Summary & score
United States of America is a Contracting Party to the 1980 Hague Child Abduction Convention, in force since 1988-07-01 (Ratification). Its provisional Index score reflects the categories that can currently be measured — chiefly transparency and participation — while return-outcome and cost data remain unpublished (see limitations).
Ranking breakdown
Show the exact calculation
Only categories with evidence enter the score; unmeasured categories are excluded (not scored as zero), then the remaining weights are renormalised. See the methodology.
What helped: —. What hurt: no per-country outcome data — not rankable.
On cooperation: Not scored: the United States authors the U.S.-proxy report, so it cannot be scored against its own instrument. Cooperation would require a non-U.S. multilateral source.
Transparent calculation object (per component, with verification)
| Component | Normalized (0–100) | Weight | Weighted pts | Scored (driver)? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return effectiveness | null | 45% | — | ✓ yes |
| Speed & enforcement | null | 30% | — | ✓ yes |
| Cooperation & compliance | null | 15% | — | ✓ yes |
| Transparency | 100 | 0% | 0 | — |
| Cost efficiency | null | 0% | — | — |
| Data quality & confidence | 80 | 10% | 8 | ✓ yes |
v2 overall = weighted blend of the measured DRIVER categories (Return effectiveness 45, Speed & enforcement 30, Cooperation 15, Data quality 10), renormalised over those with evidence. Transparency and Cost are shown for context but are NOT drivers (weight 0). A country with no return-outcome or timeliness evidence is "insufficient", not scored.
Second verification (formula): displayed overall 80 vs. independently recomputed n/a → n/a (not ranked).
Warnings: cost_per_returned_child relies on PROXY / estimated return data — indicative only.
Machine-readable object for every country: calculations.json.
Quick facts
| Hague 1980 status | Contracting Party · in force 1988-07-01 · Ratification |
|---|---|
| Article 38 check | Not required (ratifying state) |
| EU member state | No |
| Central authority | Office of Children's Issues (CA/OCS/CI) — U.S. Department of State |
| Latest data year | 2021 (HCCH statistical study) |
| Data scope | Global HCCH 2021 flows (this country responded) |
| Budget transparency | No public budget line located |
Case outcomes
HCCH 2021 application flows (all Convention partners, not U.S.-only):
| Incoming return | Outgoing return | Incoming access | Outgoing access | Total 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 313 | 144 | 30 | 30 | 517 |
Source: HCCH (Prof. Nigel Lowe & Victoria Stephens) — Prel. Doc. No 19A — Statistical study of applications made in 2021 (5th Global Study, updated Sept 2024) E1 · official. These are application counts, not outcomes. HCCH publishes return outcomes only as a global aggregate (39% returned in 2021), so a per-country return rate is not shown.
Speed & enforcement
No per-country timing data is published for United States of America.
Public cost & cost efficiency
| Direct Central Authority cost estimated | 7,200,000–24,640,000 USD ≈ $7,200,000–$24,640,000 |
|---|---|
| Broad public implementation cost estimated | 10,800,000–73,920,000 USD ≈ $10,800,000–$73,920,000 |
| Returned children (denominator) | 94–160 proxy national incoming return applications 2021 (313) × global HCCH return rate 39% (band 30–51%). Note: the U.S. role is largely as a requesting (outgoing) state; this denominator is an incoming-side proxy. |
| Cost per returned child (broad, est.) | $67,500–$786,383 proxy denominator |
| Cost per active case (est.) | $20,890–$142,979 over 517 active/handled cases |
| International public support | Not an EU member; pays an HCCH assessed contribution (amount not public). Funds prevention (CPIAP) domestically. No inbound international public support for its Central Authority. |
FTE 40–80 × fully-loaded cost 150,000–220,000 USD × overhead 1.2–1.4 → direct; × broad multiplier 1.5–3 → broad public cost. FX USD→USD 1 (2026-07, approx). Budget transparency 0.3/1.
