May 19, 2009, Fukuoka - Retired Ambassador Maura Harty, now the Senior Policy Director of The International Center for Missing and Exploited Children, spoke at the Fukuoka American Center on the battle against child pornography and child abduction.

Ambassador Harty described child pornography as a “massive and lucrative enterprise” that exploits increasingly younger victims. She pointed out that because internet and child sexual exploitation is not limited by national boundaries, it requires international coordination by law enforcement. Unfortunately, since Japan has not yet criminalized simple possession, Japanese law enforcement can not participate in child pornography investigations to help stop the abuse of either Japanese children or children from other countries.

On the topic of child abduction, Ambassador Harty told the story of a two-year old girl who was abducted by her father from Tokyo to California without informing her Japanese mother. Under the Hague Convention on Child Abduction, the California judge determined jurisdiction of the case to be Japan and ordered the little girl’s return. Japan has yet to sign or ratify the Convention, explained Ambassador Harty, a step that would make favorable outcomes like this more likely in future cases.

Click here to read the Joint Press Statement by the U.S., Canada, France, and the U.K calling for Japan to accede to the Hague Convention on Child Abduction.