Best-selling Author Peter Thomas Senese To Release Global Epic 'The Den of the Assassin' on E-book

Author Peter Thomas Senese is pleased to announce his international espionage thriller titled The Den Of The Assassin will be released in e-book worldwide on July 14th, 2011 and will be available on all e-book platforms.

Critics have praised The Den Of The Assassin as an international financial espionage thriller steeped in the modern-day realities of our world, providing the story a visceral prescience teeming with realism and frightful possibilities of global terrorism, and Senese as a masterful writer of international intrigue.

Peter Thomas Senese commented, “For reader who enjoy fast-paced, multi-dimensional plots based upon historical events and plausible possibilities relevant to the world we live in today, The Den Of The Assassin takes audiences on a thrilling global geopolitical journey that evolves around New York City’s Wall Street.”

The Den Of The Assassin opens in New York City, where an unassuming investment banker, Tyler Boxter, is preoccupied with his all-consuming career that acts as a personal shield against the trappings of life that hide guilt and pain and memories he doesn't want.

A mysterious theft leads Boxter from the sanctity of his Wall Street office and thrusts him into the dark world of international terrorism -- where zealots stir in the brutal desserts of the Middle East, where dark, sunken eyes look into the abyss of Siberia's desolate terrains, where prisoners -citizens- who live on a remote peninsula in Asia would rather submit to isolationist cleansing than feel the wrath of a deceitful troll intent on destroying the ideals of the West. 



Unknown to Boxter, he is about to play a sophisticated but explosive game against a madman who is more savage and merciless than the winds of an atomic holocaust. From the current resurgence of former-KGB hard-liners in Russia and the corrupt oligarchs who control the black-market of the weapons trade, from the isolationist mountains of North Korea to the sweeping deserts of the Middle East, from the looming specter of biological warfare to the ways in which terrorists hide and wash their money, from the arcane methods by which corporate America funds itself to the inner workings of Wall Street's war rooms, to the secrets hidden behind the walls in Beijing, to the unthinkable intent of the once mighty Persian Empire, 'Den Of The Assassin' is an informative, compelling, spin-tingling international espionage thriller that will keep readers turning through the pages.

The Den Of The Assassin will be released in e-book on July 14th, 2011 and is presently available in hardcover form from traditional retailers and online merchants. The Den Of The Assassin was initially released in hardcover prior to the author’s unexpected race into the cyclones of international child abduction. Chasing The Cyclone, inspired by Peter Thomas Senese’s experiences in this area, will be released in hardcover later this summer.


Peter Thomas Senese in the author of numerous historical fiction novels. For more information on The Den Of The Assassin or Peter Thomas Senese, please visit http://www.petersenese.com/.

Global Child Abduction Crisis Enabled By Failures To Implement Worldwide Passport Travel Requirements For Children

Child advocates from around the globe are expressing outrage over world governments' continued failures to protect millions of defenseless children targeted for criminal abduction each year by monsters who facilitate the unforgiving crimes of internationally abducting or trafficking children. International border-crossing policies often do not mandate that children traveling abroad present a valid passport to border agents if a child is traveling by land or sea. When a child is stolen and illegally removed from their country of origin by either a non-stranger such as a parent, or is a victim of a stranger abduction, that child has been criminally kidnapped. The traumatic consequences placed on the kidnapped child are severe. The majority of these defenseless victims will never recover from the physical and emotional abuse directed toward them. Some of these children are unable to recover: they are lost forever. Presently, international air travel by a minor requires the presentation of a valid passport. However, many nations including the United States permit the submission of a photocopy of a child’s citizenship papers such as a photocopy of a birth certificate as an acceptable travel document for a minor age 16 or younger when traveling abroad by land or sea.

Unquestionably, lax and reckless travel document policy requirements associated with minors traveling by land or by sea have created a colossal legal loophole - a black hole - for child-thieves and smugglers to criminally transport and remove targeted children from one country to another until they are inevitably gone forever. Undeniably, by the sheer size of the pandemic at hand, predators are utilizing these legal loopholes in alarming, yet relatively immeasurable numbers.

Inconceivably, many countries including the United States, Canada, and nations in the European Union have policies in place that allow for a child 16 years old or younger traveling abroad by either land or by sea to only present to border officials a photocopy of their proof of citizenship such as their original birth certificate.

Child abduction prevention advocates and researchers Carolyn Ann Vlk and Peter Thomas Senese, have previously published several landmark reports including 'International Child Abduction and Human Trafficking In The Western Hemisphere' and 'Crisis In America: International Parental Child Abduction Today'. They are currently leading a research team that will publish findings on the global epidemic of child abduction and child trafficking as it relates to legal loopholes and other related flaws associated with a child’s international travel documentation requirements. The highly anticipated report titled ‘Global Child Slavery and International Child Abduction Associated With Travel Documentation Requirements' will be released in mid-July, 2011.

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Chasing The Cyclone

by

Peter Thomas Senese

‘Chasing The Cyclone’ author and child advocate Peter Thomas Senese commented, “It is disturbing to realize that various governments from around the world have turned their responsible eyes away from the most often used illegal border-crossing strategies implemented by predators involved in international abduction as well as in the trafficking of children: illegally transporting a child into a country by land or by sea using fraudulent documentation due to a senseless policy often implemented stipulating that a child does not need to present a valid passport at a border-crossing unless the child travels abroad by air. This is insane. Our children demand more from each of us. Any international travel documentation policy that does not include a child being required to travel with a valid passport is a policy that does not address the issues of the safety of children. The upcoming report ‘Global Child Slavery and International Child Abduction Associated With Travel Documentation Requirements' will not only demonstrate how outlandish these non-passport requirement policies are, but hopefully it will also educate judges, law enforcement, and policymakers about just how critical and widespread these issues are. Having such laws in place will also give judges and law enforcement personnel additional tools they need to prevent the kidnapping of a child before it occurs, as once the removal takes place, it is that much more difficult and expensive to remedy.”

