Kicking, screaming and running away enabled children to escape from kidnappers, according to a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
- Researchers looked at 4,200 unsuccessful abductions attempted by strangers and found that children who escaped usually did so by their own actions.
- Adults helped the children escape in only 16% of the cases.
- In 30% of the cases, children escaped by kicking and screaming, and in 53%, by running away.
Girls were involved in 70% of the cases.
- Girls ages 10 to 14 years old were most at risk, although other studies have found that teenagers are those most likely to abducted by strangers.
- Most cases in the new study occurred between 2 and 7 PM, and the child was most often approached by someone in a vehicle.
"Children escape these things not through the efforts of good Samaritans but by recognizing a bad situation and either getting away from it, avoiding it, or screaming and kicking to draw attention," said Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Posted By: By Parents For Parents