Examining 19 years of officially reported child abduction incidents (1995–2013): employing a four category typology of abduction

Child abduction has generated extensive media attention due to deep-seated fear elicited by infamous incidents. Perceptions of an abduction epidemic during the 1970s and 80s entrenched a perception of ‘stranger danger’. Limited research on child abduction overemphasizes stranger abductions, which account for fewer than half of all abductions. As a result, less is known about the victim/abductor relationship across other abduction types. Prior work has emphasized simplistic stranger vs. family dichotomies, and similar trichotomies. This study, drawing on officially reported child abductions employing NIBRS datasets (N = 29,293), emphasizes differences across abductors/victims in a four category relationship-based typology, including a newer category – ‘intimate partner abductions’. Findings contribute baseline knowledge about child abductions by countering misplaced media driven fears and placing empirical findings in a more accurate context. Findings also reveal that intimate partner abductions have a unique victim/offender/incident profile and are the most serious and most consequential to adolescent female victims.     

The Transitioning Families Therapeutic Reunification Model in Nonfamilial Abductions

The existing literature on abduction reunification is limited and evolving. Although guidelines for model service approaches exist, few programs address the unique challenges of reunifying children and families following abduction. This article delineates a family‐based reunification model that has assisted families affected by abduction since 2006. Model components include a team‐centered approach, a stage‐oriented reunification process, and pitfalls and strategies related to intersystem collaboration. We present the value of a family‐systems, solution‐focused, trauma‐informed, and case‐specific approach to therapeutic reunification following child abduction. Evidence that is contrary to the popular notion of Stockholm's syndrome is also marked. Research on the efficacy of therapeutic reunification is essential for the growth of systems equipped to address the dynamic needs of these families. Accordingly, suggestions for evaluation research are proposed.     

Chapter 7: Drafting the Custody Order

This chapter outlines provisions that should be included in custody orders to aid interstate enforcement. When there is risk of child abduction, the court should include preventive measures in the custody order. This chapter also helps judges identify families at risk for child abduction, and suggests appropriate safeguards to put in the order.     

Child abduction: aged-based analyses of offender, victim, and offense characteristics in 550 cases of alleged child disappearance.

Crimes against children, particularly cases involving abduction and/or homicide, continue to be problematic as both a social phenomenon and judicial responsibility. Such cases routinely receive immense community and media attention and rapidly overwhelm investigative resources. Research in the area of childhood victimization, however, has only recently gained national prominence. While numerous studies on child abuse and neglect have been conducted, research on child abduction and homicide remains scant. Previous studies examining child abduction suffer from limited geographical scope or fail to base predictive analyses on victim characteristics. The current study reports the results of a nationally representative sample (47 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico) of 550 cases of alleged child abduction obtained from Federal Bureau of Investigation files for the period 1985 through 1995. Study results demonstrate that both offender and offense characteristics vary significantly according to victim age, gender, and race. Such differences appear critical to crime reconstruction, criminal profiling, and investigative resolution. Additionally, these data suggest that current child abduction prevention programs may emphasize inaccurate offender traits.     

CHILD CUSTODY DISPUTES IN FAMILIES OF MUSLIM TRADITION

Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in America and by all accounts, there are 2.35 million Muslims in the country today. Muslims separate and divorce at rates consistent with the general population and almost half of those born in the United States are in relationships with non‐Muslims. It is not surprising that issues of religious education take center stage in child custody disputes. In addition, 64% of foreign Muslims cite the U.S. disrespect for Islam as the overwhelming factor in their resentment for America and Americans and they constitute the greatest potential risk for child abduction of American Muslim children. As more Muslim Americans separate and access the family law courts, we as lawyers, judges and child custody experts must be prepared to address the unique aspects of religion and foreign travel that these families present.     

Risk Factors for Family Abduction: Demographic and Family Interaction Characteristics

Previous research in the study of family abduction has been plagued by three problems in efforts to establish risk factors for the experience of these events: (1) failure to use appropriate comparison groups; (2) focus on only the most severe cases of abduction, without consideration of the full spectrum of these events; and (3) use of data drawn only from some “reported” source (i.e., police, court, or missing children agency reports). This paper addresses these three methodological difficulties, using data drawn from a national sample of families, and including both abducted and nonabducted children. We find that race, age of children, family size, and incidence of violence in the family all appear to bear on the risk of experiencing a family abduction event. Further, recency of divorce or separation appears to be associated with the risk for more serious or alarming cases of family abduction.     

THE HAGUE CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL CHILD ABDUCTION AND THE GRAVE RISK OF HARM EXCEPTION

International child abduction is a problem that affects families around the world. The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction was instituted to ensure that abducted children are promptly and safely returned home. Although the goal has been met, recent decisions and their use of Article 13(b) have limited the return of children to Israel on the premise that political turmoil and increased incidences of terrorist attacks constitute war. Although few would dispute that the recent escalation of terrorist attacks in Israel is troublesome, these incidences do not rise to the level of war. Such interpretations of Article 13(b) is too broad and undermines the Convention's policies. Unfortunately, in the global post-September 11th climate, terror attacks are inevitable throughout the world. In light of this harsh reality, courts must not be quick to declare that a country is a zone of war absent clear and convincing evidence.     