In fact, many governments' immigration, borders, and customs agencies publicly and privately have voiced that excessive travel documentation fraud has given rise to dramatic and sweeping increases in the number of international child abductions and human trafficking cases around the world. According to law enforcement officials worldwide, the most effective means to determine if a child is legally traveling abroad is by checking the child’s passport. Nevertheless, even the presentation of a valid passport may not alleviate all illegal removals, particularly those connected to an international parental child abduction due to the potential issuance of a secondary passport related to a child’s possible dual citizenship. However, access to real-time government records associated with a valid passport provides border agents better insight into who is legally crossing into their nation's borders.

Unquestionably, travel documentation requirements that do not require a child to present a valid passport when traveling abroad by land or by sea have created a worldwide malignant epidemic that continues to destroy millions of lives each year. This plague is so wicked and ubiquitous that it is often acknowledged by governments and leading human rights advocates around the world as one of society’s greatest shortcomings. Undoubtedly, there is no one solution; however, it is evident to those familiar with international child abduction and human trafficking that one sure-fire way to turn the tide against the most evil of fates awaiting innocent children targeted for international abduction is to mandate that every child traveling abroad present a valid passport.

Carolyn Ann Vlk, drafter of the State of Florida’s landmark ‘Child Abduction Prevention Act’ and co-author of numerous research reports on child abduction commented on the need to conduct research on the global dilemma of abduction and trafficking as it is related to significant gaps in travel documentation requirements for children traveling abroad. “My volunteer advocacy in the area of child abduction prevention has allowed me an unobstructed view of the horror the families of a targeted child face. I've spent an incredible amount of time investigating and analyzing current legislation, policies, and trends relevant to child abduction and I have uncovered significant loopholes that are allowing children to be victimized through parental child abduction and human trafficking. In the report Peter Thomas Senese and I published concerning the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), we realize the policy was intended to prevent abduction and trafficking from occurring but in reality it facilitates the cross border abduction of children through its deficiencies. WHTI allows for the travel requirements of children to vary depending on if they are traveling by land, sea or air. In our upcoming report titled ‘Global Child Slavery and International Child Abduction Associated With Travel Documentation Requirements' we will publish our findings concerning travel documentation issues as they relate to child abduction and slavery issues. Our future published findings will demonstrate the urgent and critical need for uniform travel requirements for children, including a passport requirement for all modes of travel. Without uniform passport requirements, society will continue to embrace child abduction and child trafficking, and this is completely unacceptable.”

Oslo based Martin Waage, the Director of ABP World Group: a world-renown investigation and security team that has remarkably been directly involved in safely recovering over 200 criminally internationally abducted children commented on the outrageous border-crossing situation. "The expanding number of criminally abducted and trafficked children presents a deeply disturbing overview of how severe the situation is. Tragically, the greatest challenge we face in the war against child abduction and trafficking is our inability to carefully monitor and control our borders. Most nations do not have border exit controls. Coupling this incapability with weak travel documentation requirements for children, the hope advocates like myself have to one day reverse the current growth trend is dismal. As one of the leading organizations operating within the recovery of abducted, missing, and kidnapped children, ABP World Group has for years seen an explosive increase in the number of abducted and kidnapped children worldwide. Individual countries' lack of regulation and inspection of travelers, including the European Union’s open borders, has facilitated a large flow of trafficked victims, children abducted by their parents, and kidnappings across borders. This is particularly true in Eastern European, Asian and African countries. In order to stop the destruction of an unthinkable number of children's lives, lawmakers in all countries must address these needs and create laws that protect children's rights, including, critically, changing the travel documentation requirements for all children traveling abroad to include the presentation of a valid passport at all border crossings. Having recovered a substantial number of criminally abducted children taken to and from all over the world, I cannot express in strong enough terms the need to have passports presented at all border crossings for minors traveling abroad. Any failure by governments to address this issue is a direct and absolute disregard to a nation’s most precious citizens: its children."

Janice L. Jacobs, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs stated in the ‘Report on Compliance with the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction’ previously submitted to the U.S. Congress that "Unfortunately, current trends reflect a steady increase in the number of international parental child abduction cases and highlight the urgency of redoubling efforts to promote compliance with Convention obligations and encourage additional nations to join the Convention." She also writes, "Very few options exist for parents and children who are victims of parental child abduction."

Florida lawyer Patricia Lee, a prominent, successful international family law attorney who is of counsel to the international law firm of Urban Thier Federer & Jackson, and who has substantial familiarity with international parental child abduction cases added, “As a family law practitioner who frequently deals with international issues, I see the risk of, and actual incidences of child abduction growing proportionately to our world shrinking. The failure, or inability, of courts to aggressively pursue reasonable precautions to proactively prevent such abductions is a crime in and of itself. Once an abduction has taken place, the left behind parent faces a morass of legal issues that are not only difficult to surmount due to language and cultural differences, but are also prohibitively expensive for the ordinary parent. The backlash is often permanent, and goes without any redress at all. Our best recourse is to prevent the removal of children at risk prior to it occurring, and we absolutely must have laws and procedures in place that allow us to do so. Anything less is simply irresponsible, and inhumane on a global scale. Children across the world deserve these simple safeguards from such abduction and victimization.”

Ernie Allen, President and CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children previously addressed the crimes against children when he said, "The problem of missing, abducted, trafficked and sexually exploited children is large, growing, under-recognized and under-reported." In addition, Mr. Allen commented that, "Children are the leading victims of violent and personal crimes in this country, victimized at a rate twice as high as the general population." Continuing he stated, “Children are the single most victimized segment of our population. Even with all of the progress we have made, most Americans still don’t understand that basic fact. According to Justice Department research, more than 2,000 children will be reported missing in the United States today!" Mr. Allen added, "The numbers are staggering. The tragedies continue and too many children do not make it home."

San Francisco based Gloria Nyberg, who has dedicated several decades of her life to successfully and safely bringing home children criminally abducted abroad added, “Documentation falsifications is a consistent aspect of travel for children being transported from one country to another, particularly in South and Central America. Children disappear daily, where they are eventually sold and distributed around the world to beasts trading in the child sex slave industry, to drug dealers increasing their cartel’s presence, or are simply killed for their body organs. Without upholding passport travel requirements for children traveling from one country to another, we are in fact responsible for the monumental problem on our hands that has been partially created by our own failures to protect our children. It is time that we act responsibly as adult citizens charged with protecting innocent children. Indeed, we have an obligation to do our very best to prevent the facilitation of international abduction and child slavery. It is critical that each government adopt a passport-only travel documentation policy for children traveling abroad. Anything less than this is irresponsible.”

