No matter how obnoxious this sounds but the truth is that parents can surely kidnap their own child. Surprising, right? It is the truth and one needs to come in terms with that. Although you may feel guilty for kidnapping your own child it is the truth and most of these parental kidnappings happen during the divorce or child custodial process. If a parent is forced to be physically away from their child, they may end up kidnapping them. Although it is emotionally considered to be right, it can turn out to be a serious crime and you may end up being prosecuted for it.
Divorce can be a hard decision for you and your partner. But it is the hardest for your child. If you do not agree to the child custody agreements you may end up kidnapping them. The lawyer needs to inform the parents about the child custody rights and the laws so none of the parents indulges in a serious criminal activity such as parental kidnappings.
What is parental kidnapping?
Before knowing about the laws, it is necessary to understand what parental kidnapping is. In the case of parental kidnapping, the person who is accused is off the one who lost in the child custody case. The child is often taken away from the custodial parent legally. This is however strictly considered to be an offense if the child is below the age of fourteen. To determine how serious the parental kidnapping case is, several factors are taken into consideration. Some of the most prominent ones include the following
- The child’s age
- What conditions or situations was the child put through?
- The distance which the child to travel during the kidnapping process
- Was the child subjected to any physical harm or threat?
- Did the accused try to hide the real identity of the child?
What are the laws?
Based on the crime you commit, the laws are very much different. There is a significant difference in terms of child abduction and more. Kidnapping is considered to be a serious crime. Child kidnapping is when the person threats or illegally forces the child to move with it.
The Andrew Heft family law experts state that any person who is found guilty of child kidnapping may be seriously punished. This is usually because they are interfering with the laws. Till now, very few cases of child kidnapping have been reported but none of them are very serious.