ouch.

It turns out that the Goldman case isn't one of a kind, and several other cases have popped up which you can read about on the Bring Sean Home blog. One of the cases was featured in this Financial Post story, about a Canadian man who had pretty much the same thing happen to him as David. The story also mentions David's case and its lack of going anywhere, and discusses international child abduction. If you're new to the Goldman case, definitely give it a read.

I gotta say though, the final line in the article is brutal, and isn't going to help the case gain support with Brazilians:

Mr. Larivee is haunted by his ordeal, yet he only shrugs when asked if there was anything he would do differently. "I've done everything I could do, everything right," he says. "Maybe, don't marry a Brazilian."

Ouch.

Comments

[elena]

Rachel,
Gente ruim e mal intencionada, se encontra em qualquer parte do mundo. Acho que antes de casar e ter filhos, ele deveria ter pensado mais...mas como diz minha mãe..."a carne e fraca e quando a cabeça de "baixo"nao pensa, a de "cima" padece".
Não vamos generalizar né?
Ps) Por que voce nao responde os comentários dos seus leitores????
bjs,
me

[SteveW]

Rachel, I read in one such article an unsupported claim that there about 50 open cases involving American children parentally kidnapped to Brazil. The blue print for these cases for the abductor is delay, delay, delay, what one of your readers termed "legal fillibustering". They make a mockery of the judicial system.

To be fair, other Hague countries have similar problems. Spain, Italy and Sweden have all had compliance issues. There is no penalty for failure to comply.

Sean should have been returned years ago, even according to the Brazilian Central Authority. But either they will not or can not use federal officers to execute the return as the U.S. has done on many occaisions. Now Sean is held by someone who is not even a parent. Fortunately, many Brazilians are awakening to the immorality of this situation and beginning to pressure their elected officials.

[Neil]

Both cases are sad and there is nothing more tragic than a parent being involuntarily separated from a child. It is a shame that the Brazilian legal system does not seem recognize this.

That said, I think Mr. Larivee's final comment was made reflecting this frustration. There are many, many happy stories of marriage and children (including my own) between Brazilians and foreigners. My read of most Brazilians, given their emphasis on family, is that they wouldn't dream of separating parent and child involuntarily (not without a strong reason). I cetainly hope I'm reading my wife correctly!!

Neil

[Mari Biddle]

Rachel,

Eu, Mari Biddle, sou solidária a David desde que soube do caso. Temos uma comunidade no Orkut para divulgar o caso para os brasileiros que moram no Brasil. Como a midia brasileira foi proibida de divulgar o caso tentamos usar a internet. Sou casada com estadunidense e moro em Chicago com marido e filho. Jamais faria o que fez Bruna, of course! E penso que o Mr. Larivee's disse tal frase em um momento de raiva, de desilusão, de dor. Pois deve ser uma dor imensa! Claro que não devemos generalizar. Devemos é fazr o maximo para atrair as autoridades brasileiras para esse ABSURDO! Nós, mulheres brasileiras, não podemos sofrer da vergonha alheia. Não devemos.

**Pq vc não responde aos coments?

bjim!

[Ray Adkins]

Rachel,

OFF TOPIC:

I thought you would want to read this link, just wondered if you knew this information:

http://www.brazzil.com/articles/171-september-2006/9689.html?tmpl=component&print=1&page=

[Ray Adkins]

It is a shame for Brazil and at the same time it shows that is really is a great country and some Brazilians have a hard time living abroad and may decide to go back!
My wife is Brazilian and she had been driving me crazy to go back to Brazil and we have been planning our return...
It is hard for her to stay away from her family and I loved Sao Paulo and will go back the first chance we get...
You better be sure who you marry and even more, you better be sure who you have a child with...

[Daily Rio Life]

I was just talking about this with my out of country guests last night as it is an issue that now sort of pertains to us now that we are to become parents here in Brazil. We were thinking of delaying getting Canadian Citizenship for our baby once it's born but relatives have shown some concern about this, in the event that something were to happen to my husband and I, we all just want to be sure it would be easy in that situation for our Brazilian baby to be with its Canadian family.

As far as the comment about Mr. Larivee's final statement in the interview, I am more positive on it... I sure have met a lot of Brazilian women in particular who make no secret about their VERY high level of interest in meeting/marrying foreigners. (We are constantly asked when we are going to bring some single male friends here...) Who knows, maybe if they catch wind of this sort of negative publicity back in North America about marrying Brazilians, something will actually get done!

[Liesl]

Rachel,
I too read the article and I admit I was pretty offended by the last paragraph. I don't want to be stereotyped because these women did what they did (we're stereotyped for some many other things already). I am Brazilian, married to an American mom of a 5-year old, and I'd never do that to my husband. Nevertheless, I understand his frustration - as all the parents who miss their kids - and wish it could all come to an end as quickly as possible.

[Dan Plainview]

Folks,

The fact you are offended by the final remarks of Mr. Larivee's is insensitive. The truth is if you are considering getting married to a potential spouse (male or female) you need to be aware of their contries history of compliance (or non-compliance with the Hague.

Neil,

I would be very cautious. Others have been fooled like Mr. Goldman (I know). As others have stated, this is not one case but many children have been abducted to Brazil. There have even been a couple of rare cases where the children have been returned. There are also other countries that do not comply w/ the Hague. Mr. Goldman is now making this very public but it is an epidemic.

Abductions also happen when Fathers are the kidnapper and the woman is the Left-behind parent. It is sick and the pain the left-behind parent has is unbarable. Please be a little more sensitive to their plight and don't get your feelings hurt if their pain spills out in a not-so-carefully worded way.

[Isabela de Bragança]

Para todos que estão ciente do caso David Goldman(e outros casos parecidos),

É muito triste e angustiante ver isso acontecendo a qualquer pessoa de qualquer nacionalidade, certamente estamos todos comovidos e de alguma maneira tentando ajudar, ou pelo menos fazer esse caso ser conhecido por todos aqui no Brasil, por ser um total absurdo o que está acontecendo.
Mas acho que ao culparem a nacionalidade e cultura de uma pessoa não justifica seus atos, isso é uma falha e grave de CARÁTER, total falta de responsabilidade e falta de noção do que é certo e errado !! Me desculpem mas não concordo mesmo com o que estão botando em questão. Ser brasileiro, americano, chinês, japonês, australiano, inglês ou francês, não muda nada!!!
Temos que lembrar sempre, que existem pessoas sem caráter em qualquer lugar do mundo, infelizmente.
Precisamos conhecer mais as pessoas que estão ao nosso lado, precisamos conversar mais, nos interessar mais, participar mais do mundo do outro, amar mais, assim vamos nos conhecer de verdade.
A criação e a base familiar dizem muito sobre qualquer pessoa....independente da sua nacionalidade.
Quem tem atitudes como essa não tem compaixão, caratér, amor ao próximo e nada da lista de "qualidades" que uma pessoa que consegue se colocar no lugar do outro possui. E que família é essa que não quer enxergar os erros de seus filhos???
Não preciso nem comentar a atitude dessa família de advogados que faz parte desse sistema corrupto. Sistema vergonhoso.

De uma brasileira, carioca e mãe de um menino de 10 meses.
Isabela

[Dan_Plainview]

Rachel,

I may have scooped you ... is/ was Lins e Silva Mr. Larivee's attorney on or about the same time he was fooling w/ Bruna?

http://www.stf.jus.br/arquivo/cms/testeTexto/anexo/decisao1.pdf