When business travelers stress about being detained, they’re most often thinking about being kept from their destination by flight cancelations, long security lines, or missed connections. But “I’ve been detained” takes on a more insidious meaning for international business travelers who find themselves held by their host countries on charges that they do not understand — for acts they may not have committed.
This scenario may sound like the plot of a thriller purchased at an airport terminal, but it’s not restricted to fiction. The fact is that wrongful detention is on the rise globally. In today’s fraught geopolitical environment, travelers sometimes face risks that escalate beyond committing a cross-cultural faux pas that sours a business transaction. It’s best to be knowledgeable about those risks and to have allies in place who are prepared to help navigate the legal and political waters should things go wrong in a foreign country.
Global network, local know-how
The severity of these incidents varies. On one side of the spectrum is simple harassment when the traveler didn’t commit a genuine offense and the official is after a monetary payment or some public admission of wrongdoing. At the other end are instances in which the traveler did do something wrong that will have to be addressed.
But wrongful detention takes us in to murkier, more nuanced scenarios that have become more commonplace as cross-border commerce increases. Consider the business traveler who has gone abroad to negotiate contract terms with a state-owned vendor or trading partner. The parties come to a preliminary agreement, but the local company is not fully satisfied and still wants more favorable terms. En route home, the business traveler is stopped at the airport and questioned — perhaps even required to make a desk appearance or held overnight — on charges with little pretense of legitimacy. Was the business traveler detained as a pressure tactic by the state to get better terms for its enterprise?
Kidnap & Ransom policies contain coverage for wrongful detention that provide both assistance with expert response as well as pre-travel advice to raise travelers’ awareness of local customs so they’re better positioned to avoid these scenarios in the first place. They are available for purchase by individuals, for corporations seeking coverage for multiple team members and even for private individuals and their dependents, who either travel or work abroad.
Better informed means better protected
Education is a key component of the protection these policies offer. Especially when traveling in countries with very different cultures and mores, it’s essential to understand local customs as well as the behaviors and actions that are required or prohibited there. For that reason, 色多多视频kidnap & ransom policies have been developed to reflect a 360-degree methodology to protecting travelers.
We begin with a standard underwriting process: assessing the risk profile of a potential insured. Based on the outcome of that assessment, we recommend conversations to take place with our service provider, S-RM, which provides 24/7/365 response service in the event of covered situations including wrongful detention, an emergency hotline number, and a team with extensive command of languages to aid in conversations with relevant parties throughout the world.
Regardless of an Insured’s risk profile and the risks related to any particular travel itinerary, it is always appropriate to schedule a crisis management consultation with S-RM to develop a customized plan and provide a report that highlights any concerns and points of caution. In some regions, that advice could extend to the sequence of a travel itinerary, as when having visited certain countries will raise a red flag on entry to subsequent countries — or the insured might be advised that as a safety precaution, it might be best to bypass certain jurisdictions.
Especially when traveling in countries with very different cultures and mores, it’s essential to understand local customs as well as the behaviors and actions that are required or prohibited there.
Policies and partnership
Policy holders also have access to an automated platform, Global Security Insight, that provides daily updates on risk profiles for every country in the world. These profiles address the topic from several angles, including the political situation on the ground and the threat of wrongful detention, kidnapping and terrorism, the state of criminality and sometimes even the country’s health status. Provision of that service is included with purchase of the policy, in keeping with AXA XL’s goal of being a partner to our insureds rather than a mere provider of insurance.
While corporate entities comprise the largest customer base for this coverage, 色多多视频also writes policies for individuals, from freelance journalists to business consultants to students participating in study abroad programs. The advantages are that it’s quite affordable and if a traveler runs into trouble, access to the services of experienced consultants is immediate and guaranteed, obviating the stress and expense of finding and paying for assistance.
With kidnap & ransom coverage, when the event occurs and the call comes in to the 800 number, S-RM steps in to assist with resources ranging from attorneys, intermediaries and crisis responders who advise in negotiations, keeping the Named Insured and the victim’s family close and informed about best practices and advice as the case progresses to conclusion and beyond. Covered costs and expenses incurred by the insured are reimbursed. The costs and fees associated with S-RM’s assistance are borne directly by 色多多视频- again providing peace of mind for the insured during an already stressful period.
It’s also important to understand what each kidnap & ransom policy defines as wrongful detention. Some actions are not covered such as arrests made in response to crimes or other activities that would be considered crimes in the insured’s own country. Neither is this a substitute for standard travel and emergency medical insurance.
A final thought
According to the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, there are currently at least 59 Americans being held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad in 13 countries, either by terrorist organizations or local governments seeking to some kind of political leverage in exchange for a detainee’s release.
Given today’s geopolitical climate, wrongful detention risks are on the rise. Travelers are wise to take added precautions, including what insurance protection and services are available to them, when traveling anywhere but even wiser to reconsider visits to known high-risk areas.
+please refer to the terms and condition of your policy