Pamela Michell, the remarkable founder of Survivor On A Mission and a leading global advocate spearheading public awareness of human trafficking and slavery issues stated, “Today, there are tens of millions of child slaves with no hope for a future. Kept silent through fraud, force or coercion, children around the world are stolen from their communities in epidemic proportion. Most are forced into slave labor, some caged for sexual exploitation, others await the harvesting of their vital organs, while others abducted live a life on the run...each enduring trauma and danger few will overcome. Strong action is needed now by all governments to protect our children’s' future. Critically we call upon the creation and enforcement of global laws that require a passport to be presented any time a minor travels abroad. Without this, the massive amount of travel documentation fraud that exists today that accounts for an inconceivable and incredulous number of innocent children to be targeted victims of abduction and slavery crimes will continue to rise. As global citizens, we demand more from our governments. Our children expect better from each of us."

International child trafficking and child abduction continues to grow at rapid, uncontrollable, and extraordinary rates. Alarmingly, there still remain achievable protective protocols that can substantially make a difference in the war against child abduction and slavery. One of the most important tools each nation has available to combat the evil of child abduction is to require all children to present a valid passport when traveling abroad. Peter Thomas Senese added, “What is at stake are the lives of millions of targeted children each year. Simply put, we must modify existing laws to include passport presentation for all travelers abroad regardless of age.”

The highly anticipated report titled ‘Global Child Slavery and International Child Abduction Associated With Travel Documentation Requirements' will be released in mid-July, 2011. To view the ‘International Child Abduction and Human Trafficking In The Western Hemisphere' report or for more information on please visit http://www.internationalparentalchildabduction.info/

Geopolitical Best-selling Author Peter Thomas Senese Announces E-Book Series Launch

Peter Thomas Senese

Best-Selling author Peter Thomas Senese is pleased to announce the upcoming E-book series launch of selected publications from the novelist's previously released and upcoming international geopolitical thriller genre' publications. The initial launch over a six month period will include a total of five E-book format releases that are intended to be translated and made available in multiple languages, allowing the growing number of readers who enjoy Peter Senese's novels immediate and affordable access to his written works.

The writer, filmmaker, and dedicated child advocate will commence his E-book launch by releasing 'The Den of the Assassin', the highly praised, spine-tingling Post 9-11 financial espionage and geopolitical thriller that catapults an unsuspecting young Wall Street banker, Tyler Boxter, into a world of incomprehensible possibilities and insane apocalyptic challenges. Peter Thomas Senese's intense, page-turning 'The Den of the Assassin' will be released in E-book format on July 14th, 2011.

                                                 
                   The Den of the Assassin Book Trailer

The gut-wrenching, inspirational theological thriller 'Cloning Christ' that jettisons readers to the spiritual and physical battlefront of good vs. evil in Peter Senese's electrifying, bone-chilling story of faith evolves around the global manhunt for Dr. Max Train, a once-devout, now faithless genomic scientist who may be in possession of the True Cross of  Jesus of Nazareth. Cloning Christ will cause heart-racing readers to contemplate the challenges between science and faith while contemplating physical and spiritual issues we all face today in our pursuit to enrich the human condition and experience.'Cloning Christ' will be released in E-book on August 15th, 2011.  

Peter Thomas Senese's deeply personal novel, 'Chasing The Cyclone', the critically acclaimed heart-pounding international legal thriller of a father and son's unbowed and unbreakable love and belief in one another in lieu of a wicked international child abduction as told in a way very few writers ever could, and that was inspired by Peter Thomas Senese's unimaginable experiences as a parent chasing the cyclone of international child abduction, will released in hardcover and E-book in mid-August, 2011.

                                             

  Peter Thomas Senese Is A Child Abduction Prevention Advocat
 'Chasing The Cyclone' Is Inspired By The Author's Experiences

                                     

Peter Thomas Senese's e-book series continues with the worldwide E-book release of 'The Production', a hilarious satire about the artful, zany, and often colliding storytelling worlds of filmmaking and publishing that has lovers of good storytelling laughing hysterically. 'The Production' by Peter Thomas Senese will be released on September 29th, 2011.

Soviet Scorpion Nuclear Submarine

'Predator's Games' the riveting sequel of 'The Den of the Assassin', that propels readers into the shocking and deadly world of alternative energy speculation and depicts the world's power-nations conspiring against one another in an extremely dangerous and potentially cataclysmic quest to control what was once the unthinkable unfolds as unique characters initially introduced in 'The Den of the Assassin' race into real and startling possibilities evolving around advances in alternative energy and mankind's greed. 'Predator's Games' by Peter Thomas Senese will be released during the Thanksgiving Holiday Season.

Peter Thomas Senese commented, “I am extremely pleased to announce the E-book publications of selected novels that readers from all over the world have embraced. It is indeed a very humbling experience to have such a large and diverse number of book lovers from Anchorage to Los Angeles to Christ Church to Beijing to St. Petersburg to Athens to Oslo to The Isle of Skye to New York, and from Anchorage to Cape Town and places in between have interest in my novels.

Peter & Tyler at the Algonquin 

“I am, as I will continue to be, extremely grateful for the worldwide reception my stories have received. This interest and appreciation supports my strong belief that society continues to evolve into global citizens, and with each and every passing day, the concerns or interests that one person shares in one part of the world has relevance to another person living on the other side of the planet. I think this is truly remarkable, particularly since one of the primary undercurrents of each of my books is the value of global citizenship. The other undercurrent - and I once thought this was a secret only a few readers realized, but in time I came to know how much I have been mistaken - is that if you hear the voice attached to the words in my novels, you will hear the voice of a parent who deeply loves his child. As I now have come to understand, a substantial number of my readers have heard and indentified with that voice. So perhaps these are two of the reasons why my writing continues to be embraced and evolve onto the global stage."

