Abstract This paper argues that international parental abductions are an especially pernicious act which does a great deal of harm emotionally to children. The paper examines the issue by assessing the consequences of parental abduction upon all of the parties involved - but especially the children who have been uprooted from their familiar surroundings.
From the Paper "International Parental Abduction: A Review and Assessment The Problem There can scarcely be any doubt that international parental abduction has become a very serious issue in contemporary society. As more and more families fall apart and as the divorce rate continues to climb, the likelihood that a child will become caught up in something like this grows as well."
Abstract Statistics are cited to establish how widespread abduction has become, and prominent cases such as the Polly Klaas kidnapping are examined. The paper concludes with discussion of preventive measures which can be taken and laws which need to be passed to ameliorate the problem.
Abstract This paper questions the veracity of unidentified flying objects. The author discusses the origins of claims of contact with extraterrestrial life. Also covered are some of the 'evidences' offered to back up claims of the existence of UFOs.
From the Paper "The publicity of encounters with UFOs started in the late 1940?s. There had been reports before that time, but they had not received much exposure by the media. It all started in 1947. One day Kevin Arnold, who was flying his single engine plane, reported that he had seen objects flying around that could not be explained. He estimated their speed to be three times what was possible at that time. He described their motion was similar to that of a saucer skipping across water. The term flying saucer was born. The debate of the validity of these claims was also born (Randles 2)."
Abstract A discussion of the difference between right and wrong and whether society knows how to discern between the two. The author discusses the case of Jon Venables and Robert Thompson who abducted and killed a two year old boy as well as various cases and scenarios to explain the debate.
From the Paper ?In February 1993, in Liverpool, England, two ten year old boys abducted two year old James Bulger and murdered him. In a case which shocked the whole country, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson were found guilty of murder, and were sentenced to imprisonment, at the age of ten. Since then, there has been numerous moral and ethical arguments put forward, contesting the justifiability of their sentence. The trial of Jon Venables and Robert Thompson was held before an adult jury. Witnesses were called, including Irene Slack, the headmistress of the school where the boys attended. In her evidence she said that from the age children enter school, they have a sense of right and wrong.?
Abstract This paper explores the alert system called AMBER: "America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response". This system co-ordinates law enforcement with the media, to help people act immediately after a child abduction has taken place. The paper explores the general principles of the system and looks at its origin and history of development. It then goes on to explain how the system works, citing its benefits and using case studies to highlight its success. It concludes with a look at how to implement the system in other states.
From the Paper "The goal of the AMBER program is to communicate identifying information to the general public so they can report to law enforcement if they see any of the people or automobiles described in the AMBER alerts broadcasted. When law enforcement decides a child disappearance meets the criteria to issue an AMBER alert, they pass on information to the media, who broadcast it. Citizens are told not to approach any individuals or vehicles but are given a number to phone in the information so law enforcement professionals can use the information to apprehend the individuals."
Abstract This paper provides an insight into AMBER, the acronym for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response which uses teamwork between the media, citizens and law enforcement in order to find abducted children. It describes how the program works works by sending crucial information to the public, via radio TV, and sometimes electronic roadside signs. It examines its pros and cons such as desensitization from overuse and provides statistics on children that disappear and the readness of the public to help.
From the Paper "Recent history has shown that the AMBER alert system is needed. Statistics show that there are about 46,000 non-relative kidnappings each year, and two thirds of those involve a sexual assault. Because parents don?t always immediately notice that a child is missing, a 2-hour delay before reporting the abduction is common, but three-fourths of the children killed in these incidents are killed within three hours of being taken (KKF, 2002). This makes a rapid and wide response urgent, but police can only be in so many places at once."
