Best Practices for Study Abroad Safety
Before You Study Abroad
More than 65% of study-abroad students are female. Many statistics show that women face more significant obstacles including gender violence, intimate partner violence, and cultural issues when traveling in this world. So, it shouldn’t be a secret how to protect, prevent and have the highest level of risk mitigation strategies available when needed.
To properly prepare all students for hidden dangers, you first must be able to identify the threat and then have a plan already formulated should some type of disaster occur. The most reliable way to start a preparedness strategy is to answer some questions about what you would do if a disaster or crisis happened right now. Have you thought about your emergency plan, and if you are ready to navigate a plan forward successfully? Let’s test your knowledge. This will be our baseline, and we can add the appropriate awareness strategies after identifying the safety and security gaps.
Explore Different “What-If” Scenarios:
It is important to remember these hypothetical situations happen every year.
· What if, when traveling, I lose my group?
· What if I miss my flight?
· What if my friend is a victim of crime?
· What if my wallet and cell phone are stolen or lost?
· What if I am lost?
· What if I am sick?
· What if someone is following me?
6 Simple Steps You Can Take Now to Protect Yourself and Loved Ones
Today, more than ever before, security is a critical issue for virtually every organization and individual. Health, safety, and security are top concerns, and adequately responding to these evolving issues is key to being proactive, prepared, and protected. Join us to learn six simple steps you can use now to protect yourself and your loved ones. To be truly effective in your mission, you must feel safe and secure not just in the workforce or at home but in everything you do.
Gender violence is in the news daily. Women being kidnapped, raped, and murdered has made the fight for preventing gender violence something that we cannot look away from, but instead, it needs to be highlighted if we want to avoid similar criminal acts from happening in the future. To improve your safety today, start by strategizing your security with the 3P’s, proactive prepared and protected. Each section has components connected to strategies, tools, and techniques. By utilizing these methods and developing a proactive approach, you can be one step ahead of the criminals and the chaos they bring. This method will reduce, mitigate, and help prevent victimization and prepare women with needed resources if a mishap or violent event does occur.
Six Steps to strategize your safety:
1. Situational Awareness
2. Learn about your personal safety gap and close it.
3. WanderSafe
4. Stash Bandz
5. Self-defense — RAD System
6. Develop your backup plan to get to safety.
Proactive — Strategy:
Awareness — Educate yourself. Improve your situational awareness with safety training. Our program teaches the Baseline Check and the 2R’s, Risk and Resource to improve situational awareness. Signup for a group or private situational awareness class. I always say, “You have to know the risk to avoid the risks.” Are there crime trends or hot spot areas in the location you will be traveling? Will you be traveling at night? Nighttime might bring more crime, but remember, crime still happens during the daylight. Always lock your doors at your home, hotel, and when in a car. Criminals often look for easy opportunities to commit crimes, including open doors and unsupervised personal items.
Prepared — Tools: My favorite tool to keep me prepared is the WanderSafe beacon. It’s a handheld device that can instantly notify your loved ones you require help. It is a non-violent safety solution, made to fit discreetly in the palm of your hand. The beacon has three powerful functions to assist in de-escalating a potentially unsafe situation. The side-click 1000-lumen torch illuminates a situation to give clarity to your surroundings. Press twice, and the light becomes a strobe. Do you need some help or want to attract some attention? Twist the top to activate a 140-decibel personal alarm. But the beacon’s most impressive function is the silent Assist button. Press the WanderSafe icon on the beacon, and your three pre-set trusted emergency contacts will be notified via an SMS that you need a call back urgently and provide a map with your exact geolocation coordinates so they can investigate and take appropriate next steps. We need tools to stay safe, and this is a great one. I partnered with WanderSafe, and you can use BeSafe10 as a discount code. Next, use a Stash Bandz money belt or something similar instead of a purse. It’s a great way to reduce the chances of a purse snatching. A Stash Bandz is a comfortable money belt that can hold your cell phone, keys, credit card, and money under clothing.
Protected — Techniques: Learn self-defense. An excellent self-defense program is the Rad Program. The RAD Systems have their foundations in education and awareness. The course includes lectures, discussions, and self-defense techniques suitable for women of all ages and abilities. Classes range from a minimum of nine to twelve hours plus in length, depending on the instructor. I attended this class along with my daughter. It was amazing. Check the website class locater and find a class nearest your location. You are only as good as your weakest link. Think about “What if” scenarios and develop a backup plan to get to safety. Talk about safety with your friends. If you are out with a group, discuss safety and ensure everyone has a safety plan. Learn about bystander intervention, have resources, and develop backup plans.