Peter Thomas Senese's E-book series launch will initially release each title in English. However, 'The Den of the Assassin', 'Predator's Games', and 'The Production' will each be released in Spanish, German, and French within eight weeks of their e-book publication date. 'Cloning Christ' and 'Chasing The Cyclone' will be released in English as well as in Spanish, German, French, Italian, Mandarin (Chinese), Hindi, Russian, Portuguese, and Greek. With the expansive growth of consumers turning to e-book readers, the traditional distribution and delivery of an author's written works has vastly changed.

Geopolitical Novelist
Peter Thomas Senese
Sitting Above The Clouds

"As an author who embraces my publishing independence, and having had considerable success, including having several of my books hit and stay on various publishing-industry best-seller lists, the ever-expanding use of e-book readers will allow for good writers with important issues that they desire to share with worldwide opportunity to reach audiences via e-book publications. Over the course of the past years, I have purposefully delayed the electronic release of my novels until I felt comfortable with the evolution of electronic distribution of my writings, and that my readership audience, who was accustomed to reading my books in hardcover format, would support my E-book publication. After receiving an incredible number of inquiries from book lovers all over the world expressing their desire to have my novels made available in E-book format and in multiple languages, I have become extremely comfortable that now is the time to launch selected books I have written on E-book format. This is very exciting!

According to the Association of American Publishers, E-book sales represent the largest single format for book sales in the United States. Paperback sales is considered second, followed by hardcover book sales, both of which sales figures continue to decline. Mike Shatzkin, the founder and chief executive of the Idea Logical Company, which advertises book publishers on digital change said referring to the expansive growth of consumer demand for E-books, "This was a day that was going to come, a day that had to come." Shatzkin predicts that within a decade, fewer than 25% of all books sold will be print versions. Jeffrey P. Bezos, Amazon's chief executive previously commented on how the E-book has overtaken both hardcover and paperback sales on the online retailer's website when he said it is "Astonishing when you consider that we've been selling hardcover books for 15 years, and Kindle books for 33 months."

The Pelican Inn
Muir Woods
Surrounded by giant redwoods
Sitting next to the Pacific Ocean

Peter Thomas Senese is a storyteller focusing on messages in all formats that bespeak global connectivity. He is a writer of habit: each of his stories are written in part at the New York City Public Library's 'Great Reading Room' and 'Map Room', Butler Library at Columbia University, the Brooklyn Public Library at Grand Army Plaza, the Student Union at the University of Wiscnsin in Madison, The Pelican Inn located in Muir Woods, Paradise Cove in Malibu, and the Los Angeles Central Library. 




Commenting on his writing locations, Peter Senese added, "If you're going to do something, do something you relly love at places that you really enjoy. The diversity of my own writing settings allows for me to think carefully and clearly when creating what I consider to be rather complex storylines filled with an enourmous amount of relevant and accurate information. When I write, I literally and figutively go on an amazing journey. And God knows I love it!"

New York City Public Library
The Great Reading Room

He is actively involved in supporting issues that impact the lives of children, including demonstrative support to keep our nation's public libraries open seven days a week; and, actively engaged in numerous and extensive activities surrounding international child abduction prevention; and, actively advocating for new legislation that will protect children and others from malicious online impersonation. 

Paradise Cove
Malibu

To learn more about Peter Thomas Senese, please visit his official website or Peter's Official blogsite.

Peter Thomas Senese Discusses International Child Abduction With ABP World Group

It seems that no matter where I am or what I’m doing, a part of my heart is directed toward the defenseless children and their targeted parents who are forced into the nightmarish and unexpected storm of international parental child kidnapping.

Having witnessed this destructive storm first-hand, I, like the hundreds of thousands of other parents who know what it is like to chase the cyclones of international child abduction, have been left with a deep emotional scar that may never heal.

However, sometimes scars could be used for a good thing: they can serve as a reminder of the responsibility you may have toward making a difference so others may not have to endure all the difficulties you may have been required to in order to defend what you believe in or protect those you love. And this is particularly true – the scar, that is – for targeted parents who know of the war called international child kidnapping. I know I am far from alone when I share I have a deep desire to make a difference in this particularly complex and complicated world; a world I have often called ‘The World Turned Upside Down’.


International Parental Child
Abduction Is A Cruel Crime Against
An Innocent Child


Now, I’m not sure if you or someone you know has ever had to enter into ‘The World Turned Upside Down’, but if you have, then you might have come to realize that there is a community of caring and compassionate individuals who partake in this world: all of whom are familiar with the scar that is created when a child is stolen. I have been fortunate to get to know and befriend incredible women and men deeply connected to this world. One of the most remarkable of these individuals is my friend Martin Waage, a Director for the global security intelligence organization  ABP World Group. Amongst many of Martin's responsabilities is that he oversee's the organization's extensive and herculean efforts to reunite internationally abducted children with theri targeted parent.  ABP World Group, under Martin’s leadership in this area, is a global intelligence and security organization with an extraordinary record of participating in safely bringing home over 200 criminally internationally abducted children. As a chasing parent, I want to emphasize how important the notion of ‘safety’ is to me.


Child Abduction is
Child Abuse


Unquestionably, ABP’s remarkable record of operating in ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ and being intimately involved in over 200 child reunifications bespeaks of ABP World Group's deep understanding and familiarity with the intricate and multifaceted gamut of issues associated with parental child abduction. ABP’s Demonstrated compassionate understanding and precise capability in crisis-intervention and cross-border mediation are critical components necessary attributes for individuals who come to the aid of defenseless abducted children that are all too often placed into the most volatile of circumstances and situations. Critically, time is the singular most important factor when a child is abducted abroad. Having an experienced team of personnel such as ABP’s highly efficient team well versed in electronic footprint forensics as well as highly skilled ground personnel capable of locating a missing child and abducting parent who may choose to go underground and off the grid are imperative when considering a reunification strategy. In essence, a reunification team must compassionately understand the challenges, niuances, and pragmatic operational issues involved in trying to locate a child. Under Martin Waage’s leadership in child reunification, ABP has demonstrated a long and incredible track record of finding and safely bringing home internationally abducted children.

