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The methods behind kidnapping are as varied as their motivations. While kidnapping, especially for ransom, can be a crime of opportunity, foreigners are often targeted due to their high-profile appearance, vulnerability, and assumed wealth. The length of any kidnapping incident can also vary widely; while many high-profile kidnapping cases are drawn out for weeks, months, or even years, 79% of reported kidnapping cases around the world last less than seven days according to one study of incidents between 2010 and 2015. Likewise, while kidnapping incidents affiliated with terrorist groups or insurgencies tend to get the most press, the same study reports that the vast majority (80%) of kidnappings are carried out by unaffiliated criminals, with armed groups (14%) and Islamist militant groups (6%) far behind. This report examines the various styles of kidnapping that may affect private-sector operations abroad, as well as providing some mitigation strategies and resources for further research. Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website contains a list of more than a dozen examples of westerner kidnappings since September 2015, which while nowhere near exhaustive, proves the continued risk facing the private sector worldwide.
Types of Kidnapping
This section will detail several types of kidnapping commonly seen around the globe, the motivations behind each type, and some recommendations to deter or mitigate the threats of each.
Kidnap for Ransom- This “traditional” version of kidnapping well-known variant involves the criminal leveraging the hostage in order to receive a payment from their family, employer, or country in exchange for the hostage’s release. Kidnapping for ransom is a major source of income for criminal gangs that rely on ransom to finance their operations. Ransom kidnappings are on the rise worldwide, and are so common in certain regions that local companies and criminal groups have a mutually agreed- upon “market price” for kidnapping ransoms. Foreigners especially are targeted due to their high relative wealth and the incentive of a large government ransom payment. A study by West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center on the kidnapping of Westerners from 2000-2015 found that the Middle East (469), Africa (456), and Asia (154) regions had the highest number of westerners kidnapped. Countries with both high levels of unrest and Western investments tend to have more kidnappings.
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