What is IPCA? Introducing "Chasing The Cyclone"

    I'm so very privileged to have Maria Gina here today.  She's generously offered to provide more information about Peter Thomas Senese and his latest release.

    Here she is.

 

Best-Selling Author Peter Thomas Senese’s CHASING THE CYCLONE Protects Children From International Child Abduction As Author Helps Reunite Kidnapped Children With Their Families As Hundreds Of Thousands Of Children Are At Risk Of Kidnapping

A child’s life is the most fragile yet valuable commodity worth doing everything possible to cherish and protect.

    According to Chasing The Cyclone best-selling author Peter Thomas Senese, over the past decade, there has been a growing frightful trend that is causing great harm to children and rampant destruction to families throughout the world. It is called international parental child abduction (IPCA), and its venom knows no boundaries.

    IPCA is the wrongful removal of a child from their country of origin (where they live) or the illegal detention of a child in a foreign nation in contradiction of a court's order by one of the child’s parents.  IPCA is the criminal act of international parental child abduction as stated in the federal 'International Parental Kidnapping Crimes Act'. In addition to federal law, each state has its own criminal statutes concerning this act, which has been widely proclaimed by law enforcement and leading child therapists as child abuse.

    Despite IPCA being a serious federal and state crime, expert predictions indicate that there could be as many as 200,000 children living in North America illegally kidnapped by one parent from another over the next decade.  Unfortunately, the abusive and criminal act of IPCA often has not been prosecuted because our courts and law enforcement believed this act is a ‘family matter’. Since when is the kidnapping of a child a ‘family matter’?

    Is this a calamity?

    Indeed it is, and I bet that if the next 20 parental child abductors are prosecuted, we would see a dramatic reduction of IPCA cases.

    Undeniably, a child who is parentally kidnapped is the victim of a severe crime that is completely abusive to the child. One that places the child’s life in physical harm’s way.  

    Fortunately, there are strong, dedicated child advocates who are committed to protecting our children.

    One of the leaders at the forefront of the battle against IPCA is best-selling author Peter Thomas Senese, the Founding Director of the I CARE Foundation, a not-for-profit organization he created to help raise the public’s awareness of IPCA. Mr. Senese’s compassionate reach helped create and implement a host of new laws established to protect against IPCA, while also creating a tremendous cache of tools available for parents in a call-to-arms to protect their children who may be targeted for abduction.

    In fact, Mr. Senese’s critically acclaimed novel Chasing The Cyclone that was inspired by the best-selling author’s own horrific ordeal of IPCA under the international rules of the Hague Convention has been called by top book critics as a gripping, must-read, can’t-put-down story that every loving parent should read, as Chasing The Cyclone illustrates the severity of IPCA while also offering various useful resources that may help parents understand the warning signs of a potential abduction, and what they can do to protect their children.  Along the way, Mr. Senese has used the proceeds to create a few major miracles.

    Peter Thomas Senese provided insight on how severe of a problem we have on our hands, when he said, “For any parent the notion of losing a child is unthinkable, and this includes cases of IPCA because as various government agencies have stated, IPCA is a cruel and abusive crime against a child. Stolen children are not safe. They often live the life of a fugitive, while the abductor attempts to brainwash them into sanctioning their abduction. This is done in the form of severe acts of parental alienation, where the child’s previous identity is strip mined.

    “Sadly, there exists a growing pandemic known as international parental child abduction, and it is destroying the lives of tens of thousands of families each year. In fact, recent studies estimate that as many as 125,000 American children, 20,000 Canadian children, and a total of 200,000 defenseless children living in North America will be internationally, criminally abducted by one parent from another in contradiction to court orders over the next decade. Alarmingly, only 10% of children abducted or illegally detained abroad will ever come home.

    “At the core of the increase of IPCA cases is the growth of cross-cultural marriages between two individuals who were born in separate countries but who now reside together in one of the couple’s native countries, where they eventually have a child or children. Like all relationships, a high percentage of these marriages or partnerships will fail. And when they do, more often than not, the parent who is not a native of the country that the marriage was established in will want to return back to their home country, and take the child or children with them. Of course, the other parent will object to this, so in order to return to their native home, elaborate and careful schemes are created that catch the targeted parent off guard. The end result: a child is abducted abroad. And as previously stated, only 10% of these children will ever come home.

    If you think this cannot happen to you, you may be mistaken.

    Recently, the U.S. Census issued a report that 10% of all marriages in the United States are cross-cultural marriages, and further, that 18% of non-marriage relationships are cross cultural marriages.  Clearly, our global society is becoming more connected, and this is a wonderful occurrence that should be celebrated. In our ability to celebrate this, we should also make sure that our children’s safety is secured.

    So what can you do if you are a parent who might have some concern about international parental child abduction?

    In order to assist other parents, Peter Thomas Senese has provided a List Of Warning Signs that I urge you to consider reading. If the abduction of your child is imminent, please view the list of Immediate Actions provided on the Chasing The Cyclone Official Websites' Imminent Action section.

    The issues of IPCA are complex and often lead to a child of abduction’s recovery efforts to fail. Obviously, preventing abduction from happening in the first place is key.

