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{{Redirect-several|Kidnapping|Kidnapped|Kidnapper|Kidnap}}
{{globalize|date=June 2017}}
{{short description|Unlawful abduction of someone and holding them captive}}
{{Kidnapping}}
In [[criminal law]], '''kidnapping''' is the unlawful abduction, [[asportation]] and confinement of a person against their will. Kidnapping is typically but not necessarily accomplished by use of force or fear; i.e., it also usually involves menace/assault or/and battery; but it is still kidnapping without those additional elements, or if a person is enticed to enter the vehicle willingly.

[[File:Ståhlbergs' at the railwaystation.jpg|thumb|[[Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg|K. J. Ståhlberg]] (in the center-right), the first [[President of the Republic of Finland]], and his wife at the [[Helsinki Central Station]] after [[Ståhlberg kidnapping|their kidnapping]]. In the middle of picture their daughter Elli Ståhlberg stands behind them.]]
Kidnapping may be done to demand for [[ransom]] in exchange for releasing the victim, or for other illegal purposes. Kidnapping can be accompanied by bodily injury which elevates the crime to aggravated kidnapping.<ref name="kidnapping">{{cite web |title=Definition of kidnapping|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/kidnapping|id=''Sources:'' [https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/kidnapping Cornell University Law School.] [https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/kidnap Cambridge English Dictionary.] [https://web.archive.org/web/20160928051449/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/kidnapping English Oxford Living Dictionaries.] [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kidnap Merriam-Webster Dictionary] |year=2017}}</ref>

Kidnapping of a [[child]] is known as [[child abduction]], which is a separate legal category.

==Motives==
[[File:Dinah tissot.jpg|thumb|upright|The abduction of [[Dinah]], (watercolor, {{Circa|1896}}–1902 by [[James Tissot]])]]
Kidnapping of children is usually done by one parent or others. The kidnapping of adults is often for ransom or to force someone to withdraw money from an [[Automated teller machine|ATM]], but may also be for [[sexual assault]]. Children have also been kidnapped for the commission of sexual assault.

In the past, and presently in some parts of the world (such as southern [[Sudan]]), kidnapping is a common means used to obtain [[slavery|slave]]s and money through ransom. In less recent times, kidnapping in the form of [[shanghai (verb)|shanghai]]ing (or "[[Impressment|pressganging]]") men were used to supply merchant ships in the 19th century with [[sailor]]s, whom the law considered [[unfree labour]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}

Criminal gangs are estimated to make up to $500 million a year in ransom payments from kidnapping.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.havocscope.com/kidnap-and-ransom-market-value/| title= Kidnap and ransom market value }}</ref>

Kidnapping has been identified as one source by which terrorist organizations have been known to obtain funding.<ref>{{cite web |author=Perri, Frank S., Lichtenwald, Terrance G., and MacKenzie, Paula M. |year=2009 |url=https://www.all-about-psychology.com/support-files/crime-terror-nexus.pdf |title=Evil Twins: The Crime-Terror Nexus | work= Forensic Examiner| pages= 16–29 }}</ref>

* [[Bride kidnapping]] is a term often applied loosely, to include any bride "abducted" against the will of her parents, even if she is willing to marry the "abductor". It still is traditional amongst certain [[nomad]]ic peoples of [[Central Asia]]. It has seen a resurgence in [[Kyrgyzstan]] since the fall of the [[Soviet Union]] and the subsequent erosion of women's rights.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.channel4.com/more4/documentaries/doc-feature.jsp?id=6&pageParam=2 |title=Bride Kidnapping - a Channel 4 documentary |publisher=Channel4.com}}</ref>
* [[Express kidnapping]] is a method of abduction used in some countries, mainly from [[Latin America]],<ref>{{cite news|author1=Garcia Jr |author2=Juan A. |url=https://www.thepanamanews.com/pn/v_12/issue_14/business_05.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070730214339/https://www.thepanamanews.com/pn/v_12/issue_14/business_05.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 30, 2007 |title=Express kidnappings |access-date=December 7, 2006 |publisher=Thepanamanews.com }}</ref> where a small ransom, that a company or family can easily pay, is demanded.
* [[Tiger kidnapping]] is taking a [[hostage]] to make a loved one or associate of the victim do something (e.g., a child is taken hostage to force the shopkeeper to open the safe). The term originates from the usually long preceding observation, like a tiger does when stalking prey. This is a method which has been used by the [[Real Irish Republican Army]] and the [[Continuity Irish Republican Army]].

