Over 2,500 people in 116 countries – a number that takes some time to sink in. At the beginning of November, Interpol launched a major international operation. Interpol stands for ‘The International Criminal Police Organisation’ and was founded in Vienna in 1923. According to online information, the organisation comprises 196 countries. The organisation is now based in Lyon.
Interpol provides a global communication system and databases for information processing. This also includes notifying member states about wanted persons, coordinating overarching support measures using technical aids and promoting international cooperation in the areas of research, education and training. The main tasks of Interpol include support measures for criminal police authorities and combating crimes against humanity.

According to media reports, more than 3,000 suspected victims were rescued during the coordinated operation at the beginning of October. The operation lasted a full six days. In addition, around 19,000 people with a migrant background – without papers – are said to have been taken, including minors.
It has also been reported, for example, that a leader of a sect in Costa Rica was arrested for child exploitation, forced labour and physical and psychological violence.

Operations like these show the importance of cooperation. In this case, international cooperation was able to offer many people a way out on a large scale. People who were thought to have disappeared or died weeks, months or years ago now hopefully have a new chance to reclaim their lives. It should not go unmentioned that we will never know how many people are really affected by exploitative conditions and have to spend their lives locked up with no prospect of ever being found.
When you start researching abductions, you quickly realise how little can really be recorded. It is very difficult to find reliable figures on abducted persons, as there are many different types of abduction and those affected often do not report them. The German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) states that there are at least 50,000 kidnappings per year worldwide. In Germany, the figure is said to be 50-80 cases. This figure also includes attempted kidnappings. The police crime statistics mainly cite kidnapping cases with the aim of extorting ransom money. The biggest problem in the area of human trafficking and determining reliable figures is that, on the one hand, the definitions are so varied and, on the other hand, the number of unreported cases cannot even be guessed at.
According to the report, most victims are locals or local employees of companies, as they have very few or no protective measures in place. Reports say that Western companies in particular underestimate this danger and focus on protecting expats. It is also interesting to note that the chances of survival are generally described as ‘good’. However, kidnappings in so-called industrialised nations are special cases. There is no ‘kidnapping industry’ here and the perpetrators are therefore less ‘practised’ and, for example, cannot withstand the high search pressure. As perpetrators in western regions are often overwhelmed, this in turn leads to short-sighted behaviour. According to reports, insured victims have particularly good chances. One of the reasons given for this is that experienced crisis counsellors are used for negotiations, while violent attempts to free hostages by special units often lead to their death.
This paragraph makes it clear how complex the issue of kidnappings really is. It becomes clear that it is not even possible to come close to recognising how many people are affected by kidnappings and this ignorance leaves me, for example, feeling at a loss.
Translated by Anna Smith
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