Rising kidnapping and the threat it poses to the World

Introduction

Kidnapping, which is defined as the taking of a person by force, wrongful detention, or imprisonment, is a crime. In some places, the crime is also committed for ransom, where the kidnappers demand the kidnapper pay a ransom to have the hostage back.

The main goals of kidnapping are to force the victim into involuntary servitude, expose him to further criminal activity against him, or demand ransom in exchange for his safe return. In more recent times, political revolutionaries or terrorists seeking concessions from a government have turned to kidnapping as a form of extortion. It is regarded as a serious offence everywhere and is subject to the death penalty or a lengthy prison term.

Earlier understanding of kidnapping

In the past, abduction meant transporting a person to another nation for forced labour. It also covered the activities of "shanghaiing" merchant seafarers in port towns as well as "impressing" men into military duty (also known as "crimping").

The kidnapping of Women

Kidnapping has also been defined as the act of kidnapping young women and selling them for concubinage or prostitution. This is sometimes referred to as kidnapping in current legislation and typically entails the taking or detention of a female under a specified age for marriage-related purposes. Some nations define the alienation of a husband from his wife by another woman who tempts him away as a crime under the definition of kidnapping.

History 

The intent to abduct someone in order to demand a large ransom or other concessions in exchange for their safe return is prohibited by modern kidnapping laws. In the 1920s and 1930s, this spread throughout the US. The infant son of renowned American pilot Charles A. Lindbergh was abducted in 1932, which led to legislation that carried the death penalty for crossing state lines with a kidnapped victim. False incarceration is a component of kidnapping in the majority of nations. False detention made worse by moving the victim to a new location is classified as abduction and subject to a harsher punishment.

Types of Kidnapping

We are all familiar with the stereotypical kidnappings of children by strangers and the ability of parents to kidnap their kids after losing custody of them in court. However, there are a lot more variations:

1. kidnapping to demand money

Although it receives the greatest media attention, the stereotypical kind of kidnapping doesn't happen very frequently. Kidnapping for ransom occurs when a person is kidnapped and held captive so that the kidnapper can demand payment from the victim's family, employer, or even government in exchange for the victim's release. These kind of international kidnappings are being carried out by gangs to fund their illicit enterprises. As a result, foreign nationals who travel tend to have a higher risk of being abducted for ransom.

2. Tiger abduction (also proxy bombings)

The hostage is coerced into doing the kidnapper's bidding and listening to their commands in this kind of kidnapping. For instance, the bank employee might be made to force open the vault, or the office staff member might authorise entry to the structure. When the captive is made to prepare or even detonate a bomb, that is an awful illustration of this kind of kidnapping.

3. Express kidnapping

Express kidnapping is probably the most common type of abductions in Latin America and Africa. It happens when the kidnapper abducts the victim, takes them to an ATM and forces them to withdraw cash. Usually, this type of kidnapping doesn’t involve violence and is relatively fast.

4. Political (ideological) kidnapping

Quite possibly the most dangerous type of kidnapping is the political one, due to the amount of ideological or political power the hostage has. The abductors may want to swap the hostage for prisoners, demand a withdrawal of military forces, etc. Sometimes, the motive of such kidnapping is

3. Quick Abduction

In Africa and Latin America, express kidnapping is presumably the most frequent sort of kidnapping. It occurs when the victim is kidnapped and forced to withdraw money from an ATM after being taken there. This kind of kidnapping typically takes place quickly and without any violence.

4. Kidnapping for political (ideological) reasons

Given the hostage's level of ideological or political influence, political kidnappings may very well be the most hazardous kind. The kidnappers might wish to exchange the hostage for detainees or demand that the troops leave the area, among other things. The intent behind these kidnappings can vary.

5. Cyber-kidnapping

A virtual abduction is the most recent type of kidnapping; it doesn't actually require physical kidnapping. A family member of the victim would be demanded as ransom by the criminal, who would then call the family. The sum sought is relatively low, increasing the likelihood of a prompt payment. Threats made with no supporting evidence are the primary tool of this kind of kidnapping. The offender wants to make the family member fear for the safety of their relative.

Punishment for kidnapping

Any kidnapping would have resulted in the death penalty a century ago. Today, however, there are various legal penalties for various kidnapping categories. In general, the severity of the offence and the state laws have a big impact on the penalties for abduction. The most typical form of kidnapping, in which a parent who had lost custody rights would kidnap the child from their guardian, is punishable by 20 years or more of life in prison.

Kidnapping is a terrible crime that ought to be prosecuted in every instance. However, there are occasionally alternatives to imprisonment, such as probation and penalties. A guilty person may be given a probation term, even though the latter ones are often given in addition to the criminal's prison term (up to 10 years). Anybody who has been found guilty of kidnapping, however, has much fewer odds of finding employment and leading a respectable life.

Global Statistics on Kidnapping

The rates of kidnapping vary from nation to nation, albeit they do not always correspond with the rates of other violent crimes worldwide. Kidnapping is one of the crimes that contributes to a country's ranking as one of the world's most dangerous or violent countries, along with other variables like murder rate, frequency of rape, and whether or not a country is actively at war. Kidnapping can take many different shapes and happens for a variety of reasons. It is also important to keep in mind that different countries may have different definitions of abduction and different rates at which they are reported and recorded.

10 nations in the world with the highest rates of kidnapping:

Turkey — 42.669

Turkey — 42.669

Lebanon — 15.384

1. Kuwait — 12.69

2. Canada — 10.285

3. Belgium — 10.245

4. South Africa — 9.569

5. New Zealand — 9.508

6. Pakistan — 9.452

7. Eswatini — 9.354

8. United Kingdom (England & Wales) — 8.835

Incidents per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the 2018 statistics from the UNODC.

Most Popular Kidnappings of the World

The kidnapping of Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr., the 20-month-old child of renowned pilot Charles Lindbergh, is arguably the most well-known and significant kidnapping in American history. On March 1, 1932, the "Lindbergh baby" was abducted from the home of the family. The baby's body was discovered on May 12, almost 10 weeks after the kidnapping, and showed signs of having been dead for about eight weeks. Despite the kidnapper's repeated assurances that the child was safe and the Lindberghs' payment of the demanded ransom, the kidnapper repeatedly asked for money. Even though the offender was eventually found and found guilty, the evidence was just circumstantial. The Federal Kidnapping Act and various state-level anti-kidnapping statutes were also influenced by the Lindbergh kidnapping.

The kidnapping of Patty Hearst, a 19-year-old heiress and descendant of publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst, was one of the more peculiar incidents in Western history. Hearst was abducted in 1974 by the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), a domestic terrorist organisation, and subjected to violence, coercion, and brainwashing to the point where she adopted the group's tenets and started committing crimes. 19 months after being kidnapped, she was found guilty of bank robbery.

In a different well-known episode of kidnapping, 52 Americans were held prisoner by fundamentalist Islamic revolutionaries in Iran in 1979. The so-called Iranian Hostage Crisis, which lasted 444 days and covered Jimmy Carter's whole final year in office, had an effect on the global distribution of political power.

Preventative Measures 

Anywhere in the world or in any location you may dwell, kidnapping is a very real issue. It affects all nations, not just those in the third world or with unstable governments. Tens of thousands of adults and children are abducted each year, sometimes for reasons unrelated to financial gain. Here are some suggestions on how to prevent kidnapping so that you can safeguard your family and yourself:

1. Investigate Other Routes.

2. Never Take a Ride Offered by a Stranger.

3. Secure your home.

4. Notify someone of your plans.

5. Instruct your children never to approach strangers.

6. Arm yourself with weapons for self defence.