abduction
Abduction means the taking of a person against their will, generally by means of persuasion, fraud , or force. Some jurisdictions also require that the abductee (the person who is abducted) be a child or that the abductor intend to marry or harm the abductee or subject them to prostitution or trafficking . Generally, states will differentiate abduction from child abduction depending on age.
Parental abduction, a parent's abduction of their child which generally occurs during the pendency of child-custody proceedings , is also a crime . Although the terms abduction and kidnapping are, at times, used interchangeably, kidnapping is narrower, generally requiring the threat or use of force.
A helpful definition of abduction is also provided in the Code of Virginia § 18.2-47 which states that “Any person who, by force, intimidation or deception , and without legal justification or excuse, seizes, takes, transports, detains or secretes another person with the intent to deprive such other person of [their] personal liberty or to withhold or conceal [them] from any person, authority or institution lawfully entitled to [their] charge, shall be deemed guilty of ‘abduction.’”
[Last reviewed in June of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team ]
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