International Child Abduction Remedies Act

This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please help improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (September 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

The International Child Abduction Remedies Act (ICARA) is a United States federal law. H.R. 3971 29 April 1988, was assigned Public law 100-300 in 22 U.S.C. 9001 et seq.

ICARA establishes procedures to implement the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction done at The Hague on October 25, 1980 and for other purposes.

The two primary goals of the Hague Convention are, "to ensure the prompt return of children to the state of their habitual residence when they have been wrongfully removed," and "to ensure that rights of custody i.e., "physical custody" and of access i.e., "visitation" under the law of one Contracting State are effectively respected in the other Contracting States". The Convention's procedures "are not designed to settle international custody disputes, but rather to restore the status quo prior to any wrongful removal or retention, and to deter parents from engaging in international forum shopping in custody cases."[1]