Robert Berry: “This issue first came to my attention when a child, Machael Al Omary, living with her mother in Jonesboro, Arkansas was…”

“This issue first came to my attention when a child, Machael Al Omary, living with her mother in Jonesboro, Arkansas was illegally kidnapped by her noncustodial father and taken to Saudi Arabia where her mother has no legal right to recourse. Since that time, I have learned that there are thousands of children who have been illegally taken to another country. If the country is not a signatory to the Hague Agreement, the parents are left totally helpless. In many cases when the country is a signatory, justice is often difficult to obtain and comes at a very high price. Our legal system makes decisions involving the custody of children based on what is in the best interests of the children. Once such arrangements are made, no one should ever be rewarded for the illegal abduction of a child from our country by being able to keep the child and thumb their noses at our authority. This resolution sends a strong message of this country's support for the rights of our children.”