Child abduction occurs when a child is unlawfully taken, kidnapped, or held against his/her will or without the consent of his/her parent or legal guardian. 

Child abduction laws vary significantly from one state to another. Generally, child abduction is considered to be a criminal offense, punishable by criminal conviction and sentencing.

However, the uncertainty and legal variation occurs when a child is abducted by his/her parent. In some states, including California and Texas, parental child abduction is considered to be a criminal offense. 

However, in many locations throughout the United States, if the parents have failed to establish an official custody agreement, child abduction laws do not recognize parental child abduction as being a criminal offense.

Intrastate child abduction occurs when a child is unlawfully taken across state borders. This is often considered to be a Federal offense.

Criminal law contains additional information regarding child abduction and associated laws. 

As often is the case with violations of human rights, the public may not realize how pervasive a problem is. With refugeeism worldwide, for example, there are so many conflicts and inhospitable situations that it is realistically hard to keep track of the millions and millions of people that are displaced from their homes around the world.

International child abduction, on the other hand, owing to the press that certain cases have received, may actually be overestimated in terms of raw numbers. Still, the youth factor of the victims invokes an overall maternal fear of our society regarding children. Consequently, a number of organizations routinely pool their resources to try to trim abductee totals.

In the United States, the Department of Justice (who oversees the AMBER Alert program) works hand in hand with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and internationally, police efforts are coordinated by INTERPOL, while the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction is the standard for family law policy.

Despite so much attention to the problem, though, international child abduction not only remains, but increases in incidence. Some developments of this day and age, though they may be positive as a whole, also experience a certain recoil when it comes to the kidnapping of minors. While the AMBER Alert has its myriad supporters and is adding countries to its ranks, some studies are suggesting a disparity between the good intent of the service and its true effectiveness.

The blending of the populace in areas like the U.S. and U.K. also is seen by many as blessing, but a curse for those relationships (and families) that do not last. Plus, some existing cases have yet to be resolved. With the Madeleine McCann affair, the exact nature of her disappearance is still yet unknown.

With Erika Toland, her father Paul still scratches and claws to try to win visitation time with his daughter after his ex-wife ran off with her and Japanese courts have turned a deaf ear to his battle. In all, while the world is doing much for the problem of child abduction, there is yet more work to do.