Abstract This paper discusses the case of a kidnapped boy who suffered from the Stockholm syndrome. The paper explains Stockholm syndrome and then looks at what researchers and psychologists have to say about this syndrome. The paper discusses how Shawn Hornbeck was just 11 years old at the time he was abducted (an age when most children still require parental figures) and, as a survival technique, bonded with a man who was not his father but his kidnapper. The paper also notes that the term Stockholm Syndrome was coined in reference to events that happened to adults who were held hostage for just six days. Yet these adults had become emotionally bonded to their captors within those few days. The writer then proposes a method for conducting a meta analysis on existing research of Stockholme syndrome, using a boarding school for field research. The writer concludes that physically removing children from their parents for boarding school causes them to establish a bi-directional emotional bond with the parental substitutes, which tends to confirm the theory that Hornbeck's failure to escape was caused by Stockholm Syndrome, as has been speculated in the media.
From the Paper "Thus, in terms of this theory, Hornbeck would actually have bonded with Devlin. This bonding would likely have been motivated by his unconscious or conscious assumption that such bonding would increase the chances that Devlin would not kill him. Certainly, the hypothesis that Hornbeck bonded with Devlin is borne out by news reports that the boy had identified himself as Shawn Devlin on internet sites. Taking someone's name is surely a powerful sign of bonding - after all, the most usual time when this occurs is on marriage, which is one of the most significant types of voluntary bonding."
Abstract The paper shows that captivity narratives written by early settlers of America succeeded in conveying unfair stereotypes about Native Americans. These narratives recorded the captives' physical, mental, and spiritual experiences. The paper examines the reasons for these abductions, circumstances and experiences of those who were abducted, with a specific analysis of how the autobiography "Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson" perpetuates the conveyance of stereotypes about Native Americans.
From the Paper "Throughout the history of Colonial North America, Native Americans have been portrayed as evil and heathen in many ways. The Native Americans were depicted as evil and soulless; a race beyond any reason that delighted murder of innocent Christians. One such way is through the writing of ?captivity narratives,? whose purpose was to record the captive's physical, mental and spiritual experiences as they journeyed through the unknown. Captivity narratives also served a purpose in that they led to reflection on the meaning of life and helped shaped the expectations of any other unfortunate settlers who might find themselves in captivity at some time (Ebersole 20). These accounts of captivity became stories to be told and retold in order to reflect upon the situation forced upon the captive and, for the Puritans, to reflect in God's grace at having delivered them from the hands of these ?savages.? These narratives were unfortunately never objective or neutral in any way, as they always portrayed Native Americans as creatures with no souls whose sole purpose in life was to distribute pain and suffering to those who were God-fearing; they were thought of as instruments of the devil. In this way, captivity narratives succeeded in conveying unfair stereotypes about Native Americans that have not (until recently) been overcome."
Abstract Shows the growing incidence of child abductions in the U.S. Discusses the motivations for kidnapping, including parental custody abduction, sexual predation/rape, profit, and homicidal intention.
From the Paper "Major categories of deviant behavior include crime, drug abuse, alcoholism, mental disorders, suicide, murder and kidnapping. As witnessed by the rapidly increasing numbers of child abductions, ..."
Abstract The paper presents Alex Haley's "Roots" as a brilliant piece of anthropological detective work. Haley traces the roots of his ancestors back eight generations to his great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather Kunta Kinte. The paper shows that, in creating "Roots", he traces his ancestors back to the original town that Kunta Kinte was abducted from in Africa. The paper concludes that Haley's characters are rich and full of life and that he does an excellent job of re-enacting the past to give us a true feeling of the African-American experience from abduction, to slavery, to freedom, and redemption.
From the Paper "While pregnant, Bell dreams that "at a white folks' party game, they had announced that the first prize would be the next black baby boy to be born on that massa's plantation" (P. 337). Kunta calmed Bell down by assuring her massa would never do anything like that, but he was scared because "he had heard of such things being done--of unborn black babies being given as presents, wagered as gambling bets at card tables and cockfights" (P. 338). They name the child Kizzy, and Kunta proceeds to teach her several of the words from the language of his tribe, the Mandinka."
Abstract This paper discuss Charles Ng's background, his meeting with Leonard Lake and how they became serial killers. The paper portrays their crimes and victims. The paper also describes Ng's downfall and capture and his on-going legal battles.
