Sean Goldman

Have you seen this?? I saw this last week on Dateline and was absolutely glued to my TV, astonished and sick.

Here is an excerpt from his website:
"June 16, 2004 David Goldman said goodbye to his son, Sean, at Newark Airport. He didn't know it at the time but his wife, Bruna, and her parents Silvana Bianchi Ribeiro and Raimundo Ribeiro were in the process of abducting Sean and taking him to Brazil with no intention of ever returning. According to the Hague Convention, to which both the United States and Brazil are signatories, this was a clear case of international child abduction, otherwise known as parental kidnapping."

After the mother got him to Brazil she gets a Brazilian divorce, remarries a prominent lawyer, gets pregnant, and then passes away during childbirth. You would think the child would then be returned, right? Nope. Now the step-father has filed for David's (the father) name to be taken off his birth certificate and for him to be the legal parent. Huh?? What?? David has fought this and has not seen his son in FOUR YEARS despite numerous trips to Brazil and court ordered visitation in which the step-father has refused to abide with. From what it sounds like, the step-father's family has major influence in Brazilian courts (his father is also a prominent attorney) but in my opinion they are simply criminals.

Note that there was never any allegations of abuse by the mother. Quite the contrary actually. She repeatedly said how lucky her son was to have such a good father - this was even said after she abducted him!

Here's what gets me the most. Why aren't we, as in the USA, getting this little boy HOME where he belongs? He is a United States Citizen! He has been KIDNAPPED. He has been gone for FOUR YEARS. His only living parent is HERE in the US. What part of this is right?? If this was a MIA soldier, wouldn't we be doing everything we could to being him home? This is a helpless child. It makes me sick that our government has not done more to end this nonsense and quite frankly, it scares me.

There's a petition here that you can sign. You can also do as I have and write your Congressmen and Senators. Maybe if enough attention is brought their way they will see the importance of this issue and bring this child home where he belongs!