The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, an international law whose purpose is to establish uniform rules to be applied in cases of international child abduction, is described. The Hague Convention requires that children wrongfully removed or retained abroad in connection with parental custody disputes be promptly returned to the country of their habitual residence upon application of the left-behind parent, subject only to express conditions of a Central Authority in every party state to receive and facilitate the processing of return requests. Children wrongfully abducted or retained could be returned to the United States as well as returned to other countries from the United States. A 68-page legal analysis of the Hague Convention by the Department of State for facilitating understanding of the Convention by parents, judges, lawyers, and public and private agency personnel is included. (ABL)