The 3 Ds of Bystander Intervention
Direct — Intervene in a situation by directly addressing those involved.
Delegate — If you do not feel comfortable intervening yourself, you can ask someone else to help.
Distract — Ask a question.
Here is a Bystander Intervention Tip Sheet from the American Psychological Association Research
Research Your Destination
Research your destination by starting with the five C’s: country, city, culture, climate, and crime. Whether studying or jet-setting the globe, students should focus on risk mitigation to avoid disasters and manage emergencies. Most crises can be avoided, but unfortunately, some incidents simply can happen from being in the wrong place at the wrong time. In the past year alone, we have seen many extreme examples of global crises, including floods, civil unrest, and an uptick in crime. Also, there are everyday issues to be aware of, including illnesses, accidents, and stolen property, all of which can be more stressful in a foreign country. Therefore, it is essential to be mindful of the entire spectrum of risks. Travelers should learn risk mitigation techniques to avoid, manage, and respond accordingly. When researching your destination, it is helpful to identify obstacles before you go. With this in mind, we look at the five C’s to make your experience both safer and extraordinary. Preparation can make all the difference, while unorganized and poorly planned travel can lead to disaster.
5 C’s
Country- Research the local issues and laws. Next, check for instability that can lead to civil disorder and protest. These issues may arise from unemployment, poverty, politics, or immigration. In addition, make sure you have emergency phone numbers for the country.
City- Research the accommodation’s safety features which, under ideal circumstances, may include 24/7 security officers and CCTV placement. Research the neighborhood crime trends. Also, look at the location’s convenience and safety of transportation. For example, what are the roadway standards, and are taxis safe to hail from the street, or is it better to reserve with a transportation company? Where is the closest hospital, embassy, consulate, and police station? Be sure to write down the phone numbers and addresses of each.
Cultural– One of the most effective safety tips when traveling in a foreign country is to blend in with the local population. This is usually accomplished by understanding some of the cultural nuances and customs. It is always recommended to learn and use some basic host country language.
Climate- There are many different weather patterns worldwide with unique localized conditions that can quickly turn disastrous. For example, the United States has areas prone to tornados, floods, heat waves, and hurricanes. Be ready for local weather trends and new weather patterns. Follow an emergency plan for each type of environmental hazard. This will not only keep you safe, but it could also save your life.
Crime- Understand local scams and crime trends. One of the most common techniques used in tourist spots worldwide is “distraction crime.” Be alert to anyone trying to distract your attention. Blend in with the local population, avoid looking like a tourist and leave your USA t-shirts at home. After assessing the risks, create a contingency plan for your travel. It is essential to be flexible yet prepared, and this includes purchasing traveler’s insurance, medical insurance, and evacuation insurance which can prevent an emergency from becoming a financial disaster.
Manage & Build Your Travel Plan Around Safety
A proactive prevention plan starts with addressing some specific risks along with safety strategies. A few risks facing female travelers include sexual harassment and sexual assault. Safety strategies will include improving self-defense, situational awareness, and intuition. All of which can improve safety and security for all students. We must know the risks to avoid the risks. It is a critical step to identify the techniques criminals are using to do harm to travelers, and then implement risk mitigation techniques to reduce harm.
Additional Risks Travelers may Face
An uptick in Drink spiking is happening around the world. Check out this article by John Nightbridge, Spike In Drugging Robberies At Bars Has Caused At Least Five Deaths. This article reminds us of the importance of strategizing safety when at parties, clubs, and bars.
What are the symptoms of your drink being spiked?
· Feeling drunk or woozy
· Feeling drunker than expected
· Mental confusion and speech difficulties (slurring words)
· Nausea and vomiting
· Breathing difficulties
Strategy: Keep an eye on your drink, do not leave your drink unattended. To reduce the risk of alcohol-related harm, minimize alcohol intake. Criminals often target drunk individuals.
Purse snatching and pickpocketing
Opportunistic crime is a leading factor in personal property losses. Passports, wallets, computers, and phones are the top missing items reported by travelers. These thefts or losses are often considered petty theft by many governments around the world, but to the person who is missing their personal belonging, it is far from petty. Phones and computers not only can be valued over thousands of dollars but may be loaded with personal information, documents, and photos that can be considered irreplaceable. Passports and wallets may not only contain money but will cost a considerable amount to replace because of an often overlooked cost that may include travel time to and from the embassy or consulate, hotels, trains, buses, and taxis to get the replacement documents before leaving the country.
Strategy: Keep an eye on all your belongings and remember criminals go out every day looking for their loot. Some criminals refer to this as “Apple Picking” earning thousands of dollars on a good day. Their favorite victims are those who are not paying attention to their possessions. Criminals are looking for easy targets.
