Update on An American Child Abroad

A year ago OCSE published an article about a girl, an American citizen, with a passport and birth certificate and her parents’ marriage certificate and the kind of locate data we all long for when reviewing a new case. The trouble was, this 10 year old girl lived out in the sticks, in the Philippines. Dad, a former serviceman, abandoned his wife and daughter with a promise to send for them that never came.

Here’s a couple of versions of the article — the published OCSE version, (see page 6) for which I am extremely grateful, and a second version telling the tale from a couple of points of view .

I wrote the story in the hopes that our services might be more readily available to children and families similarly situated around the world.

I am happy to share that things have happened. OCSE advised me their international team is working with the State Department, who is revising the child support section of their Consular Affairs Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM). The FAM is used by consular staff at embassies across the world when providing assistance to US and foreign citizens. As part of the revision, the addressed child support for children in countries with no reciprocal agreement. OCSE also briefed their military liaison about the issue.

OCSE advises me that they’ve seen improvement in the last year as more parents have been referred to OCSE directly by the embassy in Manila. They say there’s more work to be done but they are encouraged by the improvement that’s been put into practice.

I must say I am heartened. I was moved by the situation this young lady was in and am so delighted that not only her life is better but that other kids can receive these important services as well.