Kidnapping has sometimes been used by the family and friends of a member of an alleged [[cult]] as a method to remove the member from the alleged cult and begin a [[deprogramming]] process. Deprogramming and [[Deprogramming#Exit counseling|exit counseling]] have been used with the purpose of getting alleged cult members to abandon their groups' beliefs. The danger presented by cult groups has been used by deprogrammers to justify using the extreme act of kidnapping to get alleged members to change their allegiance away from the group.<ref name="patrick-deprogramming">{{cite journal|last=Cook|first=Douglas|title=Tort Liability for Cult Deprogramming: ''Peterson v. Sorlien''|url=https://core.ac.uk/reader/159558980|date=1982|volume=43|pages=465–489|journal=[[Ohio State University Moritz College of Law#Journals|Ohio State Law Journal]]|publisher=[[Ohio State University Moritz College of Law]]|access-date=3 October 2020}}</ref>

==By jurisdiction==
===Australia===
In Australia, kidnapping is a criminal offence, as defined by either the State crimes act, or the Commonwealth Criminal Code. It is a serious indictable offence, and is punishable by up to 14 – 25 years imprisonment.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www5.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/ca190082/s86.html|title=CRIMES ACT 1900 - SECT 86 Kidnapping|website=www5.austlii.edu.au|access-date=2022-02-16|archive-date=2022-04-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404154225/http://www5.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/ca190082/s86.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Canada===
[[:wikibooks:Canadian Criminal Sentencing/Offences/Kidnapping and Unlawful Confinement|Kidnapping]] that does not result in a [[Murder (Canadian law)|homicide]] is a [[hybrid offence]] that comes with a maximum possible penalty of [[Life imprisonment in Canada|life imprisonment]] (18 months if tried summarily). A murder that results from kidnapping is classified as 1st-degree, with a sentence of life imprisonment that results from conviction (the mandatory penalty for [[murder under Canadian law]]).

===Colombia===
According to a 2022 study by political scientist Danielle Gilbert, armed groups in Colombia engage in ransom kidnappings as a way to maintain the armed groups' local systems of taxation. The groups resort to ransom kidnappings to punish [[tax evasion]] and incentivize inhabitants not to shirk.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gilbert |first=Danielle |date=2022 |title=The Logic of Kidnapping in Civil War: Evidence from Colombia |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/abs/logic-of-kidnapping-in-civil-war-evidence-from-colombia/906B5C3924A9EFE7E63A8646BFCF752E |journal=American Political Science Review |volume=116 |issue=4 |pages=1226–1241 |language=en |doi=10.1017/S0003055422000041 |s2cid=247649168 |issn=0003-0554}}</ref>

===Netherlands===
Article 282 prohibits hostaging (and 'kidnapping' is a kind of 'hostaging').<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0001854/TweedeBoek/TitelXVIII/Artikel282/geldigheidsdatum_25-12-2012|title=wetten.nl - Regeling - Wetboek van Strafrecht - BWBR0001854|website=wetten.overheid.nl|language=nl|access-date=2016-09-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502115140/https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0001854/TweedeBoek/TitelXVIII/Artikel282/geldigheidsdatum_25-12-2012|archive-date=2015-05-02|url-status=dead}}</ref> Part 1 of Article 282 allows sentencing kidnappers to maximum imprisonment of 8 years or a fine of the fifth category.<ref name="c5">€ 78,000</ref> Part 2 allows maximum imprisonment of 9 years or a fine of the fifth category<ref name="c5" /> if there are serious injuries. Part 3 allows maximum imprisonment of 12 years or a fine of the fifth category<ref name="c5" /> if the victim has been killed. Part 4 allows sentencing people that collaborate with kidnapping (such as proposing or make available a location where the victim hostaged). Part 1, 2 and 3 will apply also to them.