Martin Waage: ABP World Group

I recently had a chance to speak with Mr. Waage about international child abduction, and ABP’s deep understanding of the issues at hand as well as their leadership in the global international child abduction world, or as I like to say, ‘The World Turned Upside Down’.


(Peter Thomas Senese) Why does ABP World Group concentrate on IPCA?
(Martin Waage: ABP World Group) The reason why ABP World Group Focus on IPCA is quit simple: this is an international growing problem that is out of control, and tragically, government intervention and current law or lack of enforcement of laws pertaining to the act of international child kidnapping are not enforced. So, a parent who is desperately trying to protect their child or children have in reality, very little recourse available to them. And despite the Hague Convention’s existence, not only is the process very lengthy and costly, but a substantial number of cases do no have a positive outcome for the targeted parent. So, our services and expertise are very important because for many parents, we are the viable solution, one with an impressive track record. And it all began many years ago, when parental victims contacted us desperate for help due to court or law enforcement’s failure to provide the assistance they needed. As our activity in this area evolved, so to did our expertise and vast understanding of the seriousness of the issues at hand.


(Peter Senese) Who are the leaders behind ABP?
(Martin Waage: ABP World Group) ABP World Group Ltd was founded in 2000, and is an international intelligence, investigation, and security company. I am the Managing Director overseeing critical components of our operation, including child abduction reunification.



 In addition, Lars Willmann is the Director of Operations. Lars is a former Norwegian Special Forces and military intelligence operator. The rest of our team have substantial ground operation activity. They include men and women from SAS (British Special Forces), French Foreign Legion, Norwegian Special Forces, Delta Force (US), Spetsnaz (Russian Special Forces), Spanish Special Forces, as well as former intelligence personnel, police investigators and medical personnel. Because of security reasons, I am not be able to revile our other team leader and operator’s identities, other than to clients in active cases.


(Peter Thomas Senese) What are some of the challenges a parent faces if they do not know where their abducted child is located?
(Martin Waage: ABP World Group) The main challenge is that without knowing where the child is, you’re looking at a sea of billions of people all over the world, and you’re trying to find one. Think about it. Pragmatically speaking, if you do not know the initial landing country – the country the child was taken to – then you will have a difficult time tracing the abductor’s footprints. And unfortunately, law enforcement moves much slower when a missing child is not a native of their country. So, inevitably, the biggest challenge is trying to figure who and were a parent is going to get help. And that’s where ABP’s strength: we’re very capable of forensic foot printing. Our team of investigators have demonstrated investigative capacity to track down even the most devious and prepared abductors who think they can fall off the planet and hide with a kidnapped child. However, they are wrong. There are always leads. The key is to know what some of these leads that perhaps are not so obvious are, and then be able to react swiftly no matter where in the world that lead takes you. And ABP’s reaction ability is one of our most prized assets.


Know Hope
Embrace Faith
Act Now

 (Peter Thomas Senese) What is the hardest part a parent has to deal with concerning IPCA?
(Martin Waage: ABP World Group) The hardest part is very obvious – for a loving parent to be unexpectedly separated from their child while having to contend with the very real concerns of the unknown safety issues that do exist for abducted children and their abducting fugitive parents. So spiritually, the loss is the hardest part, but soon after, it is the worry of the child’s safety. And unfortunately, local police and courts fail to often in coming to the aid of a targeted parent. Generally speaking, all across the world, the outcry from a majority of targeted parents is that they said the laws and law enforcement of courts responsible to uphold laws to protect a child were disregarded because either the police or the judges did not understand the severity of international child abduction. The other thing is that The Hague Convention is to little or no help at all for many parents either because many countries are not signatories, do not comply to the international convention, or the process itself is utterly flawed. One very important belief of mine is that Article 13 – The Abductor’s Defense Mantra - of the Convention should be removed from the international treaty.




Parental Abductors
Are Typically
Fugitives

 (Peter Thomas Senese) What characteristics and behavior does a fugitive abducting parent have when they are trying to remain underground?
(Martin Waage: ABP World Group) The vast majority of parents who abduct a child do so in order to hurt the targeted parent. There has been extensive worldwide research about the behavior of an abductor, and it all points in the same direction: we’re not dealing with rational people with rational thought process. Parental child abductors are sociopaths who conspire selfishly to use a child to attack their former spouse. They are absolute liars who will say anything in court or to law enforcement. They will file false police reports, make false accusations, use the Internet to defame their partner in order to potentially have the courts sanction their criminal behavior – you think of the illicit act, and they’re very capable.

The problem is that if they are successful and go underground, they’re typically pretty good for a short period of time of manipulating others into buying into the lies. But then eventually their true identity shows up – and that is when it becomes even more dangerous for the child. And remember, these abductors on the run will move from place to place out of fear of being found. The unbalance is very unsettling for the child because the child is living the life of a fugitive.


(Peter Thomas Senese) What are the dangers inherent for both abductor and child when an abducting parent lives the life of a fugitive?
(Martin Waage: ABP World Group) The primary issue for a fugitive on the run is that they enter into a world that is unknown and filled with other predators. There are a lot of questionable characters who prey on others in this world. It is very easy to get mixed up with the wrong people. And so, we have seen the abducting parent and child actually become the victims of other predators. Sadly, things go full circle. This is one of the reasons why it is critical for a targeted parent who knows their child was abducted to react immediately: time is critical.

In addition, there is a high risk for health issues that appear common as an abducting parent is either hesitant or does not have the full resources to seek medical care when they or their child need it. And tragically, we are aware of circumstances when an abductor – who are always not mentally balanced to begin with – has taken their own life. And sometimes – in the course of an abduction, if timely intervention does not occur … a child could die. And this is completely inexcusable to me. What has a defenseless child done? Nothing. But a sociopathic abducting parent doesn’t think of the ramifications of their act. And so, it is ABP World Groups compassionate belief that if we can make a difference on behalf of a child, we will.

Feelings of helplessness
and the unknown fuel
a targeted parents futile
feelings.

