), the official website of Senese's 'CHASING THE CYCLONE' (www.chasingthecyclone.com), and on numerous websites including 'International Parental Child Abduction Information' (www.internationalparentalchildabduction.info). Also available on these sites is the educational documentary film 'CHASING PARENTS: RACING INTO THE STORMS OF INTERNATIONAL PARENTAL CHILD ABDUCTION' created and narrated by Peter Thomas Senese, and co-produced by Carolyn Ann Vlk, along with various helpful information.

Best-Selling Author Peter Thomas Senese added, "Carolyn and I are pleased to publish the open-tablet E-book 'The World Turned Upside Down' as we continue our efforts to prevent the acts of international child abduction. We recognize that our efforts are only part of the great effort put forth by a global community interested in protecting children everywhere. We thank all those who have demonstrated great courage and leadership in this area, we feel deeply for those children who have been victimized by the malicious acts of abduction along with their parents who have or who are presently chasing the nightmarish cyclones of international child abduction, and we look forward to participating in efforts that will create new laws and policies focused on protecting targeted children and their parents from abduction."

Peter Thomas Senese & Carolyn Ann Vlk Publish Highly Informative Open-Tablet E-book To Aide Children & Their Families At Risk Of Child Abduction

2011-08-24T15:32:00.000-07:00

Best-selling author Peter Thomas Senese along with child advocate Carolyn Ann Vlk have announced the official E-book publication release of their groundbreaking international child abduction prevention open-tablet resource guide titled ‘The World Turned Upside Down’.

Demonstrating the child abduction prevention advocates ongoing commitment to assist targeted children and their parents against the rapidly expanding criminal act of international parental child kidnapping while also seeking to raise the public’s awareness of the growing epidemic of cross-border child abduction, Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Ann Vlk have made the highly informative ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ available as a free E-book to ensure that the information provided is immediately accessible to those who may desperately need it.

‘The World Turned Upside Down’ by Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Ann Vlk is a unique and extensive resource guide containing significant and relevant information on international child abduction including a series of landmark research studies that will be of great interest to any individual concerned with preventing either domestic or international child abduction, including targeted parents, law enforcement officers, courts, social workers, lawmakers, and other professionals who advocate for children and who are interested in understanding and preventing this serious and dangerous crime against unsuspecting children.

Unique to the child advocates’ efforts, ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ takes shape in the form of a virtual E-book that is expected to be frequently updated with new content, information, and material as relevant and useful information concerning international child abduction becomes available. In essence, ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ (315 pp) is the foundation for what will become a very unique open-tablet cyber-library capable of providing critically important, easily accessible information on international parental child kidnapping to all individuals in need of such information.

Peter Thomas Senese previously created and produced along with Carolyn Vlk the groundbreaking 9-part educational documentary film series on criminal international parental child abduction titled ‘Chasing Parents: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction’, and is the author of the upcoming critically praised novel on international child abduction titled ‘Chasing The Cyclone’. Mr. Senese commented, “It has been Carolyn and my intent to continue to make a substantially helpful impact for defenseless children and their parents who are targeted by predator parents or others intent on committing the criminal and cruel act of international child kidnapping. One of the many aspects that makes ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ a unique book is that in its open-tablet E-book format we will be able to add new and relevant material and cross-index this information as it comes to light so individuals in need of the new information will have immediate access to it. What we’re creating is a living E-book that is expected to evolve into a single-resource for the millions of targeted parents, law enforcement officers, lawmakers, and child advocates from around the world who are interested in stopping child abduction.”

Co-Author Carolyn Ann Vlk included, “Peter and I have been extremely committed to raising the public’s awareness on the high-growth and seriousness of the crime of international parental child abduction while also seeking to implement child abduction prevention measures such as the state of Florida’s Child Abduction Prevention Act that is now law, or the implementation of the federal ‘Prevent Departure Program’, which is now a widely dispersed and extremely useful tool used to combat international parental child abduction here in the United States. Our present activity includes creating new legislation that will close the significant abduction and trafficking loopholes associated with the ‘Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative’ that clearly has created a black hole on international abduction and human trafficking We’re actively engaged in creating legislation that will hold non-citizen child abductors accountable for their kidnapping crime with respect to our nation’s immigration policy. And we’re actively seeking solutions that will take a stand against dual-passport issues with respect to a child of duel citizenship possessing a foreign passport when this child has been declared a risk for criminal abduction by one parent.

