Is it sexist to provide additional, specific safety advice for female and not male travellers? Of course not, says a white paper by a travel risk management consultancy. More than half of business travellers don’t receive any pre-trip information, according to Drum Cussac.
Its travel safety guide provides advice and tips for LGBT, female and disabled business travellers. As the Bournemouth-based security company says, thanks to globalisation, international business travel has become the everyday for many organisations. Yet, this freedom of movement masks the cultural, legal and infrastructural challenges faced by some vulnerable groups of travellers. While those heading on vacation get to choose their location, business travellers don’t. This can put vulnerable communities at risk, the company suggests, pointing to recent studies highlighting that more than a third of both female and LGBT travellers have experienced abuse while travelling for work. The guide includes:
– travel safety tips for pre-travel and in-country
– What to pack into your carry on luggage in case of an emergency
– Security tips to minimise risk and ensure wellbeing
-Case studies of travellers in Egypt and Turkey
– lists of traveller resources.
Contributors:
● Carolyn Pearson, CEO of Maiden Voyage;
● Ed Salvato, LGBTQ travel expert and Editor-in-Chief of ManAboutWorld;
● Aengus Carroll Human rights author and Lead Researcher for the ILGA-RIWI Global Attitudes Survey on Sexual, Gender and Sex Minorities; and
● Rob Crossan, Disabled travel journalist, broadcaster and campaigner.
Carolyn Pearson says: “There are certain key areas where women differ from men and these need to be taken in account when sending female employees on work trips. An obvious example would be that women can experience medical conditions that men cannot, for example a female traveller who is pregnant will need to be informed pre-trip if an area is at risk of the Zika virus. Female travellers are also at more risk of sexual assault or harassment than men, especially in certain regions of the world. In a survey we carried out at Maiden Voyage, we found that almost one in four female travellers had suffered a negative incident when travelling on business, half of these were related to sexual harassment. Such a high figure highlights how necessary it is for organisations to provide additional support for female travellers. How can one expect a business trip to be a success if an employee is looking over her shoulder the entire time she is away?”
Even in the UK or United States, women can still be found at a disadvantage, she adds. “Expectation management is an essential pre-trip requirement for female travellers, especially if they are heading to regions where cultural restrictions apply, such as dress codes or behavioural adaptations. This also applies to regions that impose legal restrictions against women too, such as in the Middle East. It is so important to communicate these daily differences ahead of travelling, as they can severely impact travellers who head abroad unaware of the challenges they face.”
This falls within an organisation’s duty of care obligations, she adds, arguing there’s a growing awareness from travellers that they know they need this support but aren’t getting it. “In far too many organisations there is a lack of leadership in addressing the specific needs of female and other vulnerable travellers. The impetus lies on organisations to brief and educate their travellers as to the potential risks they face to encourage a prosperous and productive trip.”
Ddownload the guide at: www.drum-cussac.com/vulnerable-travellers. See also the firm’s travel risk blogs.