Mainstreaming Gender into European Family Law? The Case of International Child Abduction and Brussels II Revised

Gender mainstreaming is an EU policy tool encouraging equality between men and women by incorporating gender concerns into the formation of EU law. The EU has intervened in private international family law, an area where concerns over gender equality may be present. Child abduction, which is regulated by the Brussels II Revised Regulation, is an aspect of international family law where issues of gender have been highlighted. Women are predominantly the abductors of their children and may abduct a child to escape a violent relationship. These factors were in evidence in the 1980 Hague Abduction Convention and an effective gender mainstreaming strategy should promote discussion to address these concerns. By examining the proposals for Brussels II Revised, this article will demonstrate that the gendered nature of child abduction was not clearly addressed in the development of the legislation and questions how mainstreaming can be effective as an aspect of the legislative process.     

Parental Child Abduction in Singapore: The Experience of a Non-Convention Country

This article gives an exploratory picture of the landscape oninternational parental child abduction cases in a non-HagueConvention country, Singapore. It presents data and analyseson unpublished cases and materials in the past five years fromthe Singapore Family Court Registry (SFCR) and discusses theways in which the disputes are resolved (or unresolved) withoutthe machinery of the Hague Convention. It also examines thewelfare principle in the context of cross-border child abductionas well as how a non-Convention country can cooperate in theelimination of child abduction while applying the welfare principle.     

Getting Tough on International Child Abduction

International child abduction, typically undertaken by one of the child's parents, has become an increasing problem in recent years, particularly in the United States. Parents have encountered serious difficulties in repatriating an abducted child. The 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, signed by the U.S. and many other countries, establishes an international procedure for pursuing claims of child abduction. The Office of Children's Issues of the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the U.S. Department of State is the Central Authority that administers the Convention and its implementing legislation for the United States. In the author's view (and his alone), the Office of Children's Issues has not been sufficiently vigorous in seeking sanctions against countries that do not comply with the Convention. Even after Congress passed legislation in 2014 specifically directing the State Department to apply increasingly severe sanctions against noncompliant countries (the Sean and David Goldman Act), the State Department has still essentially failed to do so. Brazil is one signatory to the Hague Convention that the State Department itself has determined to be consistently noncompliant with the Convention since 2013. Yet the State Department has failed to impose significant sanctions on Brazil, among other countries.     

An examination of gender and age in print media accounts of child abductions

Previous research has suggested that the print media over-report on certain demographics of abducted children. Specifically, cases where the abduction victim is younger or the abduction victim is female are most often covered. The purpose of the current study was to systematically examine, through the research technique of content analysis, whether a lack of congruency exists between newspaper articles detailing child abduction victims and empirical data of the same. Newspaper articles were collected from LexisNexis Academic, and empirical data were drawn from the Second National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children. The results revealed that gender and age play only a minor role in deciding which abduction incidents are covered by newspapers, as well as the extent to which they are reported on. Specifically, newspapers dedicated more words to female victims than male victims and reported more on younger children (aged 11 and under) than older children (aged 12 and over) when they were the victim of a nonfamily abduction. It appears, however, that in all other types of abduction cases, newspapers are reporting a rather factual depiction of the demographics of victims. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Empirical evidence for AMBER alert as crime control theater: a comparison of student and community samples

While the AMBER Alert system is intended to facilitate the rescue of abducted children, it has practical and psychological limitations. Participants indicated their emotions and perceptions about Alerts before and after reading a vignette that manipulated details about a child abduction. Results indicate that the Alert system fits some criteria of Crime Control Theater (CCT). CCT polices are emotion-based legal actions that appear to address crime but fail to do so and have unintended consequences. Participants experienced panic about child abduction and believed the system is an effective tool which should be used no matter the unintended consequences. Emotions and panic positively related to perceptions of the system. Still, perceptions were not particularly positive, indicating that some participants recognize the system's limitations. Female and community participants generally had more positive perceptions than males and students, especially when experiencing high emotions or panic. Reading about an abduction reduced emotions overall and led to more positive perceptions (but only in the ‘AMBER Alert success’ condition). Reading about an ‘Alert failure’ did not affect perceptions. Results highlight the role of emotion in shaping perceptions of the system. As with other CCT policies, lawmakers should rely less on community sentiment and more on science when adopting legislation.     

The black soldier-fly, Hermetia illucens (Diptera, Stratiomyidae), used to estimate the postmortem interval in a case in Amapá State, Brazil

The black soldier-fly (Hermetia illucens) is a generalist detritivore which is commonly present in corpses in later stages of decomposition and may be useful in forensic entomology. This paper describes the estimation of the postmortem interval (PMI) based on the life cycle of the black soldier-fly in a case in northern Brazil. A male child was abducted from his home and 42 days later his corpse was found in an advanced stage of decay. Two black soldier-fly larvae were found associated with the body. The larvae emerged as adults after 25-26 days. Considering the development cycle of H. illucens, the date of oviposition was estimated as 24-25 days after abduction. Since H. illucens usually (but not always) colonizes corpses in more advanced stages of decay, this estimate is consistent with the hypothesis that the child was killed immediately after abduction.     

