A New Jersey father testified Thursday about the State Department's new bill that aims to prevent international parental child abductions.
David Goldman spoke about his five-year battle to bring his son, Sean, home from Brazil after the boy was taken there by Goldman's wife. She died while in Brazil and the boy's maternal grandparents fought to keep him.
The bill Goldman testified about would give the State Department more tools to pressure foreign governments to send home abducted American children. However, Goldman and other advocates say that there is still much to be done.
He says that he was shocked to find out that a Brazilian judge denied the return of a child to Texas.
"This judge that decided his case must have never read the news, seen the television or looked at a legal precedence, because my son is home and he's been home for nearly six years," says Goldman. "For her to cite that case is just showing that they're looking at any reason to not return children."
Advocates of the bill say the State Department has yet to impose sanctions on nations found to be noncompliant.