Abduction/ Kidnapping – In the case of abduction, a message can be sent which also pinpoints the user’s location via GPS.

In 2013, actor Halle Barry starred in the movie, The Call. The promo for the movie on IMDB reads: “When a veteran 911 operator takes a life-altering call from a teenage girl who has just been abducted, she realizes that she must confront a killer from her past in order to save the girl’s life.” 1

I didn’t become aware of the movie until some time in 2020 during the pandemic. But almost the whole time I watched the movie, I was thinking to myself (spoiler alert here), “If the girl in the trunk had had the Here I Am App on her phone, she could have been found in minutes.” Now of course, if the movie’s victim had had the Here I Am App on her phone there wouldn’t have been much of a movie. Author’s note: regardless of what you’ve just learned about the movie, you do have to watch it. It was one of the best movies I’ve watched in a LONG time and the movie’s ending is the most satisfying I’ve ever seen – sorry – not giving anything away here. You’ll just have to watch it.

Of course, most abductions don’t happen like in the movies. But should the situation arise where you’re abducted or kidnapped but still retain possession of your phone, by activating the Here I Am App, up to three contacts in your phone will know that you’re in trouble and because the Here I Am App also includes your GPS location, your contacts can let the authorities know exactly where you are! Resending the message will update your contacts as to your current position.

The most common form of kidnapping in many developed countries is the abduction of a child by a parent, who is typically estranged from the other parent and does not have legal custody of the child. The parent resorts to kidnapping either to cause the other parent emotional distress, because they fear the other parent will keep the child from them, or because they feel the other parent poses a threat to the child’s well being. Though much less common, there also exist instances of children being kidnapped for more nefarious purposes, such as human trafficking or sexual exploitation.2

In less-developed countries, kidnappings are often politically or economically motivated. Some kidnappings are carried out by insurgents as an act of terrorism, an effort to draw attention to their cause, or a means of extorting the government to comply with the kidnappers’ demands. Other kidnappings are performed by individuals seeking to raise funds, either by holding the abductee for ransom or selling them to human traffickers.3

Based on my research, in reality it appears that the U.S. does not have a significant abduction problem. In fact, based on the numbers, the U.S. doesn’t even appear in the top ten nations with the highest abduction rates – this is based on the number of abductions per 100,000 citizens.

Fewer than 350 people under the age of 21 have been abducted by strangers in the United States per year, on average, between 2010–2017.4

Canada, on the other hand ranks in the top five nations with an average of 11.5 kidnappings during the 2003 to 2017 period. For comparison, the world average in 2017 based on 65 countries is 1.8 kidnappings per 100,000 people.5  Based on research I’ve conducted, I believe most of Canada’s kidnappings are child abductions committed by a parent.

What does this mean to you? You and all your loved ones should have the Here I Am App on their phone. With the Here I Am app on your phone, in the time of an abduction, it may still be possible to send an emergency message to up to three of the contacts in your phone with just two clicks from your phone’s home screen. With the Here I Am App you’ll be letting your friends and family know when you need help and where you are and will be able to direct 9-1-1 to your exact location.

1. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1911644/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_14 – Accessed Aug. 4, 2022
2. https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/kidnappings-per-country Accessed Aug. 9, 2022
3. Ibid
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidnapping_in_the_United_States – Accessed Aug. 9, 2022
5. https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/Canada/kidnapping/ – Accessed Aug. 9, 2022