Kidnap and Ransom insurance helps companies de-escalate kidnapping scenarios as effectively as possible and recover most costs associated.
Last month, the US State Department announced a $5 million USD reward for any information related to an American woman victim of kidnapping in Afghanistan. Back in 2008, the woman, who was working for a Non-Governmental Organization, her driver and her were kidnapped and presumably killed in Kandahar province. Before this terrible incident, the woman had been working for three years in this area as an English teacher and empowering Afghan women and children.
There is no accurate data regarding how many victims of kidnapping take place every year. On the one hand, HUB International reports that every year about 15,000 kidnap and ransom incidents occur around the world, which account for around half a billion dollars in ransoms paid. On the other hand, AIG estimates this figure may be higher with 40,000 kidnappings each year.
In the case of the US, the Hostage US organization estimates that over 200-300 Americans are kidnapped overseas each year. According to the US State Department, Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Iraq, Iran, and Libya are some countries where Americans are most likely to get kidnapped. Different kinds of people may be at risk. For instance, aid workers, journalists, business travelers, politicians, young women and tourists.
Kidnap and ransom insurance: a tool for managing risk
Due to the existence of this threatening issue, many organizations cover their employees with Kidnap and Ransom insurance as a measure to manage this risk and recover costs associated with these incidents like ransom, attorneys, travel expenses, and more.
Although kidnapping and ransom incidents are mostly associated with professionals traveling abroad, Great American Insurance Group says that national companies are not excluded from kidnapping and ransom risks, and insurance for kidnapping should be considered.
For example, manufacturing companies can be targets for product extortion, where the predator threatens the company to introduce a contaminant in the product in exchange for ransom. Other companies can be exposed to abduction to their employees, customers or visitors, particularly in facilities with public access like hospitals, retail stores, parking lots or movie theaters.
Kidnapping is perhaps one or the most threatening situation a person can experience. In fact, Kwema’s was founded when a close friend of our Co-Founder was abducted on her way home from the airport in Bolivia in 2015. Since then, we are committed to making a difference in preventing and de-escalating situations that threaten safety.
Nowadays, we have alliances with anti-kidnapping private security companies to protect workers from this threatening situation. The Kwema Smart Badge™ and our other discreet wearables allows workers to call for help when in dangerous situations, like in the event of a kidnapping.
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