How does kidnapping happen

And it came with a new and horrifying twist. Fears of sexual abuse and sadistic impulses—not ransom demands—now came to define the nature of the crime and the terror that parents experienced in contemplating the harms threatening their children. The sexual abuse of child kidnap victims had always lurked as a possibility. This was the case, for example, when Bobby Franks' body was discovered in and Nathan Leopold, Jr.

But Americans had usually understood this possibility as a danger that was secondary to the ransom that motivated these crimes in the first place. By the s, however, Americans began to change how they perceived the motives for child abduction. Ransom as a motive for kidnapping receded as sexual abuse and rape became more public and familiar themes in society.

The threat of abduction became even more powerful. It was now a crime to be feared by the vast majority of parents, not just those who were likely to be targeted because of their wealth. Once sexual violation or other sadistic practices, which likely led to the victims' deaths, were seen as motives for child disappearance, all parents became vulnerable because all children could be victims of such crimes. This is exactly what happened in the late s and s when Americans experienced a great panic in regard to child kidnapping.

Fears about the sexual abuse of children—both real and perceived—grew sharply in the turbulent context of the more liberated sexual behaviors following the s, the widespread employment outside the home of married women with children during the s, and the greater openness and discussion of homosexuality at the time. By the s, as a result of the publicity surrounding a series of kidnappings of young boys—Adam Walsh, Etan Patz, Kevin White, and Jacob Wetterling; children who lived in all parts of the country and in communities large and small—Americans began to register intense fears about child abductions as sexual crimes.

During this period, parents of victims created foundations to commemorate the victims and to assist in finding other children and brought the subject to the attention of national authorities, including congressional panels. They helped to stimulate the passage of laws that authorized new FBI oversight and provided funding for a new agency, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The subject also became central and dominant in public discussions about policing and public responsibilities, as well as in private conversations among parents, in schools, and in community forums.

In order to bring maximum attention to the subject, individuals and victims' organizations often publicized the prevalence of the crime by combining numbers for all missing children, including those taken by parents and those who had run away.

At various points in the s, Americans were led to believe that as many as a million children a year were missing and presumed to be the subjects of stranger abductions.

These statistics increased the sense of urgency and inflamed the dread of parents, children, and others concerned with child safety. By the s, careful analysis by the Justice Department distinguished among these dangers to children, emphasizing the much smaller number of stranger abductions.

By then, however, child abduction had become a fixture of popular culture as posters, Advo cards, billboards, movies, books and magazine articles, television programs, and various other forms of media attention had made child abduction and fears about "Stranger Danger" into a national obsession.

The ordeal of Elizabeth Smart, for example, quickly became a book, a made-for-TV movie, and fodder for multiple magazine covers. The fears rapidly altered child rearing patterns. By the s, parents began to register their distrust of institutions that had developed to supplement the parental supervision of children—such as teachers at child care centers, baby sitters, sports coaches, Boy Scout leaders, and even Santa Claus—as the panic about child sexual abuse spread.

Increasingly, whenever they could do so, parents kept their children under tight supervision, walking or driving them to school, and restricting a once more casual attitude toward informal play. Kidnapping was the most extreme of the many dangers that parents feared. As the sexual abuse of children seemed to have become rampant, or at least as its social existence became more generally acknowledged, child kidnapping became a symbolic expression of these concerns and a growing distrust of strangers.

States and communities throughout the country instituted new laws in response. Named after seven-year-old Megan Kanka, raped and killed by a neighbor who lured her into his house to play with his puppy, Megan's Laws became part of the repertoire of police departments and community vigilance. These laws required sexual offenders to be listed on registries available to everyone in the community.

Other new laws targeted "pedophiles" adults sexually interested in children who were now assumed rightly or wrongly to be responsible for almost all stranger kidnappings.

These included limits on where those convicted of sexual offenses against children could live, the institution of longer prison sentences, supervision with electronic devices, and institutionalization even after prison terms had been fully served. All of these were responses to the perception and evidence that pedophiles could not be reformed or cured. When Jaycee Lee Dugard was found to be living quietly in a makeshift structure in the backyard of her abductors' house in Antioch, California in late August , part of the public's outrage resulted from the fact that Phillip Garrido was a registered sex offender on federal parole.

Despite the many regulations and required registrations now in place, and the fact that he had lived in this house for years, Garrido's crime had gone undetected by any of the many policing agencies who could have discovered Jaycee's presence.

Jaycee's return exposed once again how insecure American children appeared to be even in the most rigorous and seemingly stringent legal environments that now defined the landscape. Another surprising and worrisome feature of the Jaycee Dugard case was that Jaycee had been abducted, hidden, and apparently abused with the compliance or active participation of Nancy Garrido, Phillip's wife. The same had been true for Elizabeth Smart.

But Americans should not be surprised that women can participate in child kidnappings. Throughout the twentieth century, women have been caught stealing children usually infants they hoped to raise as their own. Childless themselves, they are often eager to please their husbands or boyfriends and lead them to believe that they had themselves given birth to the child.

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Kidnapping: The Basics. Introduction The methods behind kidnapping are as varied as their motivations. Types of Kidnapping This section will detail several types of kidnapping commonly seen around the globe, the motivations behind each type, and some recommendations to deter or mitigate the threats of each.

She was released several weeks later, although the missionary organization with which she was affiliated would not disclose what was done to secure her freedom. Ireland, An employee of an armored truck company had his family taken hostage before the criminals forced him to steal cash from his armored truck during his route. After the employee handed the money over, this family was released.

An example of express kidnappings targeting travelers abroad is: Brazil A New Zealand Olympic athlete in Rio de Janiero for the Olympic Games, was the victim of an express kidnapping after men wearing police uniforms forced him to withdraw cash from several ATMs in the city.