===United Kingdom===
Kidnapping is an [[Common law offence|offence under the common law]] of [[England and Wales]]. Lord Brandon said in 1984 ''R v D'':<ref>The Law Reports. Lord Brandon: ''R v D'' [1984] AC 778, [1984] 3 WLR 186, [1984] 2 All ER 449, 79 Cr App R 313, [1984] Crim LR 558, [[House of Lords|HL]], reversing [1984] 2 WLR 112, [1984] 1 All ER 574, 78 Cr App R 219, [1984] Crim LR 103, [[Court of Appeal of England and Wales|CA]]</ref>

{{quote|First, the nature of the offence is an attack on, and infringement of, the personal liberty of an individual. Secondly, the offence contains four ingredients as follows: (1) the taking or carrying away of one person by another; (2) by [[Force (law)|force]] or [[fraud]]; (3) without the consent of the person so taken or carried away; and (4) without [[lawful excuse]].<ref name="RvD">Lord Brandon: ''R v D'' [1984] AC 778 at 800, HL. The following cases are relevant: ''R v Reid'' [1973] QB 299, [1972] 3 [[Weekly Law Reports|WLR]] 395, [1972] 2 [[All England Law Reports|All ER]] 1350, 56 [[Criminal Appeal Reports|Cr App R]] 703, [1972] Crim LR 553, CA; [as well as:] ''R v Wellard'' [1978] 1 WLR 921, [1978] 3 All ER 161, 67 Cr App R 364, CA; [and:] ''R v Cort'' [2003] EWCA Crim 2149, [2003] 3 WLR 1300, [2004] 1 Cr App R 18, CA; [and:] ''R v Hendy-Freegard''.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Crim/2007/1236.html |title=Hendy-Freegard v R [2007] EWCA Crim 1236 (23 May 2007) |publisher=Bailii.org |access-date=2012-05-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Chris Johnston |url=https://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/reports/article1856903.ece |title=The Times | UK News, World News and Opinion |publisher=Business. timesonline.co.uk |access-date=2012-05-14 |quote=EWCA Crim 1236, [2007] 3 WLR 488.}}</ref>}}

In all cases of kidnapping of children, where it is alleged that a child has been kidnapped, it is the absence of the consent of that child which is material. This is the case regardless of the age of the child. A very small child will not have the understanding or intelligence to consent. This means that absence of consent will be a necessary inference from the age of the child. It is a question of fact for the jury whether an older child has sufficient understanding and intelligence to consent.<ref name="R v D 1984 AC 778, HL">''R v D'' [1984] AC 778, HL</ref> Lord Brandon said: "I should not expect a jury to find at all frequently that a child under fourteen had sufficient understanding and intelligence to give its consent."<ref>''R v D'' [1984] AC 778 at 806, HL</ref> If the child (being capable of doing so) did consent to being taken or carried away, the fact that the person having custody or care and control of that child did not consent to that child being taken or carried away is immaterial. If, on the other hand, the child did not consent, the consent of the person having custody or care and control of the child may support a defence of lawful excuse.<ref name="R v D 1984 AC 778, HL"/> It is known as [[Gillick competence]].<ref>For the Charging child abduction and kidnapping in the same indictment see: ''R v C'' [1991] 2 FLR 252, [1991] Fam Law 522, CA.</ref>

