Detention by foreign governments
Where staff or students are detained by foreign governments or authorities the university should have a policy and procedures in place for such an eventuality.
We would recommend integrating into your procedures the emergency and crisis support which should be available via your travel insurance. This includes ensuring that travellers have contact details for such services and how best to access to these (telephone/online etc.).
Most travel insurance policies should include consultants cover following detention. An example as follows:
'The holding under duress of an insured person for whatever reason, other than kidnap, and irrespective of whether such holding under duress is by legal governmental authorities in the place of custody or by other parties.'
Ideally the specialist crisis support should have key performance indicators (KPIs) in such circumstances i.e. contact with the detained person within 20 minutes of notification. These should be reviewed periodically.
It is important to note that detention cover may have an exclusion for:
'…the failure of an insured person to properly procure or maintain immigration, work, residence or similar visas, permits or other documentation'.
It is vital therefore that you ensure that all travellers intended to be indemnified under your travel insurance have the correct visas, permits and relevant paperwork. This should ideally be included on a checklist that all travellers complete before being allowed to travel and access travel insurance documentation.
Special contingency cover
Some institutions purchase special contingency or kidnap and ransom insurance cover.
In a similar fashion to the travel insurance cover special contingency policies should typically have cover for unlawful detention. An example wording below:
'The holding under duress of an insured person for whatever reason, irrespective of whether such holding under duress is by legal governmental authorities in the place of custody or by others. If held by legal government authorities the detention must be the result of malicious and false accusations against you or an insured person of a criminal offence made solely and directly to achieve a political, propaganda, or coercive effect upon or at the expense of you or the insured person or the country in which you have your headquarters or of which the insured person is a national.'
This policy will also provide access to specialist consultants and outline the support they are able to provide.
We would recommend organisations that purchase both co-ordinate the support available between these policies to ensure a clear and smooth access to the resources required.
In a similar fashion to the travel insurance policy there would typically be an exclusion for 'failure to properly procure or maintain immigration, work, residence, travel or similar visas, permits or other documentation.'
Bespoke support and advice
More broadly we would recommend that there is a robust risk assessment in place for trips. The information and detail supporting these assessments will need to be updated to reflect the changes we are witnessing in hitherto friendly or acceptable territories and the risks attached to these.
In particular, we would recommend assessments around students and staff use of social media and their public comments made about the authorities and governments in the countries and territories they are visiting.
Risk advice to travellers may also extend to the type of electronic equipment they take on trips which could be used as evidence about their online history or activity.
As ever we would recommend external risk consultancy advice should be taken on specific high-value or high-profile trips to ensure your institution has the most accurate and up to date risk advice being provided to travellers.
