The U.S. State Department has now issued its 2023 Action Report on International Child Abduction.
Belize has been declared by the State Department to be noncompliant with the Hague Abduction Convention.
The State Department has reported to
Congress that within the past year it has taken the following actions in this
regard against Belize:
·
Department officials, in Washington, DC and at
the U.S. Embassy in Belmopan, continued to raise concerns with the Government
of Belize about Belize’s demonstration of a pattern of noncompliance.
·
In December 2022, officials at the U.S. Embassy
in Belmopan met with the Director of the Belize Central Authority (BCA) to
discuss Belize’s pattern of noncompliance and its obligations under the
Convention, and proposed actions to improve Convention compliance.
·
Also in December 2022, officials at the U.S.
Embassy in Belmopan attended a BCA-organized training on the Convention for BCA
employees, local law enforcement, and child protective services.
·
In May 2023, the U.S. Ambassador to Belize met
with representatives from the Belizean judiciary, central authority, law
enforcement, and legal community who were selected for an International Visitor
Leadership Program (IVLP) focused on IPCA. The group discussed objectives for
the IVLP and laid the foundation for a follow-on seminar for Belizean IPCA
stakeholders who did not participate in the IVLP.
·
Also in May 2023, the Office of the Spokesperson
released a media note to announce the release of the 2023 Annual Report on
International Child Abduction and listed Belize as a country cited for
demonstrating a pattern of noncompliance.
·
In May 2023, the Consular Chief at the U.S.
Embassy in Belmopan delivered a demarche to the Belizean Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Foreign Trade concerning Belize’s citation for demonstrating a
pattern of noncompliance in the 2023 Annual Report.
·
Also in May 2023, Department officials met in
Washington, DC with 10 officials from the Belizean judiciary, central
authority, law enforcement, and legal community to share best practices for
implementing the Convention. This meeting was part of an IVLP sponsored by the
U.S. Embassy in Belmopan that focused on improving Belize’s compliance with the
Convention.
Jeremy D. Morley
has provided expert evidence to courts in several U.S. states on such matters
concerning Belize.