The United States on Monday announced a new visa restriction policy targeting foreign officials and others involved in international parental child-abduction cases, with the measure potentially affecting individuals involved in such cases in Pakistan.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the policy, which allows Washington to restrict visas for individuals it determines have acted “responsible for, or complicit in” obstructing the prompt resolution of parental child-abduction cases. The restrictions can also apply to their immediate family members.
Rubio said the Trump administration considers protecting American children abducted across international borders and reuniting them with their parents a top priority.
The policy covers foreign government officials, judges, judicial administrators, law-enforcement officials and others who intentionally obstruct efforts to resolve cases or fail to implement or comply with laws, policies or court orders aimed at returning children to their country of habitual residence.
The United States said the policy provides a new accountability tool to pressure countries to meet their international obligations.
The measure has particular relevance to Pakistan because Pakistan is a party to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and has a treaty relationship with the United States under the convention. The Hague framework seeks the prompt return of children wrongfully removed from or retained outside their country of habitual residence.
However, the policy does not impose blanket visa restrictions on officials or citizens from any particular country. The US government will determine whether an individual meets the criteria outlined by the State Department.
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