“Parental abductions are the most common in Portugal”

“Parental abductions are the most common in Portugal”

“Parental abductions are the most common cases in Portugal”, 24horas is told by Paulo Pereira Cristóvão, the president of the Portuguese Missing Children Association [APCD], and a former PJ inspector.


Pereira Cristóvão further reveals to 24horas that the Association registered 10 cases last year. “These were disagreeing parents who wanted their son’s or daughter’s photo to be included in our missing children gallery”, he states.


“In these cases, unfortunately the child is often used as a weapon, especially in divorce or custody disputes”, Cristóvão explains.

“We refuse this type of appeal, the former inspector adds, because these are not abductions that are perpetrated by third parties”. In cases of parental abduction, or, according to the Penal Code, of subtraction of children, which is the classification, the Association sends people towards the PJ or the Public Ministry.

“Complete idiocy”

When asked by 24horas about the possibility of some press, mainly foreign, connecting the case of Sara Sofia Lopes dos Santos, the 3-year-old child that is being searched by the PJ of Portimão, with the Maddie case, former inspector Pereira Cristóvão is peremptory: “It’s a complete idiocy, because those are completely different cases”. And he concludes: “There is no case in Portugal that resembles that of the English girl”.




There are no statistics about the number of parental abductions in our country, but last year, the free telephone line of the Child Support Institute [IAC] reported eight cases.

Source: 24 Horas page 9

Update: Inspite of the Portuguese Media reports in 24horas, Sol, Lusa and local newspapers the British Media is NOT reporting anything regarding the Parental Kidnapp of Sara Sofia. At least not until now.

One word of Advice to the Portuguese Press: Maybe you should start checking your sources and do some investigative journalism [use google search] instead of acting like the Sun or the Mirror. It's just embarrassing.

Good article and worth a read. Didnt Clarry hear about this abduction from the mother? It doesnt suit them to make an issue of it now does it?

Jennifer wrote:Good article and worth a read. Didnt Clarry hear about this abduction from the mother? It doesnt suit them to make an issue of it now does it?

No they've avoided this one. Hardly a surprise is it?

It always bothers me a little when Portugal is singled out with an assumption that child abductions of any sort only happen there. The stats for PT are the same as anywhere else in the world. PT is no different. In fact the US would probably have a higher percentage of family abductions per capita given their higher divorce rate. The stats are 6 stranger abductions for every 10 million of population. As the UK has a population of 60 mil, that's an average of 6 per year. PT's population is a bit over 10mil, that's one per year. I feel that these articles give an impression that there is something about PT to show that abductions are higher there which is blatantly not the case. The higher the population, the higher the figures, no matter which country you speak of. When will portugal ever rid itself of this stigma?

Binky wrote:It always bothers me a little when Portugal is singled out with an assumption that child abductions of any sort only happen there. The stats for PT are the same as anywhere else in the world. PT is no different. In fact the US would probably have a higher percentage of family abductions per capita given their higher divorce rate. The stats are 6 stranger abductions for every 10 million of population. As the UK has a population of 60 mil, that's an average of 6 per year. PT's population is a bit over 10mil, that's one per year. I feel that these articles give an impression that there is something about PT to show that abductions are higher there which is blatantly not the case. The higher the population, the higher the figures, no matter which country you speak of. When will portugal ever rid itself of this stigma?

It's such a shame...being a Travel Agent,one of our biggest selling destination was Portugal!Sadly now i'm lucky to get one enquiry a month!

lubelle wrote:

Binky wrote:It always bothers me a little when Portugal is singled out with an assumption that child abductions of any sort only happen there. The stats for PT are the same as anywhere else in the world. PT is no different. In fact the US would probably have a higher percentage of family abductions per capita given their higher divorce rate. The stats are 6 stranger abductions for every 10 million of population. As the UK has a population of 60 mil, that's an average of 6 per year. PT's population is a bit over 10mil, that's one per year. I feel that these articles give an impression that there is something about PT to show that abductions are higher there which is blatantly not the case. The higher the population, the higher the figures, no matter which country you speak of. When will portugal ever rid itself of this stigma?

It's such a shame...being a Travel Agent,one of our biggest selling destination was Portugal!Sadly now i'm lucky to get one enquiry a month!

Thats really odd as I have plenty of people from the pub who are going this year and most of them are regulars to Portugal.

Dogwood wrote:

lubelle wrote:

Binky wrote:It always bothers me a little when Portugal is singled out with an assumption that child abductions of any sort only happen there. The stats for PT are the same as anywhere else in the world. PT is no different. In fact the US would probably have a higher percentage of family abductions per capita given their higher divorce rate. The stats are 6 stranger abductions for every 10 million of population. As the UK has a population of 60 mil, that's an average of 6 per year. PT's population is a bit over 10mil, that's one per year. I feel that these articles give an impression that there is something about PT to show that abductions are higher there which is blatantly not the case. The higher the population, the higher the figures, no matter which country you speak of. When will portugal ever rid itself of this stigma?

It's such a shame...being a Travel Agent,one of our biggest selling destination was Portugal!Sadly now i'm lucky to get one enquiry a month!

Thats really odd as I have plenty of people from the pub who are going this year and most of them are regulars to Portugal.

Well thats good news!!Maybe it's just over here or just a coincidence.I have never heard a bad report from anyone going to Portugal...maybe we'll have loads of last minute bookings.