Sources: U.S. Department of State — Office of Children's Issues (Bureau of Consular Affairs) — structure & IPCA report E2 · official · OECD — Average annual wages / general government compensation (loaded-cost benchmark) E3 · secondary · HCCH (Prof. Nigel Lowe & Victoria Stephens) — Prel. Doc. No 19A — Statistical study of applications made in 2021 (5th Global Study, updated Sept 2024) E1 · official
Central authority & legal system
Office of Children's Issues (CA/OCS/CI) verified
U.S. Department of State
+1-202-501-4444 / +1-888-407-4747
24/7 line for citizen emergencies via the main State Department numbers
| Implementing law | International Child Abduction Remedies Act (ICARA), 22 U.S.C. §9001 et seq. (formerly 42 U.S.C. §11601). |
|---|---|
| Court structure | Concurrent original jurisdiction in U.S. state and federal courts where the child is located. |
| Appeals | Standard state/federal appellate routes; U.S. Supreme Court has decided several Hague cases (e.g. Monasky v. Taglieri, 2020; Golan v. Saada, 2022). |
| Enforcement | Return orders enforced through the ordering court; U.S. Marshals / local law enforcement as needed. |
| Legal aid | No dedicated federal Hague legal-aid fund; pro bono networks and fee-shifting under ICARA §9007. |
| Mediation / voluntary return | Voluntary return encouraged; no mandatory Hague mediation scheme. |
International support
HCCH provides the multilateral framework, statistical studies, and the Malta Process. Per-country funding amounts from the EU, HCCH, UN, or Council of Europe are not published as discrete line items and are recorded as a data gap.
Transparency assessment
| Responded to HCCH 2021 statistical survey | Yes |
|---|---|
| Reports incoming & outgoing flows | Yes |
| Reports access cases | Yes |
| Dedicated budget line | Unknown — not located |
| Return-outcome / enforcement disclosure | Not published per-country (global aggregate only) |
| Transparency score | 100 / 100 |
responded to the 2021 survey (+40); longitudinal participation 4/4 prior studies (+30); reports both incoming & outgoing flows (+15); reports access cases (+15)
Data quality & limitations
- The U.S. is the author of the U.S.-proxy report; its own return outcomes appear only inside the global HCCH aggregate.
- No public per-requested-state return-rate breakdown for incoming U.S. cases.
- No public Central-Authority budget line located.
Confidence: Medium (0.51) — confidence reflects the strength and breadth of evidence, separately from performance. A low confidence means "we cannot yet fully evaluate," not "this country performs badly."
Sources & evidence
| Source | Publisher | Tier | Supports |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status table — 1980 Child Abduction Convention (cid=24) | Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) | E1 · official | hague_1980_status, entry_into_force_date, accession_or_ratification_type, article_38_acceptance_required |
| Prel. Doc. No 19A — Statistical study of applications made in 2021 (5th Global Study, updated Sept 2024) | HCCH (Prof. Nigel Lowe & Victoria Stephens) | E1 · official | caseload, transparency_survey_participation, global_return_rate, average_resolution_days, outcome_distribution |
| Central Authorities directory — 1980 Convention (cid=24) | HCCH | E1 · official | central_authority |
| 1980 Hague Convention, Article 11 (six-week decision aspiration) | HCCH | E1 · official | speed_benchmark |
FOIA / public-records questions
Tailored requests that would raise United States of America's confidence score and unlock the return-outcome and cost categories:
- What is the annual operating budget of the Office of Children's Issues attributable to 1980 Convention casework (staff, systems, translation, travel)?
- How many full-time equivalent staff are assigned to incoming vs. outgoing Convention casework?
- What is the annual public cost of the Children's Passport Issuance Alert Program (CPIAP)?
- How many children with U.S. habitual residence were physically returned to the U.S. under the Convention in each of the last five years (as opposed to 'resolved')?
- What public funds (if any) support legal representation for left-behind parents in ICARA proceedings?
- What is the average time from application to first-instance decision for incoming U.S. cases?
- How many return orders required U.S. Marshals Service enforcement in the last five years, and at what cost?
- Does the State Department publish per-requested-state return outcomes for incoming U.S. cases, and if not, will it?
- What is the cost per returned child implied by the outgoing-case budget?
- How much U.S. funding supports HCCH's Malta Process / iSupport / statistical studies?
Use the data
Machine-readable data for every country: countries.json · rankings.json · rankings.csv · sources.json. Last updated 2026-07-06. Cite as: “SafeReturn Alliance, Hague Return Accountability Index (provisional), 2026-07-06.”