CHILDREN IN THE CROSSFIRE: The Tragedy of Parental Kidnapping

by Sally Abrahms ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 1983

An excellent ""guide for parents"" on the phenomenon of parental kidnapping--what it does to the kids and parents involved; the ineffectiveness of the legal system; how to fight back if it happens to you; suggestions for reform--based on interviews with returned youngsters, victimized parents, and representatives of an emerging and unwelcome profession: professional child stealers. Abrahms' portrait of kidnapped kids' life on the run is chilling. Living in motels (or sometimes even in cars), shuttled by the kidnapping parent from school to school, often bearing false names they've barely memorized, not allowed to socialize with other children, snatched kids lose confidence and a sense of identity. Often, kidnapped children who could flee or call home don't do so, out of fear of physical harm from (or due to psychological dependence on) the abductor. Frustrated themselves, even well-meaning abductors often become child abusers. Many kids who are ""recovered"" return home psychologically twisted; they rarely relax, tend to be distrustful loners, and, ironically, sometimes end up hiding with the custodial parent to avoid being snatched again by the former abductor. What motivates a parental kidnapper? Pure malice, more often than not, but sometimes resentment of a spouse's new love, or anger over denial of visitation rights. The law, Abrahms emphasizes, simply doesn't work: abduction by a parent isn't illegal at all if it occurs prior to a court's entry of a custody order; it is impossible to enforce a custody order if you can't find the kidnapper-parent; even if the abductor is found, many states refuse to extradite; the police and FBI tend to regard child-snatching as a ""domestic"" matter, and don't get excited; and skipping the country is a ""virtually foolproof"" tactic. Success in recovering a kidnapped child is usually tied to finances, and custodial parents are not uncommonly reduced to kidnapping the abducted child back themselves, usually with a well-paid detective's help. Coverage of the psychological side of the problem is balanced by detailed practical information: how to use the State Department to reduce the chances that your child will be taken out of the country; how to evaluate private investigators and deal with them; what to do if your child is stolen; how to help returned kids cope. Abrahms emphasizes that parental child-snatching will never be curtailed unless ""adults realize they will be slapped with swift and severe punishment"" (parental kidnapping should be a felony in all states), the government does more toward aiding custodial parents in locating children, and courts explore mechanisms (including joint-custody arrangements) for making fairer custody decisions. A sensitive, savvy treatment: by far the best thing on the subject.

Pub Date: June 1, 1983

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Atheneum

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1983

Categories: NONFICTION