Regarding restriction on prosecution, no prosecution may be instituted, except by or with the consent of the [[Director of Public Prosecutions]], for an offence of kidnapping if it was committed against a child under the age of sixteen and by a person connected with the child, within the meaning of section 1 of the [[Child Abduction Act 1984]].<ref>The [[Child Abduction Act 1984]], [https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1984/37/section/5 section 5] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160104185020/https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1984/37/section/5 |date=January 4, 2016 }}</ref> Kidnapping is an [[indictable-only offence]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/s_to_u/sentencing_manual/kidnapping_false_imprisonment/ |title=Kidnapping - False Imprisonment:Offences against the Person: Sentencing Manual: Legal Guidance: The Crown Prosecution Service |publisher=Cps.gov.uk |date=2010-03-31 |access-date=2012-01-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112014642/https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/s_to_u/sentencing_manual/kidnapping_false_imprisonment/ |archive-date=2012-01-12 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Kidnapping is punishable with imprisonment or fine at the discretion of the court. There is no limit on the fine or the term of imprisonment that may be imposed provided the sentence is not inordinate.<ref>For background, see: ''R v Morris'' [1951] 1 KB 394, 34 Cr App R 210, CCA. (Also:)'' R v Spence and Thomas'', 5 [[Criminal Appeal Reports (Sentencing)|Cr App R (S)]] 413, [1984] Crim LR 372, CA. Further information: Crown Prosecution Service: {{cite web |url=https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/s_to_u/sentencing_manual/kidnapping_false_imprisonment/ |title=Kidnapping - False Imprisonment: Offences against the Person: Sentencing Manual: Legal Guidance: The Crown Prosecution Service |publisher=Cps.gov.uk |date=2011-06-24 |access-date=2012-05-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421181525/https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/s_to_u/sentencing_manual/kidnapping_false_imprisonment/ |archive-date=2012-04-21 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>For the CPS guidance, see: {{cite web|url=https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/p_to_r/prosecuting_cases_of_child_abuse/index.html#kidnapping |title=Legal Guidance:The Crown Prosection Service: Prosecuting Cases of Child Abuse |publisher=Cps.gov.uk |access-date=2012-05-14}}</ref><ref>For Offences against the person, see: {{cite web |url=https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/l_to_o/offences_against_the_person/index.html#Other_Relevant_Offences |title=Offences against the Person: Legal Guidance: The Crown Prosecution Service |publisher=Cps.gov.uk |access-date=2012-05-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120410073418/https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/l_to_o/offences_against_the_person/index.html#Other_Relevant_Offences |archive-date=2012-04-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A parent should only be prosecuted for kidnapping their own child "in exceptional cases, where the conduct of the parent concerned is so bad that an ordinary right-thinking person would immediately and without hesitation regard it as criminal in nature".<ref name="R v D 1984 AC 778, HL"/><ref>{{cite news |work=[[The Times]] |title=The Law Explored: abduction and false imprisonment |url=https://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/columnists/article2316202.ece |author=Gary Slapper |date=23 August 2007 |location=London |access-date=2011-01-09 }}{{Dead link|date=May 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

===United States===
{{Main|Kidnapping in the United States}}
Law in the United States follows from English common law. Following the highly publicized 1932 [[Lindbergh kidnapping]], [[US Congress|Congress]] passed the [[Federal Kidnapping Act]], which authorized the [[FBI]] to investigate kidnapping at a time when the Bureau was expanding in size and authority. The fact that a kidnapped victim may have been taken across state lines brings the crime within the ambit of federal criminal law.

Most states recognize different types of kidnapping and punish according to such factors as the location, duration, method, manner and purpose of the offense.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=King |first1=M.J. |title=Kidnapping in Florida: Don't Move or You've Done It |journal=Stetson Law Review |date=1983 |volume=13 |page=197}}</ref> There are several deterrents to kidnapping in the United States of America. Among these are:

# The extreme logistical challenges involved in successfully exchanging the money for the return of the victim without being apprehended or surveilled.
# Harsh punishment. Convicted kidnappers face lengthy prison terms. If a victim is brought across state lines, federal charges can be laid as well.
# Good cooperation and information sharing between law enforcement agencies, and tools for spreading information to the public (such as the [[AMBER Alert]] system).

One notorious failed example of kidnap for ransom was the 1976 [[Chowchilla kidnapping|Chowchilla bus kidnapping]], in which 26 children were abducted with the intention of bringing in a $5 million ransom. The children and driver escaped from an underground van without the aid of law enforcement.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/outlaws/chowchilla_kidnap/index.html |title=Chowchilla kidnap, Crime Library website |publisher=Crimelibrary.com |date=1976-07-15 |access-date=2012-01-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140403043518/https://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/outlaws/chowchilla_kidnap/index.html |archive-date=2014-04-03 }}</ref> According to the [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]], kidnapping makes up 2% of all reported violent crimes against juveniles.<ref name="project.org"/>

