How to survive an abduction

Kidnapping is a terrifying experience, but you possess more personal resources than you may be aware of to cope with the situation. Remember, you are only of value to them alive, and they want to keep you that way.

The common hostage responses of fear, denial, and withdrawal are all experienced in varying degrees. You may be blindfolded, drugged, handled roughly, or even stuffed in the trunk of a car. If drugs are administered, do not resist. Their purpose will be to sedate you and make you more manageable; these same drugs may actually help you to get control of your emotions, which should be your immediate goal. If conscious, follow your captors’ instructions.

A hostage-taking situation is at its worst at the onset. The abductors are nervous and unsure, easily irritated, often irrational. It is a psychologically traumatic moment for the hostage. Violence may be used even if the hostage remains passive, but resistance could result in death.

If taken hostage, your best defense is passive cooperation. You may be terrified, but try to regain your composure as soon as possible and to organise your thoughts. Being able to behave rationally increases your chances for survival. The more time that passes, the better your chances of being released alive.

Behaviour Suggestions

Each captivity is different, but some behaviour suggestions apply to most:

— Try to establish some kind of rapport with your captors. Family is a universal subject. Avoid political dialogues, but listen attentively to their point of view. If you know their language, listen and observe; and if addressed, use it.

— Plan on a lengthy stay, and determine to keep track of the passage of time. Captors may attempt to confuse your sense of time by taking your watch, keeping you in a windowless cell, or serving meals at odd hours. However, you can approximate time by noting, for example, changes in temperatures between night and day; the frequency and intensity of outside noises — traffic, whistles, birds — and by observing the alertness of guards.

— Maintain your dignity and self-respect at all times.

— Manage your time by setting up schedules for simple tasks, exercises, daydreaming, housekeeping.

— Maintain your physical and mental health; it is critical to exercise body and mind. Eat food provided without complaint; keep up your strength.

— Request medical treatment or special medicines if required.

— Establish exercise and relaxation programmes. Exercise produces a healthy tiredness and gives you a sense of accomplishment. If space is confined, do isometrics. Relaxation reduces stress. Techniques include meditation, prayer, daydreaming.

— Keep your mind active; read anything available.

— Write, even if you are not allowed to retain your writings. If materials are not available, mentally compose poetry or fiction, try to recall Scripture, design a house.

— Take note of the characteristics of your captors and surroundings: their habits, speech, contacts; exterior noises and other distinctive sounds. This information could prove very valuable later.

— You can expect to be interrogated extensively, and to lose weight. You may be put in isolation; your captives may try to disorient you. It is important that you mentally maintain control.

Avoidance of Capture or Escape

Efforts to avoid capture or to attempt escape have in most cases been futile. The decision, however, is a personal one, although it could affect fellow hostages by placing them in jeopardy. Several other considerations should be weighed.

To have any chance of success, you should be in excellent physical condition and mentally prepared to react before the terrorists have consolidated their position. This, also, is the riskiest psychological time. You would need to have a plan in mind, and possibly have been trained in special driving tactics or other survival skills.

Rescue

The termination of any kidnapping incident is extremely tense. If an assault force attempts a rescue, it is imperative that you remain calm and out of the way. Make no sudden moves or take any action by which you could be mistaken for a kidnapper and risk being injured or killed.

Even in a voluntary release or surrender by the kidnappers, tensions are charged and tempers volatile. Very precise instructions will be given to the hostages, either by the captors or the police. Follow instructions precisely.

You may be asked to exit with hands in the air, and you may be searched by the rescue team. You may experience rough treatment until you are identified and the situation has stabilised.

Finally, it’s worth keeping in mind three facts:

— The overwhelming majority of victims have been abducted from their vehicles on the way to or from work.

— A large number of people taken hostage ignored the most basic security precautions.

— kidnappers’ tactics are not static. As precautions prove effective, they change their methods. There is a brief "window of vulnerability" while we learn to counter their new styles.

Additional Precautions

— Do not settle into a routine. Vary times and routes to and from work or social engagements.

— Remember, there is safety in numbers. Avoid going out alone. When travelling long distances by automobile, go in a convoy. Avoid back country roads and dangerous areas of the city.

— A privately owned car generally offers the best security. Avoid luxury or ostentatious cars. Keep your automobile in good repair and the gas tank at least half full.

Source: The United States State Department