Kidnappings happen all over the world and for different kinds of reasons. They can be carried out by family members, by sexual predators, and by those who want a ransom. There is no "typical" kidnapping. As more and more people travel around the globe, the frequently cited advice to always fight the would-be kidnapper requires some reconsideration. While this needs to be done on rare occasions, it is best to cooperate, the situation may give you a chance to make an immediate escape, and you need to think fast and act decisively. Read on for detailed instructions.
Steps
Step 1. Move carefully
Take preventative safety precautions. If you are walking in a public place, always be aware of who you are around. Be attentive (instead of withdrawing from the outside world via headphones). Make finding an escape route a habit every time you enter a new environment. Close windows and doors tightly at night. Carry a mobile phone and some safety devices (such as a whistle that can be heard from afar attached to the key ring). If you are traveling abroad, bring a newspaper or magazine in the local language with you. Read the precautions concerning the different destinations online.
- Trust your intuition or instinct. If a person gives off a vibration that doesn't convince you at all, listen to this feeling, no matter how irrational it is. Take refuge in a shop, change your path and be in the presence of others: these are all good strategies to avoid being kidnapped, you just have to give importance to your instincts.
- Vary your roads and travel times. You have to make it difficult for potential kidnappers to anticipate your plans. Learn multiple ways to get from home to the office or to other destinations you usually frequent.
Step 2. Make a plan
The potential kidnapper gets the better of his victim at first because he has the element of surprise on his side. You can prepare yourself by assessing your situation before a seizure occurs. Faced with what kind of kidnapping are you most likely to find yourself? What will you do if someone tries to kidnap you? Test the possible scenarios in your mind and you will be ready to react instantly should you really get attacked.
Step 3. Prepare to resist by carrying some pepper spray or an extendable steel stick, or improvise and use your keys and key fob to hit the attacker's eyes
Holding a key between your fingers (as if it were a stabbing weapon) can seriously damage the tendons in your hand; however, it can also cause considerable damage to the possible kidnapper.
- If you find yourself in a situation where there are multiple possible armed kidnappers looking for a ransom attempting to kidnap you and take you to an isolated and hostile place, where the chances of escape are realistically slim, you should be cooperative from the start.. This is a frequent case in parts of South America, for example, where well-organized kidnappers rob businessmen for a profit. About 95% of people abducted in this manner are released alive, and the likelihood of being killed is highest in the very first few minutes of the abduction, when something goes wrong, usually when the victim tries to escape or fight.
- If the potential kidnapper is unarmed, if the attempt is sexually motivated, if you are in close proximity to other people, and if you can quickly get help, you should either fight or do whatever it takes to escape the kidnapper. This is the case with most such attacks in the United States and other developed countries, and usually the victim targeted is a woman or a child.
Step 4. Escape
If you have made the sudden decision to flee, try to get to safety in a public place and keep screaming for help. Do not turn around and do not stop until you have reached a safe place. The definition of this adjective depends on the circumstances. The presence of police officers is almost always sufficient, as is being in a crowd (although these situations are only safe if you make sure that the police or people in the crowd know what is going on). If you are a foreigner in a hostile country, however, you may not be truly safe until you arrive at a friendly military patrol or embassy.
Step 5. Put something between you and the person attacking you
You may not be able to outrun the hijacker, but, if you can establish a barrier, such as a crowded street, a group of people, or even a car (which you can run around while he tries to chase you), between you and him, you may be able to cause him a delay large enough to make him go away or to convince him to give up.
Step 6. Make a scene
Shout out loud and assertively for help. Don't do it in a low voice. This encourages a possible hijacker and makes you look and act more like prey. To begin, tell the potential kidnapper directly to stop and then ask passersby to call the police. Direct commands are often obeyed, while screams are ignored in many cases. You need help, not just witnesses. This technique is especially successful in or near public places. For children, who are relatively less able to fight or escape a potential kidnapper, involving others is sometimes the only chance to escape. Don't just scream petrified or scream "Help" in an unspoken way, because people are prone to ignore this request. You should scream at the top of your lungs explaining what is happening and describing the person who is following you if possible: “A man with a knife is following me! Bring a blue sweater and ripped jeans! " (children should be taught to scream "They're kidnapping me! I don't know this person!" to others present or "I don't know you! Leave me alone" to the attacker). This should have the effect of detaining the person attacking you or convincing passers-by that your request is real and not a joke / game / altercation or, at least, to have a reliable description for the police to intervene. if you can't escape capture.
