TD Original

How To Survive a Migrant Kidnapping

Lillian Perlmutter / Truthdig May 27, 2025 U.S. and Mexican immigration policies have made kidnapping a rite of passage on the migrant trail. Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )

Immigration

Kidnapping on the Migrant Trail

Lillian Perlmutter / Truthdig Jul 3, 2024 Abducting migrants as they head north through Mexico is becoming common. What can they do to avoid it? Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Immigration

How US Policy Exacerbates Migrant Kidnappings on the Mexico Border

Parker Asmann / Insight Crime Jun 29, 2023 US policies have exposed migrants to a greater risk of being killed, disappeared, extorted, and kidnapped near the Mexico border. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Case of Missing Pakistani Children Is Also About Corruption

Zubeida Mustafa / Truthdig Oct 8, 2018 A devastating case is bringing Pakistan's biggest social and political issues—police corruption, patriarchal injustice—to the fore once again. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

110 Nigerian Girls Missing After Boko Haram Militants’ Raid

HARUNA UMAR and SAM OLUKOYA / The Associated Press Feb 25, 2018 It's feared that the girls will be forced to become brides of the extremists. The abduction follows a 2014 case in which Boko Haram seized 276 young Nigerian females. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

The Abduction of the Chibok Schoolgirls Was Only the Iceberg’s Tip

China Okasi / Truthdig May 18, 2015 The rescue of hundreds of captives in Nigeria shows that the scale of kidnappings by the terrorist group Boko Haram has been grossly underestimated. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Chibok Girls Remembered, One Year On

China Okasi / Truthdig Apr 16, 2015 The loss of hundreds of schoolgirls to Boko Haram has shown that in Nigeria, the powerful care nothing about the powerless until an international tragedy embarrasses them. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Islamic State Militants Abduct More Than 70 Christians in Syria

Kasia Anderson / Truthdig Feb 24, 2015 Members of the Islamic State group launched a broad raid on several villages in Syria starting early Monday, and by Tuesday the militant group had kidnapped more than 70 Christians. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

European Nations Funding Al-Qaida Through Ransom Payments

Kasia Anderson / Truthdig Jul 30, 2014 Although the governments of several European countries weren't exactly willing to corroborate this story, The New York Times reported Tuesday that al-Qaida has made a consistent practice of kidnapping European citizens for ransom, and it has paid off very well. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Beyond Boko Haram: Long-Term Justice for Nigeria Lies in Economic Empowerment and Social Change

Sonali Kolhatkar / Truthdig Jun 14, 2014 Although an international campaign drawing attention to the hundreds of kidnapped girls this past April under the social media banner of #BringBackOurGirls has gathered serious momentum, little attention has been paid to the conditions that have nurtured a group like Boko Haram.Although an international campaign drawing attention to the hundreds of kidnapped girls this past April has gathered serious momentum, little attention has been paid to the conditions that have nurtured a group like Boko Haram. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

U.S. Steps Up Effort to Find Nigerian Girls

Staff / Truthdig May 22, 2014 The United States deployed 80 military personnel to Chad on Wednesday to help find 200 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram, as Nigeria probed its deadliest attack ever, two car bombings in the city of Jos, with the militant group the main suspect. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Nigerian President Sparks Outcry by Canceling Visit to Abducted Girls’ Town

Staff / Truthdig May 17, 2014 Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday canceled a visit to the hometown of more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by Islamic militants, provoking fresh criticism of his handling of the crisis. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )