Kidnapping: how can EAPs intervene? By understanding the cultures of societies and workplaces and the differing perspectives of criminals and their victims, EA professionals can minimize the impact of kidnappings on workers, their families, and their employers.

Kidnapping is the act of seizing and depriving someone of his/her freedom to obtain an economic or political benefit or the satisfaction of revenge. It is an act that works to the detriment of the physical and psychological well-being of the individual.

Unfortunately, kidnapping has become a daily event in Colombia. Over the last several years, official statistics show a strong increase in the number of kidnappings. In 2002 there were 2,992 cases officially reported, and it is estimated that the actual number of cases was far higher (perhaps more than 50 percent higher).

Kidnapping now affects all socio-economic levels of the Colombian population. In the beginning, a profile of possible victims could be defined according to their wealth, property holdings, and economic comforts, but little by little the problem has grown and nowadays there appear to be other grounds for kidnappings. Following are the most usual types of kidnappings in Colombia:

* Kidnapping for ransom, with the clear intention of obtaining a benefit (money, property, etc.);

* Kidnapping as a way to exert political pressure (for example, the release of terrorists who are in jail);

* "Express" kidnappings, where money is demanded in a very short time (typically forcing the victim to withdraw funds from an automated teller machine);

* Extended kidnappings, wherein the kidnapper decides to take all the time necessary to obtain his/her demands and shows no interest in ending the kidnapping;

* Kidnapping the victim to obtain information;

* Kidnapping to "sell" the victim to another group that is in charge of the negotiation (in general, the kidnappers are common criminals who do not have the organization to keep the victim and have to get rid of him/her as soon as possible and obtain an economic gain);

* "Miracle fishing," in which the kidnapping is random and anyone can be a victim (the kidnappers "study" the characteristics of the person(s) to be abducted; this type of kidnapping often occurs on roadways and many buses are stopped); and

* Group kidnappings, in which many people are kidnapped (for instance, passengers on a plane, children on a school bus, worshippers in a religious ceremony, or people attending a party).

To avoid being kidnapped, some people pay a "vacunas" (vaccine), a monthly fee that is a form of "tax" to a kidnapping organization. Employers may also pay this fee to prevent their employees or workplaces from being used as leverage. Kidnapping is becoming a priority issue for businesses in Colombia, as it is more and more common for an employee to be abducted to demand ransom money from the employer.

ROLE OF EA PROFESSIONALS

Employee assistance professionals who provide consultation to work organizations in Colombia must be very familiar with the characteristics of kidnappings in the country--who carries them out, the reasons they do it, the methods they use, and other details that define the profiles of the kidnappers, the victims, and the crime itself. Understanding the different types of kidnapping acts and methods of negotiation allows the EA professional to provide the proper advice and devise action and prevention plans according to each work organization's needs.

EA professionals also need to know the work organization's policies regarding the possible kidnapping of an employee. For example, if the kidnappers demand a ransom, is the employer going to pay? If so, under what circumstances? If not, how can the image of transparency be projected and the fact that there will be no hidden negotiations? Employees, as well as their close relatives, must know the risks of a possible kidnapping and the policies to be followed.

It sometimes happens that employers do not see the need to take time to analyse this problem and discuss ways to prevent it. Our approach to kidnappings contains a preventative element as well as intervention with the victim's family and co-workers and a post-kidnapping intervention.

In the prevention stage, information is provided both to employees and their families on general considerations about kidnappings as well as how they should handle the kidnapping of a close person. For example, resisting is not helpful as it generates more violence. Also, avoid lying. Many victims of kidnappings, in their fear and shock, lie to their kidnappers, who may later compare answers and confirm the lies. Lying generates rage in kidnappers, who often consider themselves honest, responsible people and believe that what they are doing when abducting a person is part of their job. This is a good example of how the meaning of an event varies according to the person relating the event. Knowing both versions is of the essence for the EA professional in order to be able to warn those who may become kidnapping victims.

During the intervention stage, the aim is to provide professional and emotional support to the family. Therefore, it is necessary to begin by defining the group of persons with whom the EA professional is going to work. It often happens that persons turn up who were not close to the victim but who want to provide assistance. The EA professional must help the family set limits on others.

Likewise, the EA professional must guide the company (both directors and co-workers) so they avoid invading the privacy of the victim's family. The EA professional should recommend that the company appoint no more than three persons to be contacts during the process and help mediate the family-employer relationship. During the kidnapping, the EA professional should be part of the negotiation group or the contact group.

One thing to always keep in mind is the difference in each party's "psychological time." Close family members "freeze" time, and each minute seems like an eternity to them, whereas kidnappers try to "soften up" the family and company officials by extending the amount of time between each contact. Understanding the differences in the way each party reacts during a kidnapping will help the EA professional provide family members and the employer with the appropriate empathy and professional support.

In the post-kidnapping stage, the EA professional provides assistance to the released victim and his/her relatives and co-workers. One of the most critical times during a kidnapping is when the victim is released. Initially, there is a lot of excitement and everyone needs to talk; afterward, everyone (especially the victim) must return to normal life and overcome their particular emotional and cognitive experiences, from post-trauma to depression and the sense of loss of past life. The EA professional can help by listening and by using a group as social support. Interviews at this stage are very frequent and progressively become less necessary

COMPLEX HUMAN SITUATION

Kidnapping is one of the most violent psychological experiences a person may undergo. The EA professional who intervenes must be professionally and psychologically prepared to be involved during long periods of time in a highly complex human situation with a lot of emotional stress.

There are intervention rules but no predetermined interventions, since a kidnapping case involves many people in different groups--families, employers, law enforcement, and the kidnappers. All of them undergo a high level of stress that can lead to diverse human reactions. To commit to providing professional assistance during a kidnapping situation is an act of supreme dignity.

Eduardo Villar Concha is director of EAP Latina Corporation in Colombia. He is a psychiatrist and psychotherapist and a professor of family systems psychotherapy at Sistemas Humanos in Bogota, Colombia.