“In our extensive voluntary child abduction prevention activity together, Peter and I continue to ask the questions, ‘How and why are our children being criminally internationally abducted at such staggering rates, and what can be done about it?” ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ takes into consideration, and offers answers to many facets of these questions while also providing valuable insight on the issues at hand that are based upon our extensive and ongoing research as demonstrated.”

Peter Thomas Senese, reached in Washington, D.C. where he was actively educating policymakers on the proposed WHTI modification legislation added, “Tragically, there is limited social understanding as to the inherent cruel acts of child abuse and serious dangers associated with the pandemic of international parental child abduction. And despite parental child abduction being a federal crime of kidnapping in the United States, as well as in most every other nation, the growth of these malicious acts against children has increased in substantial part due to failures by lawmakers to create child abduction prevention laws, and more glaringly, even greater failures by the judiciary to implement and uphold these laws created in order to protect children from the act of international criminal kidnapping. Thus, in part, it is our hope that ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ sheds further light into just how dangerous a situation we have on our hands, while offering certain solutions that can make a sizeable difference in curtailing the unyielding growth of international parental child abduction and child trafficking. In reality, there are very real solutions that can be implemented that will dramatically reduce the number of criminal abductions, I think the key is to look within at prevention issues, while of course, holding all nations accountable who do not comply with international law.”

According to Carolyn Ann Vlk, “The statistical challenges of this pandemic as published in ‘Crisis In America: International Parental Child Abduction Today’ Peter Senese and I previously released include the harsh reality that many nations do not even attempt to keep record of how many children are criminally removed from their borders each year. And those nations that do, such as the United States, have only published the ‘reported’ number of cases without providing any insight into what clearly is a much more sizeable number of ‘unreported’ cases of international child abduction. There are millions of children each year around the world who are targeted for abduction each year, with a substantial number of these children intended to be removed from their native country of origin. In fact, if the growth rate of international parental child abduction continues to rise as projected, in the year 2020 alone the United States will have more children criminally parentally kidnapped from our nation’s borders than can fill a professional baseball stadium!”

The outlook for parents of children criminally kidnapped abroad seeking to reunite with their kidnapped children is tragically alarming. For instance, there are approximately 200 criminally abducted U.S. and Canadian child-citizens illegally detained in Japan right now. In our history, no U.S. or Canadian child who was abducted from either the U.S. or Canada has ever been returned home. None. Ever. Japan is a black hole of child abduciton where no child has ever been legally brought back. Sadly, there are many black holes.

The title for the publication ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ was created due to the reality that many parents who are targeted for international parental child abduction enter into a nightmarish ordeal where limited help and understanding is found, and the majority of criminally kidnapped children are never returned. Supporting this reality is Janice L. Jacobs, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs for the United States Department of State who writes, "Very few options exist for parents and children who are victims of parental child abduction.” Ms. Jacobs also stated, "Unfortunately, current trends reflect a steady increase in the number of international parental child abduction cases and highlight the urgency of redoubling efforts to promote compliance with [Hague] Convention obligations and encourage additional nations to join the Convention."

Ernie Allen, President and CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children has previously stated, "The problem of missing, abducted, trafficked and sexually exploited children is large, growing, under-recognized and under-reported” Mr. Allen observed, “Children are the single most victimized segment of our population. Even with all of the progress we have made, most Americans still don’t understand that basic fact. According to Justice Department research, more than 2,000 children will be reported missing in the United States today!" Additionally, Mr. Allen stated, "The numbers are staggering. The tragedies continue and too many children do not make it home.”

