International child abduction and child custody is governed by the international treaty of the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction and has been signed by the United States and approximately 72 other countries. The Hague Convention attempts to set out an orderly and uniform for signatory courts to identify a valid custody order and for the return of children abducted from and to signatory countries. Unfortunately, while a country may be a signatory to the Hague Convention this does not necessarily mean they will recognize a child custody order from the United States. The U.S. State Department makes regular public reports identifying whether a county is complaint with the Hague Convention.
