Posts
The U.S. State Department has recently released their
annual report on International Child Abduction. Below is our tenth post in a
series here focusing on the twelve countries classified as “demonstrating
patterns of noncompliance.” Today’s
country is Morocco.
Country Summary:
The Hague Abduction Convention has been in force between the United States and
Morocco since 2012. In 2017, Morocco demonstrated a pattern of noncompliance as
a result of failure by the competent authorities to take appropriate steps to
locate a child for more than one year after a Convention application was filed.
Initial Inquiries:
In 2017, the Department received two initial inquiries from parents regarding
possible abductions to Morocco where no completed applications were submitted
to the Department.
Central Authority:
The Moroccan Central Authority demonstrated a pattern of noncompliance with the
Convention due to delays in the processing of cases and a lack of effective
communication with the U.S. Central Authority regarding their resolution. In
spite of repeated requests from the U.S. Central Authority, the Moroccan
Central Authority failed to maintain timely and efficient communication. In
addition, in one case, the Moroccan Central Authority has failed to confirm the
location of a child for more than a year, thereby preventing the case from
being brought to competent judicial authorities in a timely manner.
Voluntary Resolution: The
Convention states that central authorities “shall take all appropriate measures
to secure the voluntary return of the child or to bring about an amicable
resolution of the issues.” In 2017, one abduction case was resolved through
voluntary means.
Location: The
Department of State requested location assistance but the Moroccan authorities
have not yet confirmed location. The Central Authority has been unable to
confirm the location of one child for over one year.
Judicial Authorities: The
United States is not aware of any abduction cases brought before the Moroccan
judiciary in 2017.
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
Moroccan authorities.
Department Recommendations: The
Department will continue intense engagement with the Moroccan authorities to
address issues of concern, including pre-Convention cases, and expand public
diplomacy activities related to the resolution of cases.
Access: In 2017, the U.S.
Central Authority had one open access case under the Convention in Morocco.
This case has been filed with the Moroccan Central Authority. No new cases were
filed in 2017. While no cases had been resolved by December 31, 2017, this case
was closed for other reasons.
Pre-Convention Cases: At
the end of 2017, one pre-Convention abduction case remained open in Morocco.