From the 1990s on, the [[New York divorce coercion gang]] was involved in the kidnapping and torture of [[Jewish]] husbands in [[New York City]] and [[New Jersey]] for the purpose of forcing them to grant ''[[Get (divorce document)|gittin]]'' (religious divorces) to their wives. They were finally apprehended on October 9, 2013, in connection with a foiled kidnapping plot.<ref>Samaha, Albert; [https://www.villagevoice.com/news/bad-rabbi-tales-of-extortion-and-torture-depict-a-divorce-brokers-brutal-grip-on-the-orthodox-community-6440276 "Bad Rabbi: Tales of Extortion and Torture Depict a Divorce Broker's Brutal Grip on the Orthodox Community"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407224200/https://www.villagevoice.com/news/bad-rabbi-tales-of-extortion-and-torture-depict-a-divorce-brokers-brutal-grip-on-the-orthodox-community-6440276 |date=April 7, 2016 }}, Dec 4, 2013; ''Village Voice''</ref><ref>[https://www.fbi.gov/newark/press-releases/2015/three-orthodox-jewish-rabbis-convicted-of-conpsiracy-to-kidnap-jewish-husbands-in-order-to-force-them-to-consent-to-religious-divorces/ "Three Orthodox Jewish Rabbis Convicted of Conspiracy to Kidnap Jewish Husbands in Order to Force Them to Consent to Religious Divorces"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054219/https://www.fbi.gov/newark/press-releases/2015/three-orthodox-jewish-rabbis-convicted-of-conpsiracy-to-kidnap-jewish-husbands-in-order-to-force-them-to-consent-to-religious-divorces/ |date=March 4, 2016 }}, Apr 21, 2015; ''U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation''</ref>

According to a ''2003 Domestic Violence Report in Colorado'', out of a survey of 189 incidents, most people (usually white females) are taken from their homes or residence by a present or former spouse or significant other. They are usually taken by force, not by weapon, and usually the victims are not injured when they are freed.

In 2009, [[Phoenix, Arizona]] reported over 300 cases of kidnapping, although subsequent investigation found that the Phoenix police falsified data.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.abc15.com/generic/news/local_news/investigations/Phoenix-Kidnappings%3A-Uncovering-The-Truth |title=Phoenix Kidnappings: Uncovering the Truth |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130413042019/https://www.abc15.com/generic/news/local_news/investigations/Phoenix-Kidnappings%3A-Uncovering-The-Truth |archive-date=2013-04-13 }}</ref> If true, this would have been the highest rate of any U.S. city and second in the world only to [[Mexico City]].<ref name="project.org">{{cite web |url=https://www.project.org/info.php?recordID=158 |title=Project America: Crime: Crime Rates: Kidnapping |publisher=Project.org |access-date=2012-05-14 |archive-date=2012-03-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120327210711/http://www.project.org/info.php?recordID=158 |url-status=dead }}</ref> A rise in kidnappings in the southwestern United States in general has been attributed to misclassification by local police, lack of a unified standard, desire for Federal grants, or the [[Mexican Drug War]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=6848672&page=2|title=Kidnapping Capital of the U.S.A.|date=2009-02-11|access-date=2013-02-05|publisher=ABC News|first=Brian|last=Ross}}</ref>

In 2010, the United States was ranked sixth in the world (by absolute numbers, not per capita) for kidnapping for ransom, according to the available statistics (after Colombia, Italy, Lebanon, Peru, and the Philippines).<ref>{{cite news |title=Business Horizons |publisher=FindArticles.com |date=14 May 2011 |url=https://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1038/is_n3_v33/ai_9114855/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709154213/https://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1038/is_n3_v33/ai_9114855/|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 July 2012}}</ref>

In 2009, the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' named [[Phoenix, Arizona]],<ref name="quinones1">{{cite news|last=Quinones |first=Sam |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/latinamerica/la-na-drug-kidnappings12-2009feb12,0,544773.story |title=Phoenix, kidnap-for-ransom capital |work=Los Angeles Times |date=2009-02-12 |access-date=2012-01-20}}</ref> as America's kidnapping capital, reporting that every year hundreds of ransom kidnappings occur there, virtually all within the underworld associated with human and drug smuggling from Mexico, and often done as a way of collecting unpaid debts. However, a later audit by the U.S. Department of Justice Inspector General found only 59 federally reportable kidnappings in 2008, compared to the over 300 claimed on grant applications.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.justice.gov/oig/grants/2012/g6012006.pdf|title=Report GR-60-12-006 Review of the Phoenix Police Department's 2008 Kidnapping Statistic reported in Department of Justice Grant Applications|last=U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Audit Division|year=2012}}</ref>

