The countries with the highest rates of kidnap are those with weak security infrastructures, high levels of impunity and economic disparity, such as Mexico, Venezuela and Nigeria, and those experiencing prolonged conflicts, such as Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan.
Reflecting such challenges, Libya has recorded the highest number of foreign kidnap victims in the world since 2014, according to Constellis' global Kidnap for Ransom index.
By far, the most frequent form of kidnapping is abduction by a parent or family member. Today, over one quarter of a million such cases are reported annually to the authorities. Many of these are minor episodes—often misunderstandings or disagreements over custody, and they are short term.
Fortunately, kidnapping is a relatively rare occurrence in Australia. Most abductions of children in this country are by family members where there is no intention to harm the child, only to deprive the other parent of care of the child.
According to a report released by the ABS in July 2022, New South Wales still tops the Aussie list with 210, Victoria next in line with 146, whilst Queensland registered 26, South Australia 41, with Tasmania accounting for only 3 kidnappings. The Australian State with no kidnappings for 2021 was the Northern Territory.
In 2020, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) labelled New South Wales the Kidnapping Capital of Australia, reporting 225 victims, followed by Victoria with 158 and Queensland and South Australia 59 each; with very few in other States and Territories.
Kidnapping rate - Country rankings
The highest value was in Belgium: 10.3 kidnappings per 100,000 people and the lowest value was in Bermuda: 0 kidnappings per 100,000 people.
What are the odds of a child being kidnapped? The chances of a child getting kidnapped aren't as high as people may think. They are 1 in 300,000. However, abduction can increase if a child is of non-white ethnicity, a girl, or lives in a foster home.
Kidnapping rate - Country rankings
The average for 2017 based on 2 countries was 5 kidnappings per 100,000 people. The highest value was in New Zealand: 7.9 kidnappings per 100,000 people and the lowest value was in Australia: 2 kidnappings per 100,000 people.
Children under the age of 6 are most frequently targeted for family abductions and these often occur in the midst of bitter divorce or child custody battles between parents.
The principal motives for kidnapping are to subject the victim to some form of involuntary servitude, to expose him to the commission of some further criminal act against his person, or to obtain ransom for his safe release.
12 Safest Countries in The World: 2023 Edition
Iceland takes the GPI crown for the safest country in the world, followed by New Zealand, Ireland, Denmark, and Austria in the top five.
According to the GPI 2021 report, Iceland was ranked the safest country in the world for the 13th consecutive year, followed by New Zealand, Ireland, Austria, and Denmark.
In Australia, an estimated 20,000 children are reported missing every year. Australian Federal Police, National Coordination Centre.
in crime and criminal justice
Each year, around 30,000 people are reported missing in Australia—one person every 18 minutes.
In Australia, more than 38,000 missing persons reports are received by police each year. While most people are found within a short period of time, there remain approximately 2,600 long term missing persons; those who have been missing for more than three months.
Almost all kids kidnapped by strangers are taken by men, and about two thirds of stranger abductions involve female children. Most abducted kids are in their teens.
Phoenix, Arizona has become the kidnapping capital of America, with more incidents than any other city in the world outside of Mexico City and over 370 cases last year alone.
On July 15, 1976, 26 school children and their bus driver from Chowchilla, California, were kidnapped and buried alive in this tractor trailer.
Health and safety FAQs. Australia is a safe and welcoming country. Your top health and safety questions have been answered to help you prepare for your trip.
The Netherlands, Denmark, and Iceland are the top 3 safer countries for traveling in 2023. We talk about a new list recently published concerning the safest countries for traveling in 2023.
Therefore, we have prepared a list of the safest countries in the world following the latest Global Peace Index 2022. The top 10 safest countries in the world in 2023 include Iceland, New Zealand, Ireland, Denmark, Austria, Portugal, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Singapore, and Japan.
Victims may know the kidnapper. Victims of kidnapping can be any age, including adults. For example, parents have kidnapped children during custody fights. A spouse might kidnap a partner during a domestic violence incident.
How does a kidnapper choose his victim? Kidnappers tend to develop a profile of their likely target before making an abduction based upon their overall goals, which usually falls into one of three categories: financial gain, extremism or emotional disturbance.