Do Not Panic: What to Do If You Become a Crime Victim Abroad
Luckily, most travellers’ visits abroad are worry-free and safe. However, sometimes one may become a victim of crime abroad and that is something you are never ready to deal with. To be prepared and avoid despair in a difficult situation, read on for what the Foreign Commonwealth Office can do to help you.
General assistance includes:
- Issuing replacement travel documents if you’ve had them stolen
- Providing information about transferring money
- Providing help and consultancy if you have become a victim of rape or any other serious assault
- Contacting your family members or friends if you have trouble doing so yourself
- Offering you basic information about the local customs, laws, police and a legal-aid system
- Providing contact details of local lawyers, doctors, interpreters and funeral directors
- Offering support in a range of other cases, such as missing or death of your travel companion or relative under suspicious circumstances
Read also: How Not to Get Robbed While Travelling
If you’ve been robbed
- Make a list of all stolen items
- Immediately go to the local police and insist on filing a report because it’s the key document of any further insurance or compensation claim
- Cancel your stolen credit cards and travelers cheques, rebook your travel tickets
If you’ve been assaulted
- Contact the nearest embassy or consulate of your country especially if you’re arrested or admitted to hospital
- Tell the local police about your accident and insist on a report
If you’ve been sexually assaulted
- Talk to someone and do not keep the attack to yourself
- Contact your embassy’s or consulate’s staff, who are usually professional, patient, polite and willing to help. A local representative may come to the police department with you and help to go through all the necessary procedure
If your travel companion or relative died abroad
- Contact your embassy or consulate to get all the information of registering the death abroad and dealing with all the document needed
- In case of any suspicious circumstances, your consular staff will help you to raise concerns with the local authorities. Consular staff can’t investigate the crimes themselves but they will provide you with all the information about the local laws and your rights
The last but not the least important thing to do is purchasing a travel insurance policy before going abroad, and knowing its terms and conditions. Visit your government’s official travel advice website to be aware of any dangerous events and precautions. Note that many insurers won’t provide you with a policy if you travel against official travel warnings.
Find out more information from your country’s consular services on what to do if you became a victim of crime abroad.
Read also: Safety Travel Checklist