During the year 1999 in the United States, 203,900 children were reported as the victims of family abductions and 58,200 of non-family abductions. However, only 115 were the result of "stereotypical" kidnaps (by someone unknown or of slight acquaintance to the child, held permanently or for ransom).<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Sedlack|first1=Andrea J.|title=National Estimates of Missing Children: An Overview|journal=NISMART Series Bulletin|date=2002|pages=7, 10|url=https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1018&context=ccrc|access-date=9 November 2015}}</ref>

==Statistics==
In 2021, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported that the United States was the country with most kidnappings, totaling 56,652.<ref name="dataUNODC u998">{{cite web | title=dp-crime-violent-offences | website=dataUNODC | url=https://dataunodc.un.org/dp-crime-violent-offences | access-date=2023-06-24}}</ref>
{|class = "wikitable sortable" style="float: right;"
|+ '''Global kidnapping hotspots'''
!   !!1999<ref>
{{cite journal|author=Rachel Briggs|title=The Kidnapping Business|date=Nov 2001|journal=Guild of Security Controllers Newsletter|url=https://fpc.org.uk/articles/115|access-date=2011-01-10}}</ref> !! 2006<ref name=paxchristi>{{cite web|url=https://www.eisf.eu/resources/library/Kidnappingbooming.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720155709/https://www.eisf.eu/resources/library/Kidnappingbooming.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2011-07-20 |title=Kidnapping is a booming business |author=IKV [[Pax Christi]] |date=July 2008 |access-date=2011-01-10 }}</ref> !! 2014 <ref>{{cite book|title= RiskMap Report 2015 - Kidnap and extortion overview|publisher= controlrisks.com|url= https://www.controlrisks.com/webcasts/studio/flipping-book/RiskMap-Report-2015/files/assets/common/downloads/2014-12-02-RiskMap_2015_REPORT-spread.pdf|page= 122|access-date= 2015-01-30|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150131042413/https://www.controlrisks.com/webcasts/studio/flipping-book/RiskMap-Report-2015/files/assets/common/downloads/2014-12-02-RiskMap_2015_REPORT-spread.pdf|archive-date= 2015-01-31|url-status= dead}}</ref> !! 2018<ref>{{cite web | url=https://dataunodc.un.org/data/crime/kidnapping | title=Kidnapping | dataUNODC }}</ref>
|-
| 1 || Pakistan || Pakistan || Pakistan || Pakistan
|-
| 2 ||Mexico || Iraq || India || England
|-
| 3 || Brazil || India || Mexico || Germany
|-
| 4 || Philippines|| South Africa || Iraq || Mexico
|-
| 5 || Venezuela || Brazil || Nigeria || Morocco
|-
| 6 || Ecuador || Mexico || Libya || Ecuador
|-
| 7 || Russia and CIS || Ecuador || Afghanistan || Brazil
|-
| 8 || Nigeria || Venezuela || Bangladesh || New Zealand
|-
| 9 || India || Colombia || Sudan || Australia
|-
| 10 || South Africa || Bangladesh || Lebanon || Netherlands
|}