(Peter Thomas Senese) What challenges and hardship does abduction present to the child?
(Martin Waage: ABP World Group) The short-term and long-term difficulties are enormous. First and foremost is the very real issue of the child’s safety and protecting the child’s life. Too often we hear from other individuals not involved in the issues of IPCA voice their irresponsible and uneducated opinion that how dangerous could an abduction be if the child is with their parent? Well, the answer is enormously physically, mentally, and spiritually dangerous. In fact, I am not alone when I say that a parental abduction is more challenging at times than a stranger abduction because the trust broken from parent to child is very damaging.

As for the child, they are torn from their other parent and typically their extended family. Gone too are their friends and community. And the abducting parent will do everything possible to strip the child’s identity as it relates to the targeted parent. Its cruel, but multiplied by the fact that the child is taken to a foreign land and lives in a stressful environment.

The short-term and long-term ramifications on a child of IPCA are real and damaging. This is why recovery time is so important.


(Peter Thomas Senese) Does the Hague Convention work, and if you could change anything about the convention, what would they be?
(Martin Waage: ABP World Group) My opinion is that The Hague Convention has to be totally re-written in order to become an effective tool, including prosecuting parental abductors criminally for their act of kidnapping and for any and all acts of perjury and contempt of court. Only then will we seek a dramatic decline in international child abduction. Presently, we anticipate that between 5% and 10% of all reported and unreported abduction cases have a successful return, and part of this problem is due to the Hague Convention. Unfortunately, many governments use the Convention as a sleeping pillow, just to avoid creating other and more effective tools in the battle against child abductions. We see no difference, recovering children from Hague or non-Hague countries. The fact is the vast majority of countries do not comply with the spirit and intent of The Hague Convention.


(Peter Thomas Senese) How is electronic forensics relevant to abduction cases?
(Martin Waage: ABP World Group) In today’s age of the Internet, substantial electronic and computer forensic capability is often the difference between locating a child or not. What is important is for a targeted parent to have a team in place such as ABP World Group who has incredible capability and short electronic investigation reaction time that is may show the abductor’s electronic footprints … emails records, bank records, website browser visits, financial records including the difficult to obtain pre-paid debit card histories, phone records – you name it, it all must be quickly obtained and analyzed in order to create a reunification plan. And I am very proud to say that ABP World Group’s electronic investigation unit is exceptional.

ABP World Group's team has
participated in reuniting over 200
criminally abducted children taken
to all parts of the world.

In fact, the last large abduction recovery case we resolved used our skills in electronic tracing. In this particular case we helped the Swedish and Danish Interpol, The Copenhagen Police, and The Stockholm Police trace down a young girl who was criminally abducted by one of her parents. In fact, I will never forget how Interpol and the local police literally were going to stop their investigation on this particular case, and had already thrown in the towel. But that’s when we really got involved. It was one of the many, many victories for our electronic forensic investigation unit.

(Peter Thomas Senese) Are you team members fluent in various languages?
(Martin Waage: ABP World Group) Yes. Our staff is multi national and multi lingual. We have operators who speak for an example Russian, French, English, Spanish, German, Italian, Bosnian/Croatian, Portuguese, Arabic, Thai and many other languages. Remember, our personnel come from the global intelligence community and have significant experience in crisis management. Each needed to know multiple languages – and our worldwide personnel and team are extensive.


(Peter Thomas Senese) What countries has ABP World Group operated in?
(Martin Waage: ABP World Group) We have operated in more than 50 different countries, including countries located in the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Western Hemisphere. We’ve literally been to most places on successful reunification campaigns. If you think about the number of campaigns and the challenges of entering into a foreign country, our track record is really incredible, and one that I intend to maintain – we have had over 200 successful reunification campaigns. And many of these campaigns included several children. The joyful looks on their faces when they are reunited and held by their targeted chasing parent is incredible. And it provides real meaning to our entire team when we see the love unfold between child and parent. It is everything and one of the primary reasons why we are one of the world’s leading child abduction reunification organizations.


(Peter Thomas Senese) What are the most important investigation strategies that ABP implements regarding International Parental Child Abduction?
(Martin Waage: ABP World Group) Child abduction cases are so complex, so we always need to customize our investigation to each different case. What is important is that an investigation begins immediately because the longer time passes the more opportunity the abductor has to go underground. And that is something we want to avoid because it is when a child is living the life of a fugitive that things become dangerous. So, strategically speaking we take a swift, hands-on approach to practical investigatory work while allowing our forensic investigation personnel begin footprinting the abductors electronic activity – which is critical. We’re also in touch with law enforcement and various government agencies from the start. It’s a big net we immediately create, and learning how to do this comes from many years of experience and working on hundreds of cases.

ABP World Group has the
personnel to cover the globe.

(Peter Thomas Senese) Which countries that you worked in offer the greatest challenges for recovery?
(Martin Waage: ABP World Group) The “closed” countries are the hardest. The include countries such as Yemen, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and China. And of course, if the country is an island, that could be a challenge. In addition, the North African countries are tough spots to operate in. It is why, with each of these nations and a few others I am not mentioned now as there are active abduction cases occurring there, that ABP World Group spends substantial time building and cultivating our relationships with various active or retired individuals who work in law enforcement or in the intelligence community.


(Peter Thomas Senese) When should a targeted parent not turn to the media for help?
(Martin Waage: ABP World Group) I think parents should only turn to the media when it will give them a great benefit. Many parents don’t realize that using the media can at times be a haphazard choice because it also alerts other predators that there is a fugitive and a child hiding out and trying to stay off the grid. Kidnappings of abductors are very real possibilities, and this should not be dismissed. So, when thinking about turning to the media, I strongly suggest that a targeted parent consult with local and national law enforcement trained in IPCA, as well as with experts such as ABP World Group, who are familiar with the political and social landscape of most countries around the world. The point is that turning to the media could very well help a case, but it could also be a very big mistake. That is why some targeted parents choose to be very quite about their child being stolen: out of fear for their child’s safety while on the run with the other parent, who is typically a fugitive.


