Kidnapping is something we tend to accept as being out there but never to the extent of it becoming a major issue. However, of those who make their living in the southern America’s it’s a totally different story. Kidnapping has been jested as Latin America’s fastest growing, spurred on by rebel guerrillas and drug lords. Yet it is uncertain of the exact number of kidnappings that occur in these Latin American countries. Colombia, Mexico and Brazil are among the highest hit countries on record but their statistics differ from different sources. Colombia’s Ministry of Defence has released statistics showing a curtailing of kidnappings as new counter kidnapping teams are being trained. Statistics reveal that by 2005 around 750 kidnappings have been reported. However, other sources place the figures around 3,000, the same figure for Colombia’s Ministry of defence in 2000. A good explanation is that many of the kidnappings do not actually get reported to authorities for fear of the increased brutality or even death to the hostages.
What makes it worse is that as high ranking business men and wealthy individuals flee the country or safer compound areas, the middle class is now being targeted, and no longer do you have to be rich to be kidnapped. However, numbers in kidnapping hopefully will drop as governments put up a harder fight to get control. Special tactical teams are being developed and rebels are being pushed further and further into rural areas, thus alleviating some of the stress. Yet as more people are becoming targets there needs to be a greater push and public awareness of what can be done to prevent the likeliness of being kidnapped.
See Articles: Inside Colombia’s War on Kidnapping, Kidnapping in Colombia, Kidnapping epidemic hits Latin America, COLOMBIA: THE WORLD LEADER IN KIDNAPPINGS,