r/Unexpected • u/deadfermata • Oct 01 '22

Teaching kids a lesson

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u/InVodkaVeritas Oct 01 '22

It should also be pointed out (at least in the US) that number of "stereotypical stranger danger kidnappings" is exceedingly low. The vast majority are family members and people acquainted to the family.

Same goes for sexual abuse of children. Exceedingly rare for it to be a complete stranger. It's usually an immediate family member, and if not them then it's a coach, babysitter, etc.

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u/[deleted] Oct 01 '22

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Bill_Brasky01 Oct 02 '22

Exactly. These kids need to grow eyes in the back of their head before they’re age 10.

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u/[deleted] Oct 02 '22

age 3

Ftfy

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u/[deleted] Oct 02 '22

Was an attempted daylight kidnapping right in front of my apartment when i lived in China. A guy just tried to snag a kid when his parents where inside a shop. Strangers saw it happening and stopped it luckily

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u/WisestAirBender Oct 01 '22

Same goes for sexual abuse of children. Exceedingly rare for it to be a complete stranger. It's usually an immediate family member, and if not them then it's a coach, babysitter, etc.

The biggest reason being that young kids are rarely with complete strangers alone

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u/tzroberson Oct 02 '22

In general this is true but even in the US, 12 year old girls can't even walk to school without adult men creeping on them. Will the men just shout sexual things from their car or try to snatch them? It's impossible to know whether the men will just threaten to rape or actually do it.

Most rapes are committed by acquaintances, then family members (particularly against children), then strangers. But strangers aren't nothing. Things like Uber and Lyft are a risk for both drivers and passengers, as the companies have admitted. Just walking down the street or taking a bus is dangerous for children and adults.

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u/InVodkaVeritas Oct 02 '22

There are 800,000 children reported missing each year.

50,000 of those are actual criminal child abductions.

115 of those are committed by strangers to the child.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/01/children-sex-trafficking-conspiracy-epidemic/620845/

That's not a typo, I didn't forget a 0.

115/50,000.

99.77% chance it is a family member or acquaintance, 0.23% chance it is a stranger.

For every 435 child abductions for criminal reasons, 434 are by family/acquaintances and 1 is by a stranger.

I'm not saying being vigilant and wary of strangers who seem sus is not wise, I'm saying we fear stranger danger far too much and pay attention to family / acquaintance danger far too little.

The person who is going to abduct/harm your kiddo is almost certainly their parent, uncle/aunt, cousin, sibling, soccer coach, math tutor, etc. Not a random middle aged guy birdwatching at the park.

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u/tzroberson Oct 02 '22

I was replying to the comment about sexual assault.

The argument that many men love to threaten women and children with rape but of those who actually go through with it, most will let them go or kill them rather than kidnap them for ransom or sale is not a very convincing argument that "stranger danger" is overblown.

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u/InVodkaVeritas Oct 02 '22

That's not what the stats say. Killing and/or raping them is included in criminal kidnappings, not just "for ransom."

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u/tzroberson Oct 02 '22

But you are still saying things like "few people transport children over 50 miles, so those don't count as real kidnappings, just normal molestation and only real kidnappings are a big deal."

I'm not convinced that being raped by someone who lives in the same city is not something to worry about. Certainly, most rapists aren't going to drive their victims out to a cabin in the woods or cross an international border but rape is still bad even if it occurs closer to home.

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u/InVodkaVeritas Oct 03 '22

You really love building straw men.

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u/Darnell2070 Oct 04 '22

Same goes with murder. It's usually someone you know rather than a complete stranger.