Mr. Martin Waage, Director of ABP World Group, a leading global security, investigation and child recovery organization with an incredible track record of participating in the safe reunification of over 200 criminally internationally abducted children with their targeted parents, and who has contributed to ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ states, “Over many years, my organization has seen the rapid increase of criminal international child abductions throughout the world. One of the great challenges we are aware of is that targeted parents who are trying to protect their children from international kidnapping or who have had their child criminally stolen abroad is a lack of cohesive information on what to do if your child is at risk or is stolen. There are, in reality, not many efficient options, and timing is critical. Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Ann Vlk’s remarkable efforts to create this resource will have a substantially beneficial impact on the global community. I applaud their voluntary work and commitment in creating ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ and further acknowledge their ongoing research projects that have an intended end-result to create new laws that will aid children everywhere. International parental child abduction is a well-documented act of child abuse surrounding a series of criminal acts by the abducting, scheming conspirator. ABP World Group looks forward to continuing in our global efforts of preventing this type of crime from occurring against children, as we are committed to adding to the evolution of ‘The World Turned Upside Down’s’ living library”

David B, a father who successfully reunited with his previously abducted child commented, “IPCA is a severe crime against both the child and targeted parent. The malice of an abducting parent is well documented by leading experts and government officials in the United States and elsewhere. The fact is, international child abduction is a criminal act of kidnapping. The severity of this crime can be long lasting for the child. Today, we need to uphold the criminal statutes in place in order to protect our children. Those individuals known to have criminally abducted a child internationally should not be allowed back in the country due to the severity of their crime and the likelihood that they will attempt to re-abducted a child once again: an occurrence that is well documented. ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ is an incredible resource guide that not only will help targeted parents, but will educate policymakers as to just how bad and dangerous this situation really is. The book’s free release and the material contained in it demonstrates how deeply committed and knowledgeable Carolyn and Peter are to helping children everywhere.”

A. Castro, whose child was previously criminally abducted to Europe, successfully reunited with his child, to only need to act again to prevent a second abduction added, “The failure by courts and their judges to understand the gravity of international parental child abduction and the ease of which a parent can criminally abduct a child has led to the substantial spike in the number of tragic abduction cases. The information contained in ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ and the selfless and dedicated efforts of Carolyn Ann Vlk and Peter Thomas Senese to provide assistance to targeted children and parents like myself is incredible. This publication is an extremely helpful resource guide every person involved in child abduction should read.”

Gloria Nyberg, a leading child abduction prevention advocate who has participated in a substantial number of international parental child abduction reunifications and who has acted endlessly to prevent targeted children from becoming victims of criminal child abduction stated, “For many parents who face having a child abducted abroad, the maze of complex legal and personal issues they must immediately attempt to navigate can be devastating. The challenges are magnified many fold due to the fact that most every parent does not expect for this crime against them and their child to happen. They are typically victims of a well-conspired fraudulent plan. By creating ‘The World Turned Upside Down’, Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Vlk are providing the world with yet another very special gift: a remarkable resource guide that will help a tremendous number of people, including parents and children facing this type of crime. Combining this publication with the extensive previous research reports and educational documentary film Peter and Carolyn have previously created or published, along with their tireless effort to create and implement new laws that will serve children everywhere, their efforts have and will continue to bring positive awareness of the dangerous and growing issues at hand.”

Amanda B, a mother presently at risk of having her young children abducted to the Middle East added, “The selfless efforts of Peter and Carolyn have made a direct impact on the safety and welfare of my children. I am grateful for their direct assistance on my and my children’s behalf: today my children are safe at home, and I am extremely grateful. ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ is such a vital resource that parents like myself, who are at risk of having their children internationally abducted, can turn to. It is an incredibly useful tool written by two caring child advocates who give of themselves freely in order to help others.”

