Some Facts On Parental Abduction

When people think of kidnapping, they often think of movies like Taken or stories in the news about children being snatched out of their beds in the middle of the night, never to be seen again. People think that kidnapping is just when strangers pick up your kid and run away while you’re not paying attention at the local mall. While cases like this do exist, they do not make up a large portion of kidnapping cases. The cases that make up the largest percent of kidnapping cases are actually parental abduction cases.

That is right, being abducted by their own parents. When people learn this, they are often confused. How can somebody abduct their own child? Cases like this often happen in the midst of a custody battle. If one parent becomes angry or envious of the parent with custody, the situation can quickly escalate and end with a missing child (and parent)!

The biggest concern when a child is abducted by their parents is usually that the parent may try to transport the child over international borders. What many people may not realize is that taking a child out of the country without the consent of the other parent is a crime in most countries. There is a reason that legal custody is granted to parents.

Parental abduction is actually considered a form of child abuse by some experts. Children who are pulled from one parent’s life suffer emotionally. They are often led to believe that their other parent abandoned them and that they do not care for them at all. This can lead to many emotional issues down the road as they grow up believing that their mom or dad has no interest in being in their life. These kids also tend to end up having a lack of education, a lack of healthcare, and a lack of access to child protection services.

There are many warning signs that your partner or ex partner might be planning a kidnapping of your child. If your spouse lacks financial or emotional ties to the country that you reside in, the signs could mean much more as well. If your partner has a violent past, is bitter about a break up or custodial battle, and/or harasses you, these could be signs that you may need to start paying more attention to him/her and make sure that your child stays safe. If you ever think that they have actually abducted your child, remember to call the police.

Parent kidnapping is a crime.

To learn more about what to do if your child is abducted by your partner, check out this guide.