Nafeesa Ali Ismail is an adult survivor of International Parental Child Abduction (IPCA) who testified to Congress on September 10, 2024. At the age of seven, she was abducted by her father from New Jersey to Northern Egypt, where she remained for the next 10 years.
She testified, "When I wasn’t in school, I mainly stayed in my room— imagining someone from the United States government would knock on the door and ask for me. I know other survivors like me also had this silly dream. I became depressed, lost hope that I would return to the United States, and attempted suicide multiple times."
After returning home in February 2021, she dedicated her life to helping other children and young adult survivors of international child abduction. She continued, "It has been three years since my return, and I am grateful to be back home in the United States. I have experienced a lot, learned many things, and grown tremendously, but the way I returned ,home still makes me feel out of place. When I was in Egypt, I needed the support of my government to come home, but I didn’t really get it."
In 2024, Nafeesa was appointed as Youth Ambassador to iStand Survivor Network, an NGO dedicated to empowering youth survivors of parental child abduction and to providing support, resources, and a safe community for those who have experienced the trauma of being separated from a parent due to abduction.
The entire hearing, "The Goldman Act Turns 10: Holding Hague Convention Violators Accountable and Bringing Abducted American Children Home," is available on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee website.
She testified, "When I wasn’t in school, I mainly stayed in my room— imagining someone from the United States government would knock on the door and ask for me. I know other survivors like me also had this silly dream. I became depressed, lost hope that I would return to the United States, and attempted suicide multiple times."
After returning home in February 2021, she dedicated her life to helping other children and young adult survivors of international child abduction. She continued, "It has been three years since my return, and I am grateful to be back home in the United States. I have experienced a lot, learned many things, and grown tremendously, but the way I returned ,home still makes me feel out of place. When I was in Egypt, I needed the support of my government to come home, but I didn’t really get it."
In 2024, Nafeesa was appointed as Youth Ambassador to iStand Survivor Network, an NGO dedicated to empowering youth survivors of parental child abduction and to providing support, resources, and a safe community for those who have experienced the trauma of being separated from a parent due to abduction.
The entire hearing, "The Goldman Act Turns 10: Holding Hague Convention Violators Accountable and Bringing Abducted American Children Home," is available on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee website.
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