What Can We Do to Help the Hostage?

If you are not a family member of the hostage: notify the family or next of kin immediately.

If you are a family member, you should inform the police, the relevant government department (e.g. Foreign Office Consular Directorate (Special Cases Unit) in the UK) and the hostageā€™s employers, if they have not already been in contact with you.

If you are the employer: notify the family immediately and also the relevant police or government body.

Offer your support to those affected by the kidnap including the family, close friends and colleagues, but do not talk about the incident to others outside of this circle as this could jeopardise the hostageā€™s safety.

Information on Kidnapping

There is very little information available about kidnapping because it is a crime that is often unreported in the media and academics struggle to get access to former hostages and their families to conduct research.

Research and advocacy overview

Public knowledge about hostage-taking is limited.

Organisational responsibility when an employee is taken hostage

Find out more about organisational responsibilities, family liaison and the experiences of hostages and their families through our training and education programme.Ā  Organisations who send employees to high-risk areas Organisations that send employees to a high-risk...

Recovery over the long term

Rebuilding your life does take time.