One of the great things about the United States is that it attracts a wide-range of people. There are people form all over the world living in Connecticut, many of whom end up marrying American-born citizens. Some of these marriages last, but others end in divorce. For the most part, these divorces are treated just like divorces between American citizens, but when children are involved, special care may be needed.
In many cases, Fairfield parents can come to an agreement on how to share custody. There is always a risk, however, that the foreign-born parent will take the child abroad and never return. Unfortunately, these kinds of international child custody disputes are far more common than most people would hope. There are approximately 1,200 new cases reported the U.S. State Department each year.
Take, for instance, the story of a Colorado father whose ex-wife took their two daughters to Argentina over three years ago and has yet to return. Prior to her sudden move, the two girls’ parents had agreed to a child custody agreement. The girls’ mother soon tried to get permission from a Colorado court to move to Buenos Aires, but a judge found her claims that her former husband had abused her were false. Not only did the judge deny the mother’s request, but he or she determined that the father should have primary physical custody.
This did not sit well with the mother and she moved with her daughters to Buenos Aires. For the past three years, the father has been trying everything he can to get his daughters back.
While it would be nice to think that this was an isolated incident, it is likely that there are a number of Connecticut mothers and fathers who have similar stories.
