• 28
  • September
    2010

According to a recently published and congressionally mandated report by the Pentagon, armed forces personnel who marry while stationed abroad are frequently drawn into bitter and complex international child custody disputes in the event they divorce their foreign spouses.

Specifically, the report found that from 2007 to 2009, the number of armed forces members who contacted the U.S. State Department for help with securing either child custody or visitation rights with their half-American child(ren) rose from eight to 34 in more than 14 countries.

The 13-page report also concluded that armed forces personnel stationed in places such as Japan or Germany are much more likely to encounter legal difficulties in securing child custody/visitation rights due to the complexity of these foreign legal systems.

It is worth noting that the figures in the Department of Defense report do not include armed forces personnel who choose not to contact the State Department for assistance and instead sought to resolve matters on their own (either through a foreign attorney or discussions with a former spouse).

 

In response to the report's findings and growing pressure from Congress, the Department of Defense and State Department have pledged to provide both military legal agencies and family support agencies with comprehensive information on the family court systems of foreign countries in which the United States has a defined military presence.

Specifically, this comprehensive information will outline the applicable policies and procedures for managing complex international child custody/visitation disputes, as well as outline specific actions that can be taken to prevent international child abduction.

No firm timetable was provided for how and when this information will be provided.

To be continued ...

If you are currently involved in a child custody dispute or have questions regarding international child custody, you should strongly consider speaking with an experienced legal professional. 

This post is provided for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as legal advice.

Stay tuned for more from our Denver divorce blog ...

Related Resources:
  
• Report: DOD to Give More Help to Troops in International Child Custody Disputes (Stars and Stripes)