South Africa A couple was assaulted by a criminal falsely portraying himself as their rideshare driver , forced to withdraw money from an ATM, then held overnight before managing to alert a neighbor to their whereabouts. He was released in after 22 months of captivity after Qatar served as a negotiations mediator and secured terms for his release. Mexico, An American couple received a call at their Tijuana hotel informing them that a cartel was going to attack them.

Consulate helped the family determine that the threat was a scam. Once payment was refused, caller declared that the couple would be killed before hanging up.

The couple was unharmed and never in physical danger. General Kidnapping Mitigation Tips If kidnapped, do not act overly defiant towards your captors, but be mindful to avoid giving them information that could be used against you.

Try to keep a low profile, especially in locations known to have a kidnapping threat. Supervise them in places like malls, movie theaters, parks, public bathrooms, or while fundraising door to door. Never leave kids alone in a car or stroller, even for a minute.

Choose caregivers — babysitters , childcare providers, and nannies — carefully and check their references. If you've arranged for someone to pick up your kids from school or daycare, discuss the arrangements beforehand with your kids and with the school or childcare center. Avoid dressing your kids in clothing with their names on it — children tend to trust adults who know their names. Page 2 Talking to Kids About Strangers One of the challenges of being a parent is teaching your kids to be cautious without filling them with fear or anxiety.

Teach them to: Never accept candy or gifts from a stranger. Never go anywhere with a stranger, even if it sounds like fun. Predators can lure kids with questions like "Can you help me find my lost puppy? Run away and scream if someone follows them or tries to force them into a car.

Say no to anyone who tries to make them do something you've said is wrong or touch them in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable. Always tell you or another trusted adult if a stranger asks personal questions, exposes himself or herself, or otherwise makes them feel uneasy.

Reassure kids that it's OK to tell you even if the person made them promise not to or threatened them in some way. The answer is that she did it for the money. She planned to share the reward money with her accomplice, Michael Donovan, who was a relative.

According to the Offender Management Caseload Statistics, the UK recorded about 57 convicted kidnappings cases between In some countries, kidnapping has also affected who occupies top government positions. The son of the former president of Slovakia was once kidnapped. In August of , Michal Kovac Jr, whose father was president of newly independent Slovakia, was stopped in his car by armed men who handcuffed him, forced him to drink two bottles of whisky, and then drove him to an unknown destination The Economist, It is sometimes said that corruption can lead to kidnapping.

Somalia, which is one of the most corrupt countries in the world, unfortunately has quite a bit of experience with this problem. On May 3, , a German nurse named Sonja Nientiet was kidnapped there. The high unemployment rate in many countries has forced citizens to find other ways to make money—and some of those ways are illegal. Kidnapping a rich person can be a lucrative business. A cash-strapped unemployed person may believe that when he kidnaps someone who is rich, he may be able to become rich himself.

Poverty can propel people toward crime as a way to make ends meet. Sometimes, a person who is poor might believe that kidnapping or other illegal acts could provide the necessary money to start a new life—a life that will no longer involve crime. Illiteracy is the inability to read or write. When people know how to read and write, they can gain the skills they need in order to become educated, get a job, and live a productive life. Literacy and education can also be an important foundation upon which to build a deeper understanding of moral judgment and decision making.

The kidnappings and bombings perpetrated by Boko Haram, the militant Islamic group in Nigeria, are caused by illiteracy, at least in part. The leaders of this group feed their men false information, which the men cannot disprove by reading outside sources.

Boko Haram fighters engage in suicide bombings, killings, and kidnappings. They are told that if they die while carrying out their mission, they will inherit the kingdom.

Many kidnappings in the world today have their root cause in religion. Some people love their religion so much that even when it teaches them something that is wrong, they believe it is right. One religious leader may want to take over another group—and order his men to kidnap his rivals.

Some people are not contented with what they have and wish they could buy more and more things—whether it's fancy clothes, cars, houses, or jewelry. This kind of persons may turn to crime to make more money.

A wicked businessman can kidnap his business rival for a large ransom to become richer. Corrupt politicians may arrange for the kidnapping of their opponents. Sometimes, they do this so that their opponents will make concessions or change their votes on the issues. A society where corruption is rife is likely to experience a high level of kidnapping. The truth is that if a government is corrupt and embezzling public funds, citizens may react by kidnapping those corrupt politicians in an attempt to recoup some of the stolen money.

Kidnappers sometimes choose to torture their victims so that they can force money out of their relatives or associates. Sometimes, they may even torture for fun. One form of torture is rape. The negative psychological effects of being abducted are huge, especially for a child. Depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress syndrome PTSD may last a lifetime. In a society where the incidence of kidnapping is high, fear limits people's lives and actions.

They will always move with caution as they do not know who might be the next target. The rich surround themselves with security guards because of their fear of getting kidnapped. Any country that wants to fight kidnapping successfully must hire and train capable agents to combat the issue.

When law enforcement agencies are actively involved, the incidence of this crime can be lessened. Reports show that the police are involved in some kidnappings. Notable examples have occurred in Mexico.

Eliminating the criminals within the ranks of law enforcement is key. Mild punishment does nothing to deter criminals.

When the government treats kidnappers harshly, fewer abductions will occur. Generating jobs for citizens, especially for the youth, can have a huge impact in the fight against crime. When people are gainfully employed, they do not need to commit crimes.

Kidnapping has caused disorder in societies today. Kidnapping is a global problem with many root causes, including unemployment, poverty, religion, and politics. Each of these root causes must be evaluated and addressed in order to eliminate this terrible scourge once and for all. Answer: There are many reasons why kidnapping happen.

Among the reasons are the following:. Answer: Yes, social media can be a way of reducing kidnapping.