How Abduct Works

Abduct, the verb form of the noun abduction is a serious crime and unsettling for the abductee and the abductee’s family. Not all people who are abducted return safely. It is a crime that can lead to abuse, torture, rape, and, occasionally, death. The abductee is lured by the abductor into a situation they cannot escape and are held there against their will until discovered by rescuers or they escape themselves.

Real-World Example of Abduct

Before her 17th birthday in 2003, Ariel Castro abducted Amanda Berry. Along with two other women, Castro was holding Berry in his basement. It wasn’t until Castro’s neighbor Charles Ramsay heard screaming from inside the house and broke down Castro’s door that the three women were rescued.

When Berry first went missing, the FBI considered her a runaway. But then Castro made a call to Berry’s mother using Berry’s phone. Castro taunted her mother, telling her that he had her daughter. The missing person case officially turned into an abduction case. Berry recalls Castro taking her to his house under the guise of seeing Castro’s daughter, Berry’s friend and classmate. But once she entered the house, she never came out. She was led to the basement and bound (ABCNews.com).

Berry endured ten years of torture and even gave birth to a daughter—officials later confirmed that Castro was the father. In 2013, Castro was charged with four counts of kidnapping and other crimes and sentenced to over 1,000 years in prison.

Significance of Abduct

Businesses make efforts to raise awareness of abduction through human trafficking education. Most often, children or women are kidnapped or abducted and sold into sex trafficking situations. Organizations like Business Ending Slavery and Trafficking (BEST) offer specialized training in different industries on how to prevent and spot human trafficking.

On an insurance end, some insurance companies sell Kidnap and Ransom Insurance. This insurance covers different crisis perils, including an active shooter incident, stalking, extortion, and child abduction. It may be a good decision for parents with high-profile children, but it is also a suggestion for companies that operate globally. With Kidnap and Ransom Insurance, a business can protect itself and its employees if someone is abducted.

Types of Abduct

There are two types of abductions: stranger abductions and parental abductions. When parents abduct their children, it is most often during divorce and child visitation hearings. It is usually an act of defiance by the parent. Not every state considers parental abduction a criminal offense. When a stranger abducts a child, it can be for a number of perverse reasons, including murder and torture. They may want to raise the child as their own. Another common abduction situation is abduction for the sake of extortion or ransom.

Abduct vs. Kidnap

The distinguishing factor between abduction and kidnapping is that kidnapping almost always involves force. Abduction is not always forceful coercion or a forceful carrying away of a person, as seen in Amanda Berry’s case. Abduction can lead to violence but doesn’t always start violent. Kidnapping is almost always violent and threatening. It is permissible to use the two terms interchangeably outside of a court of law. However, the two represent varying levels of illegal activity.