False allegation of child abduction

Cases in which a child has been falsely reported as missing or abducted can be extremely challenging to the law enforcement agencies responsible for their investigation. In the absence of a witnessed abduction or an obvious crime scene, it is difficult to determine whether a child has actually been abducted or has become a victim of a homicide and a false allegation. The purpose of this study was to examine falsely alleged kidnapping cases and identify successful investigative strategies. Sixty-one adjudicated false allegation cases involving 66 victims were analyzed. The mean age of the victim was 5 years. Victims came from generally unstable, high-risk family situations and were killed primarily by biological parents. Victims were killed because they were unwanted or viewed as an obstacle to a desired goal, or they were victims of abuse or maltreatment that ended in fatality.     

The Hispanic Experience of the Child Welfare System

As the Hispanic population grows in the United States and the child welfare system, it is necessary to examine how experiences of Hispanic families differ from those of White/Caucasian families and to assess whether Hispanic families’ needs are properly addressed. This literature review will examine research on the outcomes and experiences of Hispanic families in the child welfare system and how case characteristics interact with the experiences of Hispanic families. This article will then explore theories for Hispanic families’ different experiences and conclude by recommending future directions and solutions for improving the experiences of Hispanic families in the child welfare system.     

An Evaluation of Hawaii’s Healthy Start Program Using Child Abuse Hospitalization Data

This retrospective study had a twofold focus: (1) to assess the utility of a perinatal screening and assessment protocol for identifying families with an elevated child maltreatment risk and (2) to assess the effectiveness of an intensive home visitation program designed to prevent severe maltreatment. Among 15,864 families screened and assessed for child maltreatment risk, elevated risk was identified in 4,464 families, 1,738 of whom received intensive home visiting services and 2,728 who did not. Subsequently, data on hospitalizations with a child maltreatment diagnosis were used as outcome measures. Among the 1,738 served by home visitors, there were five hospitalized cases of child maltreatment; among the 2,278 families not served, there were 34 cases. The results of chi squared analyses suggest that the screening and assessment protocol successfully differentiates between families with greater and lesser degrees of risk for maltreatment and that hospitalization occurred significantly more often among unserved families (p?=?<.001).     

Discrepancy between Mother and Child Perceptions of Their Relationship: II. Consequences for Children Considered within the Context of Maternal Physical Illness

Discrepancies between parent and child perceptions of parenting have been well established. The current study addressed whether discrepancies in one dimension of parenting, the parent-child relationship, are associated with child adjustment difficulties concurrently and longitudinally. In particular, it was hypothesized that greater discrepancies in mother and child perceptions of parenting would be associated with child adjustment difficulties. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that families experiencing a stressor—in this case, maternal infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)—would experience larger discrepancies than families in which the mother is noninfected and that maternal HIV infection would moderate the association between discrepant views and child adjustment. Participants were 183 African-American women (61 HIV infected; 122 noninfected) and one of their noninfected children. All participants were from the inner-city area of New Orleans. Results indicated that discrepancies in mother and child perceptions of their relationship was associated with mother and child reports of externalizing behavior problems concurrently and longitudinally. In addition, discrepancies were significantly higher in families experiencing maternal HIV infection than in the noninfected group. However, with one exception, maternal HIV status failed to moderate the relationship between discrepancies in perception and child adjustment, indicating that discrepancies play a similar role in both types of families. Clinical implications of the present results are discussed.     

Fostering permanency of children in out-of-home care: psycho-legal aspects

Over the past 20 years increasing interest has been given to children's rights that grant special protections to children living apart from their biological parents. The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 was promulgated to prevent unnecessary removal of children from their original families and to ensure permanency when return to their families could not be secured. The psychiatrist's role in this process has been to ensure that effective interventions occur prior to the child being removed from home and that every effort is made to return the child to his or her family of origin once placement has been made. In the event that the child cannot return home, the psychiatrist can assist the court by providing grounds for termination of parental rights and by otherwise ensuring that the child's best interests are protected.     

Children's experiences of domestic violence: developing an integrated response from police and child protection services

Police notifications of incidents of domestic violence to child protection services constitute an acknowledgement of the harm that domestic violence inflicts on children. However, these notifications represent a substantial demand on child welfare services and the outcomes for children and victims of domestic violence have been questioned. This paper presents findings from the first UK study to examine these notifications in depth and examines the interface between the police and child protection services in responding to domestic violence incidents. The research reports on police interventions in 251 incidents of domestic violence involving children; the communication of information to child protection services and the subsequent filtering and service response. Social workers found that notifications conveyed little information on children's experiences of domestic violence. Forty per cent of families notified had had no previous contact with child protection services in that area, but those cases most likely to receive social work assessment or intervention were those where the case was already open. Notifications triggered a new social work intervention in only 5% of cases. The study also identified a range of innovative approaches for improving the co-ordination of police and child protective services in relation to children's exposure to domestic violence. Arrangements that maximized opportunities for police and social workers to share agency information appeared to offer the best option for achieving informed decisions about the appropriate level of service response to children and families experiencing domestic violence.