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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 from the tenth country
listed as “Noncompliant” in the report, Panama:
Country Summary:
The United States and Panama have been partners under the Hague Abduction
Convention since 1994. In 2016, Panama demonstrated a pattern of noncompliance.
Specifically, the judicial authorities in Panama persistently failed to
implement and abide by the provisions of the Hague Abduction Convention. As a
result of this failure, 100 percent of requests for the return of abducted
children under the Convention have remained unresolved for more than 12 months.
On average these cases have been unresolved for 45 months.
Central Authority:
While the relationship with the Panamanian Central Authority is strong and
productive, the United States is concerned that Panama is unable to resolve
cases in a timely manner, and urges the Panamanian authorities to take
appropriate steps to address this situation.
Location: The
Department of State did not request assistance with location from the Panamanian
authorities.
Judicial Authorities:
The Panamanian judicial authorities demonstrated a pattern of noncompliance
with the Convention due to serious delays in deciding Convention cases.
Panamanian judges frequently requested psychological and socio-economic
evaluations, which impeded prompt resolutions in Convention cases. Cases are
generally pending with the judiciary for more than two years.
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
Panamanian authorities.
Access: In 2016,
there were no open access cases.
Department
Recommendations: The Department will intensify engagement with the
Panamanian authorities to address significant issues of concern and expand
public diplomacy activities related to the resolution of cases. The Department
will also promote training with judicial and administrative authorities on the
effective handling of international parental child abduction cases. The
Department also recommends an emphasis on preventing abductions.