Step 7. Grab hold of people or objects
Sadly, people are often hesitant to intervene during a kidnapping. Get someone's attention and have them intervene by grabbing this person and not letting go as you say loud commands to the kidnapper and explain the situation. The passer-by has now been involved in the fight against the kidnapper, which turns considerably in your favor, especially if you are a woman or a child. If there are no people around to lean on, grab a large object, such as a lamppost, parking meter, or bicycle. If you can't escape the kidnapper, at least you better prevent him from taking you away against your will.
Step 8. Fight as if your life depended on it, because this is likely to be the case
Fight tooth and nail to avoid falling under the kidnapper's control. While everyone should take a self-defense course, you usually don't need specialized knowledge to dodge an attack. And you don't even have to win a fight against the one who attacks you: the fight is usually used to escape the grasp of the possible kidnapper or to allow you to have an advantage start and then escape. If the individual attacking you is a sexual predator and you think your chances of escaping him are minimal, fight him all the time anyway. Rapists are looking for easy targets, not someone who will fight and agitate. If you fight hard enough, they may decide that you are not a good target and give up. Most assaults are stopped at the first sign of resistance. First verbal, then physical. Weapons drastically reduce the likelihood of an assault taking place.
- Dirty fight. Do whatever it takes to get rid of it - this is not a boxing match. Pick up and wield any heavy object within reach. If you have pepper spray or a stun gun, use this tool. not knowing how to use it means giving him another means of getting what he wants). If a kidnapper grabs you, don't be afraid or ashamed to use your teeth. The seconds it takes you to escape can be obtained by dumbfounding him with an extreme action, such as biting a part of an ear, finger or nose.
- Aim for sensitive spots. Hit the kidnapper in the eyes, groin, nose, throat or kidneys; Kick him in the shin, step on the top of his foot with your heel, or hit his knee sideways with yours. Your elbows, knees, and the palm of your hand are good weapons for striking. The clenched fist can be effectively used as a hammer, but be careful: punching without training, you will be more likely to break your hand than to hurt the person who attacked you. Make your shots count and don't stop until the likelihood is high that the hijacker has the ability to continue with his attack. A good shot is not enough, it could numb and infuriate him. The idea is to curb the assault and this requires a critical amount of damage to be inflicted on the opponent. Your purpose is never to kill him, only to block the assault. Death may just be a side effect of the effort needed to stop the attack. Whatever you do, once you have started the offensive, don't stop until you are sure you can escape without consequences. The kidnapper is furious now and is probably running faster than you. Hit with the elbows and knees until he is no longer able to continue with the attack. Then go to the police.
- Do not panic. Doing this and using your fingernails savagely will only cause what the police call "defense marks" on the person who attacked, and usually only provide forensic evidence on your dead body. Biting can work to get rid of most of the grips. Or put your fingers in the eye sockets, on the trachea or groin. If you bite a small area with the front of your teeth, giving it a kind of pinch, this will cause much more pain and damage than a bite with the whole mouth. Once you are safe, hit the attacker as many times as possible with your elbow or knees until you are certain you can safely leave.
Step 9. Call the right emergency number
If you have a mobile phone, enter your country's emergency number. In case you can determine some distance between you and the individual who attacked you or if you can delay him (by locking yourself in a room for example), the police may reach you in time to catch him or at least make him go away. However, if you are immediately checked by the kidnapper, try to hide your cell phone and then call the police when they are not looking at you. Don't have a cell phone? Use any available phone. If you can use a pay phone, you may be able to hold on to it. If the kidnapper cannot move you quickly from the scene, he may flee, knowing that the police are on the way. If you have escaped the perpetrator, run to a nearby house or shop, explain what happened and get them to call the police; this 1) puts you in a safe place, 2) allows you to contact the police, and 3) ensures you have witnesses.
Step 10. You lie about the benefits you have
You should do everything in your power to make the attacker think they are unsafe. This results in lying about perks you don't have.
- “My father is the police chief. You don't want to do it ".
- “I have chronic diabetic pneumonia (invented disease). I have to take my meds every three hours, or I'll die. If you kidnap me, you will face murder charges, anyway."
- “The police station is a few meters from here. Why are you doing it in this place?”.
- Look around you for EVERYTHING that allows you to make the perpetrator doubt, such as, for example, the presence of cameras. “There's an ATM over there. You know they all have hidden cameras, right?”. Or, if you see something that REMOTELY resembles a camera, you say, "You know that's a security camera, right?"
- It's best to call the police, but if for some reason you can't (lost cell phone, etc.), you should always tell the person who attacked you that law enforcement is on the way. “I dialed the emergency number on my mobile, the police are on their way. Run away immediately and you will save yourself ".
- If you are in your neighborhood, you LIE and say that a neighbor or the area itself has cameras that are monitored for the purpose of reporting ANY suspicious behavior. Anyway, if you are on an inhabited street, there will be at least five people in the different houses, so they would hear you.
