Risk of child abduction

kippy

It looks like the authorities feel obligated to remind parents how to parent:
https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/donegal-gardai-warn-parents-they-will-act-accordingly-if-they-find-young-children-playing-alone-on-street-937619.html
No problem with this in general, 3 year olds shouldn't be left unsupervised for any number of reasons. However, I do find it interesting that 'Child abduction' is one of the reasons.
Are there any statistics on the likelihood of a child being abducted at random (as opposed to by someone they know)? I would have thought these exceptionally low.

TheValeyard

Probably extremely low just covering all angles I guess. Better safe than sorry.

drunkmonkey

Asked it earlier, pretty much non existent https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057997421

Gardai should have more sense than to be terrifying mothers up and down the country.

The Guards will report them to tusla who'll then abduct the children for their safety.

Atlantic Dawn

Has a child been abducted in Ireland in the last 20 years? Besides where a parent 'abducts' their own child.

freshpopcorn

It's fairly unlikely but people need reminding.

People are obsessed with men in white vans abducting children online.
I recently heard of a woman and she won't let her sixteen year old walk to school/shops/etc because the chances she'll be abducted by a man in a van is so high.

kippy

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Asked it earlier, pretty much non existent https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057997421

Gardai should have more sense than to be terrifying mothers up and down the country.

The Guards will report them to tusla who'll then abduct the children for their safety.

Apologies, I thought it may have been asked already alright.

I just find it interesting that the Gardai are using this as the rationale when there are far more likely "bad things" that can happen unsupervised children.

drunkmonkey

That was over in legal discussion, thought one of them might have some stats.

The Van is real it's not used for abducting girls though. It's for fixing guys that attempt anything of the sort.

Road-Hog

kippy wrote: »

It looks like the authorities feel obligated to remind parents how to parent:
https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/donegal-gardai-warn-parents-they-will-act-accordingly-if-they-find-young-children-playing-alone-on-street-937619.html
No problem with this in general, 3 year olds shouldn't be left unsupervised for any number of reasons. However, I do find it interesting that 'Child abduction' is one of the reasons.
Are there any statistics on the likelihood of a child being abducted at random (as opposed to by someone they know)? I would have thought these exceptionally low.

‘Maddie’ McCann is the last child abduction by a ‘randomer’......that I can recall and thst was 12 years ago now so yes they can happen but risk / probability is low

Harry Palmr

In Ireland the only place it happens outside of family disputes is on facebook. If the guards want to be helpful about small children wandering around they should do it within the realm of the obvious danger of traffic and nothing else

drunkmonkey

and do it a positive way, teach them the safe cross code or whatever it's called these days and give them a little award badge when they pass the test. Community policing done right.

Atlantic Dawn

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Has a child been abducted in Ireland in the last 20 years? Besides where a parent 'abducts' their own child.

Wasn't there a story a few months or so back about two girls who were abducted in the Irish Midlands from outside another child's birthday party and sexually assaulted in a near by house - and they then only escaped through a window?

Or did I dream that one up entirely?

drunkmonkey

Wasn't that a neighbor though? Happened in the last few summers.

drunkmonkey

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Wasn't that a neighbor though? Happened in the last few summers.

Perhaps? But does that matter? The user I replied to specifically asked for examples where A) An abduction occurred and It was not the parents who did it.

antix80

The main risks of leaving children unsupervised, I reckon, are:
- young children getting mowed down by a bad driver. Sure, the driver will be "in the wrong" but that's not much good for the child who ends up flat on the road.
- older kids getting up to trouble because they're unsupervised. This is at the extreme end but https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/girl-5-lured-to-derelict-house-and-beaten-by-three-young-boys-who-attempted-to-sexually-assault-her-38318460.html

As for child abduction.. there is definitely a risk. Predators could get to know when kids are alone and over the course of weeks or months plot something sinister.

biko

Gardaí in Co. Donegal have warned parents that they will "act accordingly" if they find young children playing alone on the street.

It sounds like it will be the Gardai abducting children

drunkmonkey

antix80 wrote: »

The main risks of leaving children unsupervised, I reckon, are:
- young children getting mowed down by a bad driver. Sure, the driver will be "in the wrong" but that's not much good for the child who ends up flat on the road.
- older kids getting up to trouble because they're unsupervised. This is at the extreme end but https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/girl-5-lured-to-derelict-house-and-beaten-by-three-young-boys-who-attempted-to-sexually-assault-her-38318460.html

As for child abduction.. there is definitely a risk. Predators could get to know when kids are alone and over the course of weeks or months plot something sinister.

There's something not right with that story. She fended off 3 boys beating her with sticks and only had minor injuries. She also wasn't sexually assaulted. It seems a bit overhyped. It's not a pretty story but we're very quick to condem males. I'd like to hear both sides of the story. There very young kids with wild imaginations. I'm not saying it didn't happen but it's not the full story.
I don't know where your getting there's a definite risk out of, that's the exact kind of fear the Garda are giving parents with warnings like this. Where's all these predators? There's no evidence to say there's any. If there's pedos in the area they should be warning parents but they don't.

antix80

kippy wrote: »

Are there any statistics on the likelihood of a child being abducted at random (as opposed to by someone they know)? I would have thought these exceptionally low.

Well in the US it's about 200 a year where family aren't involved. I guess that is abduction and not a flat-out rape/murder enquiry. So scale that down to a country like Ireland and you're talking practically 0.

What does it take for a child abduction?.. I reckon a person with a sick mind, and an opportunity. Most people aren't sick enough to kidnap a child, and most parents/teachers/etc watch kids closely enough, or educate them to stay away from strangers, that sick people wouldn't have the opportunity.

Don't kid yourself that it couldn't happen though. Just look at Ian Huntley in the UK. It wasn't premeditated.. he just saw two 10-year-olds walking home and had the opportunity.

Example 2. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7261197/Homeless-man-24-accused-sexual-assault-boy-8-Burgess-Park-Camberwell-south-London.html