US embassy hosts Hague Convention Symposium

AMMAN — The US embassy in Amman on Monday hosted an international symposium on the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction, a treaty designed to protect children by resolving illegal removals and retentions across international borders.

 Judges and government officials from Egypt, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and Canada came to Amman for the event, joined by representatives from the Ministry of Interior, the Court of Cassation, the National Council for Family Affairs and the Family Protection Department, a US embassy statement said.

“Children of divorced and separated parents are already vulnerable, and being taken to a foreign country can have lasting negative effects on their upbringing,” the statement quoted US State Department Special Adviser for Children’s Issues Ambassador Susan Jacobs as saying.

US Ambassador to Jordan Alice Wells said she was “heartened by Jordan’s interest in this issue”, voicing hope that the discussion can continue to help “these vulnerable children”.