Peter Senese and the I CARE Foundation prevented the international abduction of my niece a year ago. I would like to express deep thanks to Mr. Senese for creating a miracle for our family by stopping her kidnapping to Croatia and then to Tunisia. I would also like to share an important message that during the summer, parents involved in strained relationships with a partner born in a foreign country need to be aware of the possibility of international parental child abduction.
With school out, this is the time of year I love most because we get to spend several weeks during the school summer vacation with my darling niece.
I am eager for 11:00 a.m. to arrive tomorrow because that's the time my princess arrives. And what a day do I have planned!
Tonight, as I reflect on events that took place a year ago, when my niece's father attempted to abduct her to Croatia, and then probably onto Tunisia (it was only discovered at a court hearing that my sister's ex, Mahmud, was also a citizen of Tunisia: something he had carefully concealed from her during their time together), and then God knows where else without my sister knowing, I nostalgically recall how a perfect stranger came to help my family.
Due to the incredible assistance this once-stranger, now dear friend provided, not only was abduction prevented, but as I said, at 11:00 a.m tomorrow morning, my princess arrives.
If Mr. Peter Senese of the I CARE Foundation did not come into our lives, I am certain I would not be expecting my niece's arrival, but instead I would be helping my sister try to find her daughter. But that's not the case: Sophia arrives tomorrow!
And that is why I consider my friend Peter Senese a hero: he created a miracle by protecting my niece from abduction. In fact, Peter Senese is a hero because he created miracles for many children and their families.
During the time that the abduction was planned, my niece's father was in and out of her life since birth. He would travel around the world supposedly on business, including Croatia, Tunisia, and the UAE. He tried to be some Mr. Big-shot.
In reality, the international importer was not trading goods but instead, and unknown to us for all this time, he was taking care of his Croatian wife and his other family living in a lavish home in Tunisia.
My sister never knew that he was married until recently! And she never knew that he was a Tunisian citizen until recently!
According to the U.S. Department of State, "Tunisia is not a signatory to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (Hague Abduction Convention), nor are there any bilateral agreements in force between Tunisia and the United States concerning international parental child abduction. And though Croatia is a signatory of the international child abduction treaty, return of abducted children is limited.
Now you may ask yourself how or why did my sister become concerned that her daughter may be abducted?
Because he told her that if she doesn't start towing the line when he's around, then she will never see her daughter again.
What a great statement.
Shortly after that statement, I contacted Mr. Senese via his author website, having read about him and his volunteer work helping stop children from being wrongfully removed from the country. To my surprise, Mr. Senese returned my email message, and explained to me some immediate issues my sister needed to deal with.
The email was followed by a series of phone calls, including several with attorneys associated with the I CARE Foundation.
Together with the assistance of the I CARE Foundation's lawyers working under Mr. Senese's instructions, and with the help of my cousin, who is a litigator, court papers were filed to prevent the abduction of our niece.
We were able to create a wall of protection around Sophia.
Literally, that wall was Peter Senese (Last year I wrote about the incredible work of Mr. Senese helping children).
For example, we did not realize the extent of danger and reality of abduction associated with Sophia possessing what we initially believed to be dual citizenship by birth to Croatia. As it turned out, we eventually found out she also had a birth right to citizenship to Tunisia, which is where my sister's ex had actually been traveling to during all those extended business trips, not Croatia.
In addition, even though my sister never knew that her daughter was naturalized as a Croatian citizen, Mr. Senese found out she was during court proceedings. And as he shared with the court, my niece could have traveled out of the U.S. on a Croatian passport without anyone knowing. In addition, it was Mr. Senese who accompanied my sister to the Croatian Consulate to determine if a passport had been issued for my niece. According to my sister, the consulate was very cooperative with Mr. Senese because of his capacity as a director with the I CARE Foundation.
Armed with evidence that my niece had been issued a Croatian passport without my sister knowing, a plan unfolded that we hoped would work.
In court, my sister's ex was asked under oath if he had naturalized his daughter with the Croatian government. He said no. He was also asked if he had a passport from Croatia for her? Rather belligerently, he said to the judge, how could he if she is not a citizen? No!
Well, you had to see the liars face when my cousin Andrea put Mr. Senese on the stand. Under oath he produced a notarized document from the Croatian government clearly demonstrating that not only was my niece a naturalized citizen of Croatia, but she was also issued a passport.As expected, the judge was not very pleased with any of it. And that includes the forged signature of my sister on my niece's Croatian passport application.
Interestingly, the Croatian passport had been issued only a few months earlier. Which means he was planning on using it to get her out of the country.
Well, that didn't happen, as the court granted all the requests my sister included in her motion at the suggestion of Mr. Senese. This included placing the would-be abductor on the Prevent Departure Program.
Another interesting aspect of what took place at the hearing is that though we were not aware of my sister's ex, Mahmud's Tunisian citizenship, Mr. Senese hammered that notion in court, and very specifically questioned whether Mahmud was a citizen of Tunisia. The way this was done clearly caused Mahmud great concern, especially since Mr. Senese stated that Mahmud, who was a legal U.S. resident, was required to answer to the court his citizenship affiliations, and that misrepresentation of his naturalization constituted a federal crime.
I'll never forget how Mahmud starred with contempt at Mr. Senese.
Eventually as the hearing proceeded, and Andrea made a fuss over Mahmud's Tunisian citizenship and then further questioned if Sophia had been issued a passport from that country, Mahmud stated he was also a Tunisia citizen, but Sophia was never issued a passport (something that we cannot prove till this day).
Which makes my niece's likely disappearance to non Hague country of Tunisia even that much more probable. More than likely she would have been forced into an Islamic subservient life as most women in Tunisia do not know equality. And as for my sister ever getting her daughter back? That probably would not have occurred.
Till this day, I am sure that Tunisia issued a passport on behalf of my niece. The Tunisian consulate, unlike the Croatian consulate, is not very forthcoming with information.
And as for Mahmud, the court ordered him to have supervised rights with Sophia. He has not bothered to see her for over a year. Instead, opting to leave the United States all together. He has not had any contact with her (though he didn't have that much contact with her in the past anyway: now we know why: he had another family), and he does not pay child support, but you know what? My niece is safe. She is happy. And from all I have seen and know, not much has changed in her life.
Today, I am proud to call Peter my good friend. What he did to help Peter did without ever asking for anything. And that is a hero.When I think about what is it that could make a man become such a fierce child advocate, willing to give of his time and use his own resources to help families like my own, I realize that the events Peter has seen as conveyed in Chasing The Cyclone give him the inspiration and courage to help others.
Tonight, with my niece's summer visit beginning in only a few hours, I must say I am excited to see her and so thankful to Peter that tomorrow will arrive the way it will.
For information on Peter Senese and his fantastic work with the I CARE Foundation, please visit www.stopchildabduciton.org or visit http://internationalparentalchildabduciton.blogspot.com/
You may also want to visti the U.S. Department of State's Office of Children's Issues, as they are the government agency who attempts to help abducted children.
Finally, to my adorable niece, here is a simple message: I love you! Let the fun begin!
