Child abduction
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Several distinct forms of child abduction exist:
- A stranger removes a child for criminal or mischievous purposes
- A stranger removes a child (usually a baby) to bring up as that person's own child.
- A parent removes or retains a child from the other parent's care (often in the course of or after divorce proceedings).
Abductions by strangers or family
Removal by stranger
Perhaps the most feared (although not the most common) kind of abduction is removal by a stranger. The stereotypical version of stranger abduction is the classic form of "kidnapping," exemplified by the Lindbergh kidnapping, in which the child is detained, transported some distance, held for ransom or with intent to keep the child permanently. These instances are, however, rare. A study commissioned by the US Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention found that there were only approximately 115 stereotypical stranger abductions in 1999. [NISMART National Non-Family Abduction Report October 2002]
The most common form of "stranger abduction," however, is the situation in which a child is abducted by a stranger, friend and acquaintance for some purpose other than ransom and typically involves less force and is of shorter duration. The NISMART National Non-Family Abduction Report estimated that in 1999 there were approximately 58,000 such child abductions. The vast majority of these victims were teenagers; fifty-seven percent of the victims were missing for at least one-hour; and nearly 50% suffered sexual assault during that abduction. [NISMART National Non-Family Abduction Report October 2002]
Removal by stranger to raise as own
A very small number of abductions result from (typically) women who kidnap babies (or other young children) to bring up as their own. These women are often unable to have children of their own and seek to satisfy their unmet psychological need by abducting a child rather than by adopting. The crime is often premeditated, with the woman often simulating pregnancy to reduce suspicion when a baby suddenly appears in the household.
An example of child abduction is the case of Montana Barbaro, stolen in Melbourne, Australia on Saturday 7 August 2004. A male attacker knocked the mother to the ground, and a female removed the baby. They fled in a car. Montana was recovered some 40 hours later, unharmed.
Parental child abduction
By far the most common kind of child abduction is parental child abduction and often occurs when the parents separate or begin divorce proceedings. A parent may remove or retain the child from the other seeking to gain an advantage in expected or pending child-custody proceedings or because that parent fears losing the child in those expected or pending child-custody proceedings; a parent may refuse to return a child at the end of an access visit or may flee with the child to prevent an access visit. Parental child abductions may be within the same city, within the state region or within the same country, or may be international. Studies performed for the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention reported that in 1999, 53% percent of family abducted children were gone less than one week, and 21% were gone one month or more, [NISMART National Family Abduction Report, October 2002]
Depending on the laws of the state and country in which the parental abduction occurs, this may or may not constitute a criminal offence. For example, removal of a child from the UK for a period of 28 days or more without the permission of the other parent (or person with parental responsibility), is a criminal offence. Many US States have criminalized interstate child abduction and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) has undertaken a project to draft a uniform state law dealing with parental abduction. [link]
International child abduction
Serious problems can arise when parental abduction results in moving a child, with a parent, across an international border. The laws of the states are different, and a foreign child custody order may not be recognized.
The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction is an international treaty and legal mechanism to recover children abducted to another country by one parent or family member. The United States signed this into law in 1988. Japan is the only G7 nation that has not signed this treaty into law, and has been widely criticized as a safe haven for child abductors. Yasmine and Sara Pourhashemi are children whose case is a good example of international child abduction.
Children abducted for slavery in Africa
There are reports that abduction of children to be used or sold as slaves is common in parts of Africa.
The Lord's Resistance Army, a rebel paramilitary group operating mainly in northern Uganda, is notorious for its abductions of children for use as child soldiers or sex slaves. According to the Sudan Tribune, as of 2005, more than 20,000 children have been kidnapped by the LRA. [link]
See also
Notes
External links
- [Media report on Montana Barbaro case]
- [Voice 4 the Children]
- [Stolen from My Bosom - An on-line book details one woman's experience of parental child abduction.]
- [Take Root: Helping missing children recover]
- BBC News report: [West Africa's child slave trade], 6 August, 1999.
- [Child Abduction Articles]
- [help you to be prepared]
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