Legal Definitions - manstealing

Manstealing is an older term for the crime of kidnapping. It refers to the unlawful act of taking a person away by force, fraud, or coercion, against their will, and holding them captive or moving them to another location. The core of the offense is the deprivation of a person's liberty and freedom of movement.

Here are some examples illustrating the concept of manstealing:

• Example 1: Abduction for Ransom

  A criminal organization forcibly seizes a prominent business executive from their home, transports them to a secluded hideout, and demands a large sum of money from their family in exchange for their safe release. This act constitutes manstealing because the executive is taken by force, against their will, moved to a different location, and held captive with the intent to extort money.

• Example 2: Child Abduction by a Stranger

  An individual approaches a child playing in a public park, convinces them with false promises of candy and toys to get into their car, and then drives them to a different city with the intention of keeping them. This is an instance of manstealing because the child is unlawfully taken by fraud (luring), against their will (or without the capacity to give valid consent due to age), and transported to another location, thereby depriving them of their freedom and safety.

• Example 3: Forced Labor and Human Trafficking

  A person seeking employment is deceived by a recruiter into believing they have a legitimate job opportunity in another country. Upon arrival, their passport is confiscated, and they are forced to work in a factory under harsh conditions without pay, unable to leave or contact their family. This scenario exemplifies manstealing because the individual is taken (moved to another country) through fraud (false job offer), held against their will (passport confiscated, unable to leave), and deprived of their liberty for an unlawful purpose (forced labor).