Children's Issues
The main office in the Department of State that deals with a broad range of Children's Issues, including international child abduction and intercountry adoption, is the Office of Children's Issues:
Main phone number: 1-888-407-4747; or 202-501-4444
E-mail: AskCI@state.gov
Mailing Address:
SA-29
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520
If you wish to speak to a representative at the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm, please send an e-mail to: stkacsinfo@state.gov (be sure to include a daytime phone number), or call us at +46 8 783 5375 during our telephone hours Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday between 1:00 and 2:00 PM. For emergencies please call the switchboard phone number +46 8 783 5300.
International Parental Child Abduction
The Department of State considers international parental child abduction, as well as the welfare and protection of U.S. citizen children taken overseas, to be important, serious matters. The highest priority is given to the welfare of children who have been victimized by international abductions.
Hague Abduction Convention
Both Sweden and the United States are parties the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (Hague Abduction Convention). The Hague Abduction Convention is the primary civil law mechanism for parents seeking the return of the children from other treaty partner countries. Countries that are party to the Convention have agreed that a child who was living in one Convention country, and who has been removed to or retained in another Convention country in violation of the left-behind parent's custodial rights, shall be promptly returned. Once the child has been returned, the custody dispute can then be resolved, if necessary, in the courts of that jurisdiction. The Convention does not address who should have custody of the child; it addresses where the custody case should be heard.
To date, the United States partners with 68 other countries under the Hague Abduction Convention (view the list of Hague Abduction countries). Each country that is party to the Convention has designated a Central Authority, a specific government office, to carry out specialized Convention duties. Central Authorities communicate with each other and they assist parents in filing applications for return of or for access to their children under the Convention. The Central Authority for the United States is the Department of State's Office of Children's Issues. The Central Authority for Sweden is the Ministry for Foreign Affairs ("Utrikesdepartementet"), Department for Consular Affairs and Civil Law.
For left-behind parents seeking the return of their children, one of the biggest sources of frustration is that courts in many other countries do not take into account the prior decisions made by courts in the United States. A custody order in the United States can be meaningless abroad. When confronting this challenge, keep in mind the following three things:
1) Each country is a sovereign nation. Sovereign nations cannot interfere with each other's legal systems, judiciaries, or law enforcement;
2) Generally every country only has jurisdiction within its own territory and over people present within its borders; and
3) Although court orders from other countries may be recognized in the United States under the Uniform Child Custody and Jurisdiction Enforcement Act (UCCJEA), this is rarely true in reverse - U.S. court orders are not generally recognized in other countries.
Office of Children's Issues - International Parental Child Abduction Unit
Phone: 1-888-407-4747; 202-501-4444
Fax: 202-736-9132
E-mail: AbductionUSCA@state.gov
Web Address: Travel.State.Gov/childabduction
Further information can be found here.
Central Authority in Sweden
Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Department for Consular Affairs and Civil Law
103 39 STOCKHOLM
Sweden
Tel.: +46 (8) 405 1000 (in case of emergency: +46 (8) 405 5001)
Fax: +46 (8) 723 1176
E-mail: ud@foreign.ministry.se
Website: www.regeringen.se and http://www.regeringen.se/sb/d/2555.
A list of law firms in Sweden that specialize in abduction cases can be found here.
Intercountry Adoption
Intercountry adoption is the process by which you adopt a child from a different country than your own through permanent legal means and bring that child to your home country to live with you permanently.
Both Sweden and the United States are parties to the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-Country Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention), which is an international agreement to safeguard intercountry adoptions. Concluded on May 29, 1993 in The Hague, the Netherlands, the Convention establishes international standards of practices for intercountry adoptions. The United States signed the Convention in 1994, and the Convention entered into force for the United States in April 2008.
The Hague Adoption Convention applies to all adoptions between the United States and the other counties that have joined it. (View complete list of Convention countries).
Office of Children's Issues - Intercounty Adoption Unit
Phone: 1-888-407-4747; 202-501-4444
Fax: 202-736-9080
E-mail: AdoptionUSCA@state.gov
Web Address: Adoption.State.Gov
Central Authority in Sweden
Swedish Intercountry Adoptions Authority (MIA)
Box 308
101 26 STOCKHOLM
Sweden
Tel.:+46 (8) 5455 5680
Fax number: +46 (8) 650 4110
E-mail: info@mia.eu
Website: www.mia.eu
Children's Passport Issuance Alert Program
The Children's Passport Issuance Alert Program (CPIAP) is a service for the parents and legal guardians of minor children. It enables the Department of State's Office of Children's Issues to notify a parent or court ordered legal guardian, when requested, before issuing a U.S. passport for his or her child. The parent, legal guardian, legal representatives, or the court of competent jurisdiction must submit a written request for entry of a child's name into the program to the Office of Children's Issues. For further information, please see Children's Issues website. This request can be submitted to the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm.
Child Protection & Neglect Issues
If you wish to discuss a child protection matter, please send an e-mail to: stkacsinfo@state.gov (be sure to include a daytime phone number), or call us at +46 8 783 5363 during our telephone hours Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday between 1:00 and 3:00 PM.
Other U.S. Agencies Involved in Child Welfare
The Department of Human and Health Services provides a series of services relating to the health care and human services, among others children\s issues.
The Administration for Children and Families is an agency within the HHS, which is responsible for federal programs that promote the economic and social well being of families, children, individuals, and communities.
The Children’s Bureau is a U.S. federal agency for children and is located within the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families. It is responsible for assisting States in the delivery of child welfare services - services designed to protect children and strengthen families.
International Social Services (ISS) is an organization that provides inter-country social services to individuals and families around the world who encounter socio-legal problems. It is an international non-governmental organization dedicated to helping individuals and families with personal or social problems resulting from migration and international movement. ISS’s different branches all over the world facilitate communication between social services to resolve these problems. ISS is composed of a network of about 150 member countries. The U.S. branch is located in Baltimore, MD and can be reached on phone number +1 410-230-2737.
Child Welfare in Sweden
Children’s issues in Sweden are handled by a number of different agencies and nongovernmental organizations etc. The National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) is the national authority in regards to social services and health care. You may visit their website at www.socialstyrelsen.se or call on phone number 08–555 530 00.
In Sweden, children and young people up to the age of 18 have their own ombudsman. The Children’s Ombudsman (Barnombudsmannen) is appointed by the Swedish Government for a term of six years. The Ombudsman’s main duty is to promote the rights and interests of children and young people. For more information, please visit www.bo.se.
Children’s Rights in Society, Barnens Rätt i Samhället (BRIS), is a non-political, non-religious, non-profit association dedicated to promoting the rights of children in society. BRIS tries to support children in difficult situations and have a help phone number 020-230 230 and an e-mail address available on their website www.bris.se.
International Social Services (ISS) is an organization that provides inter-country social services to individuals and families around the world who encounter socio-legal problems. It is an international non-governmental organization dedicated to helping individuals and families with personal or social problems resulting from migration and international movement. ISS’s different branches, all over the world facilitate communication between social services to resolve these problems. ISS is composed of a network of about 150 member countries. The Swedish branch office is located in Järfälla, Stockholm and can be reached on phone number 08-759 66 78. They can also be reached through email to grigori@epikur.nu.