(Peter Thomas Senese) How important is it to monitor an abductor’s family, friends, and associates?
(Martin Waage: ABP World Group) Very. The abductors cannot normally be on the run without any kind of assistance. We have often have great success implementing electronic forensic investigations on these type of individuals.


(Peter Thomas Senese) Is following the money, so to speak, the most important lead for underground abduction cases?
(Martin Waage: ABP World Group) Not always, but it is impossible to be on the run without money. I will estimate that in 95% of the child abduction cases, we normally can anticipate where they will be. Family is very important. Abductors who lived in a mixed marriage often go back to their home country. What is important is to locate them down before they have time to settle and arrange a secure environment. Nevertheless, following the money flow is a very important part of our investigation.

(Peter Thomas Senese) Why is it important to hire ABP?
(Martin Waage: ABP World Group) We take our clients needs seriously, and make sure that every aspect of their needs and concerns are taken care of. Most importantly, we have an incredible reunification recovery record and that is because we are exceptional at all facets of investigation and operational detail. If a targeted parent wants to reunify with their criminally abducted child and safely bring that child home, they should not consider working with any group unless that organization has a considerable track record. Also, and this is very important, ABP World Group works with and oversees the activity of local law enforcement as well as Interpol. We stay on top of things while also conducting our very unique investigations. The bottom line is that if a parent wants to have their child returned, they will reach out to ABP World Group.


We keep our clients safe, whatever it takes




(Peter Thomas Senese) What is ABP’s operating philosophy?
(Martin Waage: ABP World Group) “We keep our clients safe, whatever it takes.”



As a parent who had to chase into the storms of international parental child abduction, combating multi-jurisdictional legal issues and numerous illicit acts by the other parent, I know first-hand that reaction time is a critical element that must be paid attention when dealing with any type of abduction. So too is being able to have a trained group of trained individuals on the ground who will help you locate your child. Without knowing where your child is, well, there is very little you can do other than pray – and prayer is great. Nevertheless, in my opinion it is extremely important that a multidimensional child recovery and reunification plan is created and implemented.

Martin Waage and his incredible team at ABP World Group have a spectacular track record of aiding in IPCA cases because they are extraordinary professionals who know the intricate dealings of international parental child abduction and the laws available to targeted parents, including the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Parental Child Abduction. The service that ABP World Group provides to targeted parents at times offers the most effective, economical, and safest route to a successful recovery of a defenseless child criminally abducted by the other parent. I cannot endorse ABP World Group enough when it comes to a targeted parent’s needs to seek a professional team to assist in overseeing the reunification process that is involved in order to bring a child safely home.

In 'The World Turned Upside Down' that is international parental child abduciton, targeted parents and their children face mountainous challenges including non-existent, archaic, and unenforced child abduction prevention laws. The international treaties that address that attempt to address this issue more often than not fail to protect an abducted child. And the financial costs combined with the mental fatigue and spiritual hardship could break any man or woman.



CHASING THE CYCLONE
By
Peter Thomas Senese

 When I was developing a name for my upcoming novel 'Chasing The Cyclone' that was inspired by my unexpected experiences with international parental child abduction, I was looking for an accurate title that described all that occurs in 'The World Turned Upside Down'.

But as I first stated, even in 'The World Turned Upside Down' there are incredbile men and women who are dedicated to 'Turning The World Right-Side Up'. ABP World Group's Martin Taage and Lars Willmann are two of these incredible individuals. As a father who chased into the cyclones of multi-jurisdictional parental child abduction, I know first-hand how critically important it is to have reunifications such as ABP there to assist guide a parent. With their incredible track record, ABP World Group's history speaks for itself.

For more information on ABP World Group, please CLICK HERE.

To read ABP World Group's informational blog, please CLICK HERE.

To contact ABP World Group, please CLICK HERE.

Peter Thomas Senese is a best-selling author and child advocate dedicated to child abduction prevention. Peter is the author of numerous research reports in international parental child abduction and an assortment of articles and essays on this subject. His upcoming book 'Chasing The Cyclone' which is inspired by his successful recovery of his abducted child will be released worldwide during the summer of 2011.

New Yorkers Demonstrate Support For Criminalization of Online Impersonation Laws

New York State Legislators are seeking to pass a monumental bill (Assembly - 6238/Senate - 4015) that will make online impersonation of another individual with the intent to harm, threaten, or defraud the targeted person a criminal offense punishable by imprisonment. New York State Assembly Member and staunch public advocate Micah Z. Kellner (D-Upper East Side, Yorkville and Roosevelt Island) created and sponsored the groundbreaking 'Digital Impersonation Prevention Act' that will unquestionably benefit all New Yorkers while also demonstrating to the nation and world the critical importance of laws that protect individuals from online malice. Republican Senator Martin Golden (R-Kings County), a lawmaker known for his unyielding support of children and public safety issues has sponsored the bi-partisan legislation in the Senate. The bill has been hailed by victims, activists, and the public-at-large concerned with the limited amount of law concerning online behavior as extremely positive legislation. If passed, an enforceable law will exist that protects against the rapidly growing number of online cases of malicious impersonation and identity theft intended to cause targets grave injury and loss.

Assemblyman Kellner's ‘Digital Impersonation Prevention Act’ (DIPA) strengthens the New York State's protections against predators who use innocent victims' identities to harass, defraud, or send spam to others. It also makes it possible for victims of identity theft to seek civil penalties from the perpetrators. The legislation’s intent is clear: while protecting and respecting the anonymity that the Internet offers to individuals is extremely important, so to is protecting individuals from online sociopathic predators who have intent to destroy another person’s life through malevolent online impersonation and identity theft.

According to the United States Federal Communications Commission estimates, as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year: a number that appears to be expanding with the increase of Internet users and society's reliance on the Internet as a necessity in our daily lives. Presently, California is the only state with unilateral online impersonation laws establishing it a criminal act to impersonate an individual online with intent to cause the target harm. Texas also has a specific law that makes it a felony to impersonate someone on a social network.


Commenting on the need and intent of the new legislation, Senator Martin Golden said, "It's trying to get a handle on a different kind of cyber-bullying. You've got to set some parameters so people understand that you have to live within the norm of society."


