We (as US residents) have all heard of instances where young girls have been kidnapped or abducted, and raped by their attacked. It is not uncommon to hear these stories on the daily news, and in today’s society, these occurrences have become even more common. This image above is of Jaycee Dugard (right). In 1991, Jaycee was abducted at only 11 years old. Her abductor Phillip Garrido (left) and his wife (middle) abducted Jaycee because he wanted a young woman to act as his “new bride”. Jaycee was abused and raped repeatedly until she became pregnant at age 13, and again at age 16.

When I first began researching bride kidnapping, I never connected the practice to the United States. “Something this terrifying could never happen where I live”. Obviously, we all know that this happens daily. This have coined the term “forced marriage” or simply, “abduction”.

Alan B. Goldberg; Sarah Netter (March 5, 2010). “Jaycee Dugard: ‘It’s Been a Long Haul'”. ABC News. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2016.