Parental Child Abduction is Not an Act Done Out of Love

Parental Child Abduction is not an act done out of love for the child. The primary goal of the parental child abductor is to... get even with the other parent. The abductor victimizes the left-behind family by depriving them of visitation or custodial rights and in the process psychologically torturing them with worry and grief. Statistically, half of parental child abductors have criminal records and most have a history of violent behavior, substance abuse or emotional disturbance. Gender doesn't matter. Both fathers and mothers abduct equally and 15% of the time the abduction is with force or violence. Half of family abductions occur before the relationship between parents end while half occur 2 or more years after divorce or separation, usually after parents develop new households, new relationships, move away or are frustrated with the legal system. Once abducted, the children are at the mercy of the abducting parent, who, in hiding, avoids scrutiny by police, doctors, counselors, and child protective services.

The left behind families are left in a constant state of emotional turmoil, never knowing if their children are safe, where they are, or whether they'll ever see them again.

Copied from Dr. Dorothy Huntington 1982 article entitled, Parental Kidnapping: A New Form of Child Abuse.