Peter Thomas Senese’s Chasing The Cyclone has been called by top book critics as a phenomenal legal thriller that is hard to put down, but does something else: it provides readers with a great education on the issues of IPCA and how to possibly prevent against it.  Here are what a few reviewers are saying:

    The highly influential New York Journal of Books said of Chasing The Cyclone, "Chasing The Cyclone is a well-written thriller . . . Senese shares myriad emotions by writing in the first-person as he weaves through the action in this suspense-filled story . . . This novel might also be considered a treatise on international child abduction. Cyclone, while full of actual strategies and resources to assist parents in international abductions, is above all else a love story about a father and son ... From Los Angeles, to Canada, to New Zealand, and eventually, Macau, a special administrative region of China, Cyclone is rife with international intrigue and suspense. The protagonist, Paul Francesco, orchestrates a master plan that he hopes will reunite him with the love of his life - his son. Along the way he finds himself swamped in red tape and drenched in frustration. Filled with a plethora of powerful characters and puzzling predicaments and dead ends, the story moves quickly . . . Cyclone will leave you informed and satisfied . . . you will be reluctant to put down."
    The renown Guilty Pleasures Book Review, known as one of the nation's top book critic book review sites by women for women said, "If I had to use one word to describe Chasing the Cyclone by Peter Thomas Senese it would be phenomenal. As in remarkable. Extraordinary. I have read many books over the years, for enjoyment, for education, because I had to, because I wanted to. I cannot think of any other book that comes close to making me feel as I did when I read this book. I believe these feelings will stick with me forever. This story, inspired by horrific events, is about the love between a father and a son. And that love is beautiful . . . Mr. Senese's is evidenced by a large number of sworn testimonials by many thankful parents who Mr. Senese has directly helped in either reuniting with their own child or preventing their child from being internationally abducted. Establishing the I CARE Foundation and being closely involved in the rescue attempts of abducted children is but one of the many impactful acts of Mr. Senese. Clearly, 'involved' for Mr. Senese means financially, emotionally, legally, and investigative support. His selflessness is inspiring. He is hope."
    The nationally syndicated Examiner stated, "Peter Thomas Senese is a gifted storyteller who takes readers on a heart pounding journey around the globe through the eyes of Paul Francesco, a father whose 7-year old son is abducted by his mother. The writing is raw and the emotions are real . . . The story is filled with twists and turns that will leave readers scratching their heads, seething in anger, and hugging their children a little tighter . . . I highly recommend Chasing the Cyclone as a must-read. You will not be able to put it down. It may very well change the way you look at life, child custody, and interactions with your child's other parent. I cannot endorse this book strongly enough."

    IPCA is a dangerous and growing pandemic that is facing millions of families. As we celebrate our world becoming closer together and place on our mantle the banner of global citizenship, we must act responsibly with respect to our children’s safety.  The truth is, IPCA will continue to grow so long as there is an increase in cross-cultural marriages, which appears to be a certainty due to the most recent U.S. Census.

    Unquestionably, parents need to be aware that IPCA is a real threat – one that is concealed from them by the other parent. Clearly, we need laws and policy that protects our nation’s children. And raising the public’s awareness is critical.

Peter Thomas Senese, who successfully reunited with his child under the rules of the Hague Convention, is making a sizeable difference on behalf of other families. 

Peter Thomas Senese is a child abduction prevention advocate and a successful chasing parent in accordance to the rules of international parental child abduction law established under the Hague Convention. Mr. Senese is the Founding Director of the not-for-profit International Child Abduction Research & Enlightenment (I CARE) Foundation. In his volunteer advocacy, Mr. Senese has provided testimony to various government committees and courts regarding child abduction. Under Mr. Senese's guidance, the I CARE Foundation has built a national network of highly trained pro bono lawyers willing to assist parents and children who are either targeted for abduction or have been illegally abducted, and has led a secondary campaign recruiting attorneys to join the United States Department of State's 'Hague Convention Attorney Network'. In addition, the I CARE Foundation is behind two federal legislative initiatives that if passed is anticipated to dramatically reduce the number of child abductions and instances of human trafficking. The new legislative initiatives revolve around modification in the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, and, the implementation of Prevent Departure Program - II. In addition, Mr. Senese advocated for the passage of the State of Florida’s ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ (CAPA) that was enacted on January 1^st, 2011. Mr. Senese successfully sought for the implementation and dissemination of what was previously a widely underutilized federal child abduction prevention program; specifically, the ‘Prevent Departure Program’ (PDP) that is now highly utilized in order to protect targeted parents and their child from abduction in certain case scenarios. Mr. Senese advocated for the passage of both the states of California and New York's online impersonation bills that are now law. Peter Thomas Senese is the creator/writer/producer of the educational documentary film series ‘Chasing Parents: Racing Into The Storms Of International Parental Child Abduction’, a multi-best-selling geopolitical author whose upcoming world-wide book release that focuses on international child abduction titled ‘Chasing The Cyclone’ has been critically acclaimed as a call-to-arms against child abduction. Peter is the co-author of the highly informative, extensively researched book on IPCA titled 'The World Turned Upside Down'. In addition, Peter is the writer of an extensive number of influential articles and essays pertaining to IPCA. He has created and oversees a comprehensive website dedicated to child abduction prevention and good parenting (www.chasingthecyclone.com) where numerous essays may be found, including the eye-opening report ‘Crisis In America: International Parental Child Abduction Today’ Peter co-authored with Ms. Carolyn Vlk. Dedicated to bringing about new child abduction prevention laws while creating dialogs that may reform certain government programs and protocols so that they may better serve targeted children and their parents, Peter Senese is a strong supporter of The Hague Convention and The Department of State’s Office Of Children’s Issues. Paramount to all things, Peter is a loving father deeply dedicated to raising his young son. 100% of Mr. Senese's royalties generated from the sales of any of his e-books, including ‘Chasing The Cyclone’, ‘The Den of the Assassin’, and ‘Cloning Christ’ will be donated to the I CARE Foundation, which has used these monies to successfully reunite children internationally kidnapped or prevented an abduction from occurring. 

One last piece of advice: never take for granted one single minute of your child’s life. Make everything matter.