NCJ Number
123142
Journal
Children's Legal Rights Journal Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Dated: (Spring 1988) Pages: 26-29
Date Published
1988
Length
4 pages
Annotation
A 1987 case involving the abuse of the child of a diplomat who was part of the Zimbabwe Mission to the United Nations in New York shows how the courts' determination to place diplomatic immunity above the rights of a victim of serious abuse places all members of diplomatic families in potentially serious jeopardy.
Abstract
The father of 9-year-old Terrence Karamba was charged in the New York Family Court with repeated instance of torture and abuse. Terrence's mother had witnessed some of the beatings and was accused of failing to protect her son. The court dismissed the child abuse complaint and refused to retain Terrence in foster care, although his fater was expelled from the United States under Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Terrence's suicidal and regressive behavior at the prospect of his forced return to his family resulted in two unsuccessful legal actions on his behalf. However, the State Department finally acknowledged its obligation to assure therapeutic measures. Thus, Terrence returned to Zimbabwe accompanied by a State Department psychiatrist and a Zimbabwean social worker/foster parent. However, the United State's Supreme Court's refusal to grant Terrence any relief shows that minor children of diplomats are not deemed to possess other citizens' rights of access to courts. 18 reference notes.