The U.S. State Department has
just issued its 2017 Annual Report on International Parental Child Abduction
under the International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act (ICAPRA). The
following is the Country Summary and related information for Egypt:
Country Summary:
Egypt does not adhere to any protocols with respect to international parental
child abduction, and left-behind parents of children abducted to Egypt have
limited options to resolve their cases. Voluntary Agreements are the primary
means for obtaining the return of children from Egypt. In 2003, the United
States and Egypt signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to encourage
voluntary resolution of abduction cases and facilitate consular access to
abducted children. While Egypt was cited for non-compliance in the 2016 report,
last year Egypt expanded its engagement with the United States under the
existing MOU, and worked with the Department of State to resolve more abduction
cases. During 2016, resolutions increased to four times the number of the
previous year reflecting a pattern of improvement.
Significant Developments: During 2016, Egyptian authorities engaged extensively
with the United States to review methods for resolving cases, and expressed
interest in expanding cooperation between our two countries. Egypt's Ministry
of Foreign Affairs was an active interlocutor regarding abduction issues and
pressed for creation of a new inter-ministerial committee to consider Egypt’s
possible ratification of the Hague Abduction Convention. Officials from the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Justice Ministry met frequently with U.S.
Embassy staff in Cairo to discuss individual abduction cases. Egyptian
authorities successfully mediated in one case to facilitate a U.S. father’s
access to his sons in Egypt.
Central Authority:
In 2016, the competent authorities in Egypt worked closely with the United
States to discuss improvements to the resolution of pending abduction cases.
However, the options for resolving these cases under Egyptian law are limited.
Successful mediation by a subcommittee of the Ministry of Justice resulted in
voluntary agreements in some cases. We believe this subcommittee has the
capacity to expand its role in this regard and could play a greater role in
providing left-behind parents with information regarding possible legal
remedies in Egypt.
Voluntary Resolution: In 2016, four abduction cases were resolved
through voluntary means.
Location: The Department of State did not request assistance with
location from the Egyptian authorities.
Judicial Authorities: While some abduction cases were resolved by
the Egyptian courts, the lack of clear legal procedures for addressing
international parental child abduction cases under Egyptian law made it very
difficult for Egypt to address these cases.
Enforcement: The United States is not aware of any abduction cases
in which a judicial order relating to international parental child abduction
needed to be enforced by the Egyptian authorities. Department
Recommendations: The Department will continue to encourage Egypt to
join the Convention and expand public diplomacy activities related to the
Convention. The Department also recommends an emphasis on preventing
abductions.