Parental Abduction of Children: An Overview and Profile of the Abductor

Executive Summary

The Canadian federal government is seeking to promote the well-being of children by addressing conditions-of-risk to which they may be exposed. The abduction of children by a parent is one of those conditions. The exact number of parental abductions in Canada and the United States, however, is unknown. Estimates of such abductions range from approximately 400 per year in Canada to 350,000 per year in the United States. To address the concerns of parental abductions in Canada, the Missing Children's Registry, Royal Canadian Mounted Police requested the development of an overview of the literature and from this overview a profile of a parental abductor.

The overview examines a number of factors related to the parental abductor. These include gender, socio-economic characteristics, psychological and sociological factors, and international abductions. The paper also presents information on the relationship between the abductor and the child. This information includes: the age and sex of the child; site and timing of the abduction; use of accomplices; and mental abuse, physical and sexual harm to the child; and impact on those involved.

Based upon this information a profile was created. The profile is an educated attempt to provide the police and other agencies with specific information on the type of individual who commits such offenses. The profile and it's usefulness, however, depend on the perspectives from which the task has been approached. The paper presents findings and information that the police may need to know to locate and recover the missing child. This information includes: information about the abducting parent, communication between the parties, travel plans, and recovery of the child.

The following information may be used to construct an overall profile of a parental abduction:

• Both mother and father are likely to abduct their own child.
• Mothers tended to abduct their children after a court order is made while fathers tend to abduct their child before a court order.
• Mothers who abduct their children tend to keep them for a longer time than fathers who abduct.
• The age range for abducting parents is 28 to 40 years.
• Fathers are usually employed while the mothers are more likely to be unemployed. Socio-economic factors vary from case to case.
• Few studies have identified a psychological or sociological profile of the abducting parent.
• The majority of children are between three and seven years of age. Children taken out of the country tend to be older (i.e., over the age of eight years).
• Both male and female children are equally likely to be abducted.
• Children tend to be taken from the home. They are less likely to be taken from another residence or from a school yard.
• Most searching parents report the abduction of the child to the police on the day it occurred. There is, however a large proportion of searching parents who delay in reporting the incident.
• Communication usually occurs between the searching parent and the abductor.
• The majority of parental abductions are short-term and resolved within seven days.
• Various modes of transportation are used to move the child.
• Children tend to be taken during weekends or summer or winter holidays.
• The parent abducting the child tends not to use physical force.
• Accomplices are used in less than half the cases, they are usually family members or current partners.
• Sexual and physical abuse occurs in a small percentage of the cases. Studies on this issue must be interpreted with extreme caution.