Standards and assistance
22 U.S.C. § 9112
in effectThe Secretary of State shall—
(1) ensure that United States diplomatic and consular missions abroad—(A) maintain a consistent reporting standard with respect to abduction and access cases; (B) designate at least 1 senior official in each such mission, at the discretion of the Chief of Mission, to assist left-behind parents from the United States who are visiting such country or otherwise seeking to resolve abduction or access cases; and (C) monitor developments in abduction and access cases; and
(2) develop and implement written strategic plans for engagement with any Convention or non-Convention country in which there are 5 or more cases of international child abduction.
Source: OLRC USLMURL: https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/95/xml_usc22@119-95.zipFetched: 6/4/2026