===Countries with the highest rates===
[[File:Kidnappers arrested Rio.jpg|thumb|Arrested kidnappers in [[Rio de Janeiro]], [[Brazil]] lying on the ground]]
Kidnapping for ransom is a common occurrence in various parts of the world today, and certain cities and countries are often described as the "Kidnapping Capital of the World". In 2018 the UN found Pakistan and England had the highest amount of kidnappings while New Zealand had the highest rate among the 70 countries for which data is available.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dataunodc.un.org/data/crime/kidnapping|title = Kidnapping | dataUNODC}}</ref> As of 2007, that title belonged to [[Iraq]] with possibly 1,500 foreigners kidnapped.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ncciraq.org/en/?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=17|title=(NCCI) | NGO Coordination Committee for Iraq|website=www.ncciraq.org}}</ref> In 2004, it was [[Mexico]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1873798.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070524120611/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1873798.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2007-05-24 |title=Highbeam.com |publisher=Highbeam.com |access-date=2012-01-20}}</ref> and in 2001, it was [[Colombia]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1410316.stm |title=Colombia: Kidnap capital of the world|work=BBC News |date=2001-06-27 |access-date=2012-01-20}}</ref> Statistics are harder to come by. Reports suggest a world total of 12,500–25,500 per year with 3,600 per year in Colombia and 3,000 per year in Mexico around the year 2000.<ref>{{cite web|title=Facts about Kidnapping|url=https://www.freelegaladvicehelp.com/criminal-lawyer/kidnapping/Facts-About-Kidnapping.html|publisher=Free Legal Advice|access-date=2011-01-09|archive-date=2010-12-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215225226/http://freelegaladvicehelp.com/criminal-lawyer/kidnapping/Facts-About-Kidnapping.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, by 2016, the number of kidnappings in Colombia had declined to 205 and it continues to decline.<ref name="Military Personnel">{{cite web|url=https://www.mindefensa.gov.co/irj/go/km/docs/Mindefensa/Documentos/descargas/estudios%20sectoriales/info_estadistica/Logros_Sector_Defensa.pdf |title=Military Personnel – Logros de la Política Integral de Seguridad y Defensa para la Prosperidad |language=es |publisher=mindefensa.gov.co |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150413195638/https://www.mindefensa.gov.co/irj/go/km/docs/Mindefensa/Documentos/descargas/estudios%20sectoriales/info_estadistica/Logros_Sector_Defensa.pdf |archive-date=2015-04-13 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-38450688|title= Colombia kidnappings down 92% since 2000, police say|publisher = bbc.com|date = 28 December 2016}}</ref> Mexican numbers are hard to confirm because of fears of police involvement in kidnapping.<ref>
{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mexkidnap5-2008aug05,0,5466136.story|title=Mexican police linked to rising kidnappings|newspaper=LA Times|date=Aug 5, 2008|access-date=2011-01-10|first1=Marla|last1=Dickerson|first2=Cecilia|last2=Sanchez}}</ref> "Kidnapping seems to flourish particularly in fragile states and conflict countries, as politically motivated militias, organized crime and the drugs mafia fill the vacuum left by government".<ref name=paxchristi />

===Pirates===
Kidnapping on the high seas in connection with [[piracy]] has been increasing. It was reported that 661 crewmembers were taken hostage and 12 kidnapped in the first nine months of 2009.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.icc-ccs.org/news/376-unprecedented-increase-in-somali-pirate-activity |title=Unprecedented increase in Somali pirate activity |date=21 Oct 2009 |publisher=Commercial Crime Services |access-date=2011-01-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101216222747/https://icc-ccs.org/news/376-unprecedented-increase-in-somali-pirate-activity |archive-date=2010-12-16 }}</ref> The IMB Piracy Reporting Centre recorded that 141 crew members were taken hostage and 83 were kidnapped in 2018.<ref>{{cite web |title=IMB piracy report 2018: attacks multiply in the Gulf of Guinea |url=https://www.icc-ccs.org/index.php/1259-imb-piracy-report-2018-attacks-multiply-in-the-gulf-of-guinea |publisher=Commercial Crime Services |date=January 16, 2019}}</ref>

==See also==
{{div col}}
* {{lookfrom|Kidnapping of}}
* [[Child abduction]]
* [[Extraordinary rendition]]
* [[Fetal abduction]]
* [[Gooning]]
* [[Forced disappearance]]
* [[Hostage]]
* [[Human trafficking]]
* [[Kidnap and ransom insurance]]
* [[Kidnappings in Colombia]]
* [[List of kidnappings]]
* [[Stockholm syndrome]]
* [[International Search and Rescue Dog Organisation]] (about mantrailing)
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |first=Damien |last=Lewis |author2=Mende Nazer |title=Slave: My True Story |publisher=PublicAffairs |location=New York |year=2003 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_2a9lRg5ZCsC |isbn=1-58648-212-2 |oclc=54461588}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}
*{{Wiktionary-inline}}
* [https://www.life.com/gallery/22813/snatched-notorious-kidnappings#index/0 "Snatched: Notorious Kidnappings"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111214111706/https://www.life.com/gallery/22813/snatched-notorious-kidnappings#index/0 |date=2011-12-14 }}—slideshow by ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine


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[[Category:Kidnapping| ]]
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Kidnapping - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 05:10, 12 August 2023