Hotel and lodging
When entering new accommodations, do a quick room check, look behind curtains, under the bed, and anywhere else someone could hide. Check that the phone works and that the locks are working correctly. When others are around, use your last name instead of your room number when talking at the front desk. Take your room key out of the sleeve with your room number because if you drop it, a criminal will know what room the key is for. Be aware of your surroundings, trust your instincts, and listen to your gut. Being in an unfamiliar city can leave you more vulnerable. If you feel like you were followed into the hotel or outside to the parking deck, stop at the front desk and check in, and ask for help to monitor the situation. When entering the elevator from the lobby, hit an extra button on the elevator to throw off anybody that may be watching the numbers. Double-check down the hall to see who’s behind you when walking to your room. Never open your door when someone is within range to push you in. Wait till the person passes, then go into your room. If you have an unexpected knock at your hotel room door, call the front desk to check if they sent anyone to your room. Never open the door to anyone you are not expecting.
Strategy:
· Share your travel plans with a trusted family or friends and stay connected with a set communication plan.
· Consider investing in a door stopper or Alarm Doorstop. Pick up a business card from the front desk and keep it in your pocket. If you are exploring the city and you lose your phone with your map, directions, and accommodation information, you will have a card to show the police and to help you get back to your hotel.
· Put a “Do Not Disturb” Sign on Your Hotel Door.
· Trust Your Gut.
Every Traveler Deserves Peace of Mind
Knowledge is everything when it comes to safe travel and emergency response. Identifying security risks that are inherent in global travel is challenging without proper preparedness planning.
Global Secure Resources Community Awareness Prevention Program focuses on bystander intervention, sexual assault prevention, dating violence, the RedZone for college, situational awareness, and the baseline check. Learn personal safety skills and teach your loved ones how to unlock the power of safety & security. I always say it’s better to have a plan in place and not use it than to need a plan and not have one.
In addition, here are a few risk reduction tips I share with study abroad students in Global Secure Resources pre-departure travel training.
· We encourage students to take a self-defense class called RAD, which is a fantastic class that empowers the participants with skills to escape or fight if necessary. Check for locations and times at your local police department or by contacting RAD through their website.
· We cover worst-case scenarios and how to properly prepare for hidden dangers. You first must be able to identify the threat and then have a plan already formulated should some type of disaster occur. This is similar to the pre-flight emergency announcements that are made when we fly — we may never need to use this information, but if an emergency occurred, we would immediately know the procedures to be followed. I constantly remind travelers that following a good prevention plan and avoiding danger is much better than initiating a crisis plan.
· Scenarios we discuss involved terrorism, civil disorder, environmental hazards, and crime, and with each category, a plan of action including emergency numbers for the American Embassy, first responders, local point of contact, and emergency response number, which in many countries is not 911.
· We openly discussed the dangers of drinking, and that alcohol is the number one substance criminals use to take advantage of tourists when committing crimes. Sexual perpetrators consistently seek out the most vulnerable individuals. It is important to note, most sexual assaults are committed by an acquaintance when the victim is intoxicated as evidenced by the National Collegiate Date and Acquaintance Rape statistics, which indicates that 90% of acquaintance rapes involve alcohol.
· We discussed red flags, which are often displayed when a person feels unsafe or senses danger. This is an effective sign for personal security and should be acted upon immediately by leaving the area, changing direction, and reaching out to trusted associates. We discussed that alcohol reduces the ability to detect red flags and that trusting your instinct is usually the correct course of action.
The world is an amazing place to explore. One of the best gifts you can give yourself is the opportunity to study abroad to create a lifetime of memories. Blaze your global trail with critical components for strengthening your security & safety to ensure your success. These skills will be helpful as you explore the world, giving you a better sense of personal security. Use these skills whether around the corner — or around the world.
Life-changing experiences await you. Safe travels!
Carrie Pasquarello, CEO, and Co-Founder of Global Secure Resources Inc. is a victim advocate who took her overseas experience with the State Department and turned it into a platform to help others navigate personal safety. She spent over a decade throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa, developing her business strategy, which was based on risk mitigation involved with her travel to over 35 countries. In the process, Carrie refined the security protocols in place used to keep Diplomats safe in their travel and integrated these techniques for clients to ensure their business continuity, and most importantly, the safety of their loved ones. Carrie was invited to the White House to discuss student safety abroad and continues to be a fierce advocate to protect students. Author: Study Abroad Safety, A Parent’s Guide to Sending Your Child Abroad. Her company is certified Women-Owned.
Please contact us to learn more about our Community Awareness Prevention Programs
