Who Are We

We are the parents and supporters of abducted children. Some of us have successfully recovered our kids and brought them home. Most of us remain in an unrelenting battle at home and abroad to enforce our fundamental right to parent and to provide our children regular and consistent access to our loving and nurturing presence.

This is not a contest of wills. Parental abduction, wrongful removal, and wrongful retention is child abuse and it must cease.

About

We've finally had enough, and iStand Parent Network is the relection of that resolve.

Our connections are growing and deepening. We're finding each other online, by word of mouth, via social media and through referrals from partner organizations. We're sharing our pain, our hopes and our unflagging commitment to bring our children home.

We use emergent technologies, weekly conference calls and gatherings to learn from each other and to create international awareness of the prevalence and reality of this growing pandemic. Importantly, we require governments and individuals to do justly concerning our children.

Our mission is broad, as a coalition should be, to account for significant variations in our cases and situations. International parental kidnappings and custodial conflicts vary by degrees, severity, legalities and intricacies. However, our goal is singular. iSTAND Parent Network is resolved to escalate our voice and action until every abducted, wrongfully removed, or wrongfully retained child comes home. Alone, a parent is but one voice crying in global wilderness. Together, WE STAND as a clarion, calling all children home.

iStand Parent Network Inc. is a federally-registered 501(c)3 nonprofit

Tax ID: Federal tax ID: 47-2025570

Our Vision

To STAND together to urge the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs Office of Children's Issues to exert diplomatic pressure and elicit cooperation from nations where children are held, maintain strong and consistent casework reporting and response and enhance inter-agency cooperation for family reunification.
To engage the U.S. Department of Justice to STAND with parents to enforce the International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act of 1993, pursue criminal prosecutions when warranted and enforce laws that protect parents, children and lead to safe returns.
To recommend the Department of Homeland Security STAND with us to prevent further abductions, and to implement and enforce exit controls at all U.S. borders and airports for children traveling abroad.
To educate Congress, asking that they STAND with parents to enact comprehensive laws that seeking parents can use to bring their children home.
To encourage the central authorities in other nations to STAND and act with urgency on matters of abduction, wrongful removal, wrongful retention and access rights.
To STAND together and educate family courts on international parental child abduction risks and legal remedies which courts should incorporate to mitigate risk.
To insist that signatories of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction STAND up, honor treaties and apply a consistent standard to resolve cases with diligence, transparency and urgency.
To STAND as a Network and advocate for family rights, working collectively to identify tools and resources that support children's rights to be present in their parents' lives.
To STAND together and raise awareness of the psychological, emotional, financial and collateral damage caused by parental abduction and parental alienation.
To STAND as a collective to build a secure knowledge base that assists families in securing access rights, and resolving parental child abduction, wrongful retention and wrongful removal.

Our Vision

Board Members

Advocacy Areas

Parent Advocacy

The Parent Advocacy Initiative empowers and connects parents and families with resources, guidance and support systems to prevent and resolve International Parental Child Abduction. It advances the goals of peer support, prevention, family reunification and policy reform.

Public Policy

The Public Policy Initiative coordinates among coalition members and local, state, federal and international governmental actors to address and reduce the incidence of International Parental Child Abduction through a whole of government approach.

Legal Reform

The Legal Reform Initiative educates attorneys, mediators, family court judges and key stakeholders about International Parental Child Abduction, prevention and reform. It monitors case law, rulings and legal developments in domestic and international courts concerning IPCA and advances the goals of prevention, family reunification and international legal systems reform.

Communications

The Communications Initiative raises awareness and educates key stakeholders and the public about International Parental Child Abduction. It advances goals of enhanced public awareness and engagement on this issue through creative advocacy, storytelling and information sharing across multimedia platforms.

Research and Sustainability

The Research and Sustainability Initiative assembles, evaluates and disseminates relevant data and information on International Parental Child Abduction and identifies resources to sustain and grow the movement to end International Parental Child Abduction.

Advocacy Area