- Another thing to do if you are in an inhabited neighborhood or near a house is to pretend you live there and go to your house. DO NOT make it clear that this is not your real home. Knock on the door or pretend to and say your mother / father / brother / sister / friend's name to act as if you are waiting for someone to open.
Step 11. Deal with the aftermath of a kidnapping
If your efforts to thwart a kidnapping fail, there are numerous things you can do to help you get through this difficult experience.
Advice
- Deliberately focus on your face if the person attacking you has a weapon. Most people keep their eyes on the gun and are unable to describe the assailant's face to the police.
- If you are put in a trunk, try to escape. If you can't, tear off or kick the panel leading to the brake lights and kick them out. Then you can stick your arm out and warn other drivers that you are inside. If you can't push the lights out, at least disconnect the cables so the police are more likely to stop the car. Also, shout to be heard and hit the trunk lid whenever the vehicle stops or travels slowly. Many new car models also feature an emergency release lever in the trunk. If the kidnapper hasn't disabled it, you can use the lever to open it.
- If they hold you by the arms, kick back (like a horse) and aim for the groin, knees and lower legs.
- Even if the potential kidnapper does have a gun, you should seriously consider running. In abductions motivated by ransom or sexual depredation, the kidnapper does not want the victim to die, at least not before he has been able to remove them from the starting point. The possible kidnapper may not shoot you at all, especially if there are people around; and, even if he does, assuming you can create a minimum of distance between you and him, the chances he has of hitting a moving target are not very good, unless he's a trained sniper. The likelihood of him seriously injuring you and then taking the time to continue with the kidnapping is even lower. You run in a zigzag motion, this makes it harder for the attacker to shoot and hit you, while if you run in a straight line you run more risks.
- Avoid being contained. Once that happens, maybe they put handcuffs or duct tape on your mouth or tie your hands with rope for example, the chance of escape is minimal. You have to act fast to prevent being blocked. If you fight or flee, do it now. You may not get a second chance.
- If you feel like someone is following you, but you don't feel a threat, turn around and look at this person. That way, he'll know you've seen his face, with the proviso that you're not wearing a mask. Remember that any person who follows you can be a pitfall.
- Headbutt the face or head of the potential kidnapper.
- The most important thing to do if someone is trying to force you into a vehicle is to fight at all costs. If the attacker manages to get you into the car, your chance of escape or survival is greatly reduced. Use your arms and legs for resistance if someone is trying to push you into the car. If possible, try to keep your head above the car to be seen and screamed. This makes it harder for you to get on and could alarm passers-by, letting them know that something is going on. In case you are forced to get into the vehicle, open the door and get out if you can. If this is not possible, try to jam the ignition switch before the kidnapper inserts the keys to start the engine, or pull the key away and throw it out of the window and / or render it unusable. A button on your clothes, a piece of metal, a stick or chewing gum that you've chewed can all effectively prevent the kidnapper from inserting the key and restarting the vehicle. If none of this works, insert the key halfway into the block and fold it or break it.
- In case he can grab your arms, cross his arms and turn around or apply as much downward pressure as possible.
- If you are in a region where the predominant language is not yours, be sure to learn key phrases in the local language, which could help you in your escape or escape attempts (such as the expressions mentioned in various places in the article). People are more empathetic towards those they have a connection with, and if they don't understand you, they can't come to your rescue.
Warnings
- The person attacking you will likely be angry after your rebellion attempt, especially if you hurt them. Although some potential kidnappers run away or give up when the victim retaliates, many chase their target. Don't hold back when you try to hurt the kidnapper - be as aggressive and ferocious as possible. It is imperative that you run away once you leave the attacker stunned or incapacitated, because if you are recaptured, he may take his anger out on you.
- Guys should know that it's possible to be kidnapped by a woman, so it's best not to assume that kidnappers are only men.
- If you have a liquid or gel (like lipstick or hand sanitizer), try putting it in her eyes or face. He may pause to get rid of it, giving you precious seconds to escape.
- Remember that if you are recaptured after an initial escape attempt, it is highly likely that you will not have another chance to do so. Try to escape in the right way to prevent it.
- If you decide to carry a weapon with you, follow proper training and make sure you are willing to use it and capable of doing so. It is possible that the assailant will use it against you.
- It is generally a good idea to fight the attacker as much as possible, but always use common sense. If you are attacked by several people, you are on your own and the kidnappers have potentially deadly weapons, it might be a better idea to just cooperate with them and try to escape or be rescued later. This is especially true if you think you have been kidnapped for a ransom, which means your life is less likely to be in danger.