The next step for the DIPA legislation is for it be voted on by Senate Majority Leader and child advocate defender Senator Dean G. Skelos' 'Rules Committee'. Senator Skelos' extensive history of creating and sponsoring laws that will protect others is well known, including the senator's writing of the landmark 'Megan's Law'. In addition, Senator Skelos' leadership with respect to online predator behavior includes the championing of the e-STOP law which prevents registered sex offenders from accessing social networking websites, including MySpace and Facebook, and prohibiting online communication between sex offenders and children.

Assemblyman Joseph Lentol, the Chairman of the ‘Committee of Codes’, and a lawmaker who has been remarkably serving New Yorkers in Albany for nearly 40 years will oversee the DIPA legislation's movement before the Codes Committee. Assemblyman Lentol, a former Assistant District Attorney for Kings County, has a long and deep history of supporting legislation that helps the children of the state.

Author and child advocate Peter Thomas Senese added, "Imagine having an online predator create an assortment of websites, social media accounts, posts, and twitter or email messages all under your name and identity, and then post content on these sites that were untruthful, malicious, distorted, and fabricated in order to cause you injury. Think your very worst thoughts. Now imagine the number of sites your identity is being used on is magnified substantially. If you think you have swift and effective recourse, you are mistaken as civil litigation has proven for many to be unreliable, lengthy, and sadly, unproductive. The reality is you have a very serious and dangerous problem on your hands, and the sociopathic predator who has acted to harm you does not fear legal retribution under existing available laws. The DIPA legislation changes all this."

If the DIPA law is passed, New Yorkers will be offered additional protection from cyber terrorists since present New York State law allows for criminal prosecution of an out-of-state predator if their acts have consequences for their victims living in New York State.

In addition, legal experts believe several existing state criminal laws could potentially be applied when prosecuting against the offense of online impersonation.

Dr. Keely Kolmes, Psy.D., the pioneer of 'Digital and Social Media Ethics for Psychotherapists', cautions about the potential harms of online impersonation. “This is a form of harassment and the emotional distress may lead to anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances or other disruptions to a person's well-being. It could significantly impair a person's daily functioning in school, work, or relationships. It can also have an effect on someone's social support system if others don't recognize that the individual is being impersonated.”


Erica Johnstone, a partner at Ridder, Costa & Johnstone LLP who has extensive experience litigating online harassment, identity theft and impersonation supported California's SB 1411 bill concerning online impersonation that became law on January 1st, 2011 previously observed that, “Almost all cyber-harassment goes unpunished, with devastating consequences to the victims, including loss of reputation, shame, mortification, hurt feelings, pain, suffering, inconvenience, loss of business and education opportunities, and emotional distress.”

According to experts focusing on online impersonation, the psychological factors behind the person committing such online impersonation with malicious intent can be identified as greed, revenge, frustration, and grievance. The majority of individuals who maliciously impersonate another consistently demonstrate behavior of an online stalker whereas the online stalker/impersonator is motivated by a desire to exert control over their victims and engage in behavior to accomplish this end. These crimes are real and are affecting everyone - individuals, business organizations, nation-states and the international communities. The perpetual and compulsive act of maliciously impersonating another individual online demonstrates behavior best defined as “Cyber Terrorism.”

Demonstrating the sweeping problem of malicious online impersonation facing citizens everywhere, California State Senator Joe Simitian, who wrote and sponsored the California impersonation law provides insight on this national issue that each state must immediately address for themselves when he said, "Pretending to be someone else online takes no more Web savvy than posting comments on a Web forum under that person's name," said Simitian, in a statement. "When it's done to cause harm, folks need a law on the books they can turn to."

Peter Thomas Senese included, "One of the great problems that exists in the civil prosecution against a person who maliciously impersonates a target online is that typically the predator has limited assets, and therefore is judgment proof - that is, a defendant has no concern over financial compensation of their victim since they have no assets to provide. At the moment, and why New York needs to pass the DIPA law is due to the stark reality that many of these online predators simply ignore the rules of court and laws since they believe there is limited recourse available for their target. So, if a predator has no concern of a monetary judgment against them, then more than likely, they will continue to create an online terrorist state for their victim. However, if the ‘Digital Impersonation Prevention Act’ is made into law, then the citizens of New York, similar to the citizens of California and to a lesser degree, Texas, will have available to them a very unique tool that predators cannot circumvent: a criminal code that does not require for a victim to have extensive assets to litigate over in order to obtain relief, but also a deterrent and tool that could shorten the lengthy legal process required under civil law. The message will be clear to online terrorists who impersonate another individual: your malicious behavior will no longer be tolerated due to new criminal laws now in place."

The ramifications of online malicious impersonation are in fact a worldwide problem and its malevolent intent far-reaching. According to Martin Waage, President of world-renown security experts ABP World Group Ltd., a leading international child abduction recovery services company, "Online impersonation as part of a malicious defamation and slander campaign directed toward an unsuspecting parental guardian targeted in the growing plague of criminal international parental child abduction that is created as part of a child abductor's defense and then used to sanction their criminal act of child stealing is a malicious and tragic occurrence implemented by thousands of parental child abductors each year. We have seen this type of malicious, illicit behavior targeted against parents from New York to Rome. They had to react to the nightmare of having their child abducted while having their name disparaged online by a sociopathic abducting parent in order to defend their criminal acts. And always - the abductor uses the untrue and fabricated online impersonation and slander against their target. In my opinion this is the most vicious and evil form of online impersonation and identity theft - and it's happening all the time everywhere. I urge New York lawmakers to pass this important law."

The legislation, (A.6238/S.4015), will create effective penalties, including fines and imprisonment, for those who engage in digital impersonation for the purposes of harming, threatening, or defrauding another person, as well as sending unsolicited bulk emails and commercial solicitations, or utilizing a contact list. It also establishes a civil cause of action for people who are victims of digital impersonation, allowing victims to sue perpetrators for up to $500 for each incident.

Advocates supporting the ‘Digital Impersonation Prevention Act’ have recently created a petition sight and request anyone anywhere concerned with the criminal act of malicious online impersonation to sign the petition.