Parental Child Abduction: A Literature Review

Abstract

This study undertakes the difficult task of isolating the various aspects of dealing with parents who abduct a child or children. The first section will deal very briefly with differences between parents and strangers who abduct children; the second with the causes and associated features of parent abductions. This is followed by the reaction of the child to such an abduction in the short and long term. The characteristics of parents who abduct are considered next, followed by risk assessments of parents who are likely to commit an abduction. The final section deals with the prevention of abductions and the treatment of children who have been abducted.