Maurizio R, who is presently chasing the nightmarish cyclone of international parental child kidnapping and the incomprehensible legal and prejudicial maze many targeted parents unfairly face while trying to protect their criminally victimized child said, “Thanks to ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ and the admirable efforts of it’s authors Peter Senese and Carolyn Vlk, we have a real manual that tells us in detail a substantial amount about the world of international parental child abduction. As a parent involved in a case of international child abduction, I can say that this book is a precious help to all who are subject to the horror of having a child kidnapped abroad. And as for Peter, I can say that I found on the other side of the world a person who has opened his heart to me, helped me as I continue to reunite with my child, and who has made me feel less alone in this terrible experience.”

Jill Jones Soderman, PHD the Executive Director of ‘The Foundation For The Child Victims Of The Family Courts’ (501c3), and the Founder of ‘The Family Resolution Center’, located in Chester, New York, which focuses on issues surrounding children, including international child abduction and parental alienation added, “Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Ann Vlk have committed a significant portion of their lives and personal resources to the intervention and prevention of child abduction. As part of such efforts, Peter and Carolyn have written one of the most comprehensive, understandable written works bound by groundbreaking and landmark research on a plethora of issues surrounding the criminal act of international child abduction. In ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ Peter Senese and Carolyn Vlk’s commitment toward defenseless children and their targeted parents is undeniable, extraordinarily impactful, and speaks volumes from the loving hearts of Peter Senese and Carolyn Vlk. ‘The Foundation For The Children Victims Of The Family Courts’ looks forward to contributing to the ongoing resource guide ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ as this incredible evolving open-tablet E-book will make a positive difference against the war on international parental child abduction and child abuse.”

‘The World Turned Upside Down’ is available for free download on best-selling author Peter Thomas Senese’s official website, the official website of Senese’s ‘Chasing The Cyclone’, and on numerous websites including ‘International Parental Child Abduction Information’. Also available on these sites is the educational documentary film ‘Chasing Parents: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction’ created and narrated by Peter Thomas Senese, and co-produced by Carolyn Ann Vlk, along with various helpful information.

Peter Thomas Senese added, “Carolyn and I are pleased to publish the open-tablet E-book ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ as we continue our efforts to prevent the acts of international child abduction. We recognize that ours are only part of the great effort put forth by a global community interested in protecting children everywhere. We thank all those who have demonstrated leadership in this area, feel deeply for those children who have been victimized by the malicious acts of abduction along with their parents who have or who are chasing the cyclones of child abduction, and look forward to participating in efforts that will create new laws and policies focused on protecting targeted children and their parents from abduction.”

THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN by PETER SENESE

2011-08-01T15:53:00.001-07:00

I am very pleased to announce today the free E-book publication of THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN: International Parental Child Abduction by Peter Thomas Senese with special contributions by Carolyn Ann Vlk.

THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN by Peter Thomas Senese with Carolyn Ann Vlk is an extensive resource guide presently 315 pages in length containing significant information and landmark reports and research studies that will be useful for all individuals, including targeted parents, law enforcement officers, courts, and lawmakers interested in understanding and preventing international parental child abduction or human trafficking.

What is dynamic about THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN outside of the fact that the content and material contained within the book is that THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN takes shape in the form of a virtual E-book that is intended to be updated with new content, information, and material as relevant material and information becomes available. In essence, THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN is the foundation for a very unique cyber-library with the intent of providing critically important information for all individuals in need of information regarding child abduction.

In keeping with my goal of being able to offer to the world-at-large relevant, timely, and important information that may protect innocent children targeted for international abduction, it was my desire to make this extensive publication free-of-charge to all who desire to read it. THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN is available online as a free download in a PDF file format. Both Carolyn Ann Vlk’s and my child abduction prevention advocacy is done on a volunteer basis.

Making THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN free of charge is similar to the free extensive documentary film series titled ‘CHASING PARENTS: Racing Into the Storms of International Parental Child Abduction’ I have created that continues to educate a substantial number of individuals from around the world on the growing epidemic of criminal child abduction.

On behalf of Carolyn Ann Vlk and myself, I hope that the information contained in THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN will be of help to you.

Click Here To Read THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN BY PETER SENESE

Sincerely,

Peter Thomas Senese