From the Paper "Satan's Christmas gift to the world, Charles Ng (pronounced Ing), was born in Hong Kong on December 24, 1961. He was born to a wealthy businessman and his subservient wife. Reports state that he was expelled from several different schools before his parents gave up and sent him to the boarding school that his uncle taught at in Yorkshire, England. Again, he was expelled, this time for shoplifting and robbing another student. His uncle was forced to send him back to Hong Kong."
A review of the mystery novel, "A Dangerous Thing" by Sarah Harrison, focusing on the difficulties of reconciling an intellectual life and an emotional life.
1,386 words (approx. 5.5 pages), 0 sources, 2002, $ 46.95
Abstract This paper discusses the mystery novel, "A Dangerous Thing" by Sarah Harrison and illustrates the central theme of how surface images are revealed to have a dark side. The story is outlined, including the academic setting and the tragic events which occur. The paper provides a brief history of the author and describes her writing style.
From the Paper "The mystery novel "A Dangerous Thing" by Sarah Harrison is set in a university. This gives what could be a typical example of mystery genre fiction a kind of verisimilitude rare in such a work. The petty politicking amongst professors, the stultifying life of an academic, and the difficulties of reconciling an intellectual life and an emotional life, are detailed just as carefully as more typical hair-raising examples of "who done it" plot devices."
Tags: michael, bowater, child, abduction, academia, suicide, ballacombe, london, university
Examined in terms of International laws & principles, jurisdiction, reasons for, individual rights, remedy and/or punishment of abductors and sanctions against the state.
1,800 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 15 sources, 1993, $ 63.95
From the Paper "International Abduction
This advisory opinion will discuss state-sponsored abduction and prosecution of criminal defendants from foreign states as a violation of international law. Under customary international law, one state cannot arrest a criminal suspect while he or she is in a foreign state without the permission of that state. Such an act goes against traditional principles of international law concerning the sovereignty of states and evolving principles concerning human rights. When a state authorizes such an act, it is necessary and proper for that state to be sanctioned by the other states in the international community.
Under traditional principles of international law, a state which authorizes the abduction of a criminal suspect in a foreign state and his or her return to the first country in order to face prosecution violates.."
From the Paper "THE ABDUCTION AND TRIAL OF MANUEL NORIEGA
This research paper discusses and analyzes the international
legal aspects of the abduction and trial of Manuel Noriega. In
1990 Noriega, the former Panamanian military strongman, was
kidnapped by the American military and returned to Miami where
he was tried and convicted on criminal charges. The Noriega and
other recent cases raise basic questions of international law
relating to the right of one state to apply extraterritorially
its criminal laws to the citizens of another state. Novel issues
arose because of the circumstances under which Noriega was
captured his status as a foreign head of state. A solid case can
be made that in all these instances, general principles of
international law were violated. The defendants in these cases
appear to have been guilty of the offenses charged. They were ..."
Abstract This paper discusses Aphra Behn's "Oroonoko", a powerful story of a West African prince (Oroonoko) who is abducted into slavery in Surinam and how Oroonoko's story is told by a young Englishwoman visiting a colony in Surinam in South America. The narrator is the daughter of the lieutenant governor of Surinam, who died on the way to visit the colony. The paper analyzes the character of the narrator who seems to be a dispassionate observer who ultimately avoids responsibility for the young prince's terrible fate. It is this status as outsider that allows the young narrator to report dispassionately on the horror of slavery and Oroonoko's ultimate sad fate.
From the Paper "The narrator's ambivalence and neutrality is further seen in her relationship with the young prince Oroonoko. She notes that her relationship with the young prince is close, and that Oroonoko considers her a friend "in whom he had entire confidence." She notes that her advice has great influence over and calms the young man. Nonetheless, the young narrator withdraws with the rest of the women when Oroonoko is free in the jungle. Further, she is quick to distance herself when the colonists harm Oroonoko. Says the narrator, "I was persuaded to leave the place for some time" (where Oroonoko was held), whereupon the colonists torture and kill the young prince."
