Transcript Goals of the Presentation

U.S. Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Office of Overseas Citizen Services
Consular Assistance
to U.S. Citizens Overseas
Victoria Bonasera
Victim Assistance Specialist
October 2012
Goals of the Presentation
 Explain the role of the U.S. State Department in
assisting U.S. citizens overseas
 Discuss unique issues in overseas crime cases
 Share information on foreign country
compensation programs and other national
resources
 Discuss the challenges for overseas victims to
qualify for U.S. state compensation programs
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Vienna Convention
on Consular Relations
 International agreement (1963): Legal authority
for one nation’s consular officers to function
within another nation and act on behalf of its
citizens
 A Consul: An official appointed by a country to
reside in another country and assist its citizens
residing or traveling in a foreign state
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Bureau of Consular Affairs
 Mission: To provide Consular services and
protections to Americans abroad.
• Assistance to Americans abroad in emergencies
& non-emergencies
• Safety of U.S. citizens traveling, studying, and
residing abroad is paramount
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Bureau of Consular Affairs
 Passport Services
• 23 Passport Agencies
• 12.6 million passports issued
in FY 11.
 Visa Services
• Immigrant and Non-Immigrant
Visas
 Overseas Citizens
Services
• Emergency/Non-Emergency
Services
• Crime Victim Assistance
• Children’s Issues
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Overseas Citizens Services
Our Number One Priority:
Safety and Security of
U.S. citizens abroad
U.S. Department of State Structure
 Over 250 Embassies and Consulates in nearly
every country in the world
 Augmented by Overseas Citizens Services
(OCS) staff in Washington
• American Citizen Services (ACS)
• Children’s Issues (CI): International Adoptions,
International Parental Abductions
• Office of Legal Affairs (L)
• Outreach and Training (OT)
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U.S. Citizens Abroad
 U.S. citizens make over 65 million trips abroad
every year
 6.3 million U.S. citizens reside overseas
 Over 700,000 students study abroad
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Consular Information Program
www.travel.state.gov
 Country Specific Information (200+ semi-annually)
• Country-specific information, e.g., health and safety conditions,
entry requirements, US Embassy and consulate locations and
contact information
 Travel Warnings
• Dangerous or unstable conditions – countrywide, chronic
 Travel Alerts
• Short-term threat; regional threat within a country
 No Double Standard!
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Non-Emergency Services
 Citizenship
 File Taxes
 Voting
 Federal Benefits
 Notarials
 Enrollment- Let us know you are there
• Enroll on the Internet or at embassies
and consulates overseas
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Emergency Services

Issuance of Emergency Passports

Welfare/whereabouts
• Privacy Act limitations

Arrests/detentions
• More than 3,500 per year; 30 % drug related
• Monitor case; communicate with family & authorities
• Consular prison visits: almost 9000 per year.

Crisis response/evacuation coordination
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Emergency Services
 Deaths and Estates
 Medical Emergencies
• 2500 hospitalizations abroad per year, 400 medevacs
 Crime/terrorism victims’ assistance
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Emergency Financial Assistance
 Financial Assistance Programs
• Assist in contacting family/friends for help
– OCS Trusts -- $1.7 M last year
• Repatriation loans
– $1.8M per year
• Emergency Medical and Dietary Loans
– $175K per year
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CA’s Victim Assistance Program
 Program began in 2000,
when we realized we
were seeing more victims
 In addition, there was
greater Congressional
interest in how we were
serving victims.
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Victim Assistance Program
Responsibilities
 Provide support
 Increase understanding of
• Impact of Crime
• Principals of Victim Assistance
 Track numbers of cases
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Kidnapping
Rape
Homicide
Child
Abuse
Domestic
Violence
Robbery
Assault
Terrorism
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Trafficking
IPCA
Hostage
Taking
Other crimes in which the victim
suffers serious physical injury or
emotional trauma.
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What can
consular staff
do to assist victims
of violent crime?
What can’t they do?
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Assisting Victims
 Overseas
• Provide support and
information
• Explain criminal
justice process
 From Washington
• Resources &
referrals
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Provide Information
Provide criminal justice process information
 Help the victim file police report & obtain copy
 Serve as the POC for case information, case
progress, and court dates
 Advocate for travel expenses if the victim returns to
testify and provide requested assistance
 Accompany the victim to key phases of the trial, if
possible, and monitor the trial outcome
 Identify local sources of support ($, emotional)
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What are
some of the
issues for
crime victims
overseas?
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Issues for Victims Overseas
 Far from family or friends
 Out of his/her “comfort zone”
 Unfamiliar with where to get help
 Language/cultural/legal differences
 Foreign criminal justice process
 Additional costs
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Overseas Challenges
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Local law
Systems may be corrupt
Won’t investigate crime
Victims may not have rights
Services may not exist
Difficult choices
Services are not equal
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State Department Challenges
 Location of the victim/crime
 Organizational culture
 Staff turnover
 Workload
 Staff training
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Foreign Compensation Programs
 Programs change constantly
 Foreigners may not be eligible
 Awards may be low
 Awards may be contingent on hiring an attorney
or a conviction
 They do not correlate with our state programs
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Compensation Programs
NACVCB.org
 Financial Assistance
 25 States, Puerto Rico and
U.S.V.I.
 ITVERP
25 States that Compensate
Victims from Overseas
California
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Iowa
Kansas
Louisiana
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
New Jersey
Nevada
N. Dakota
Ohio
Pennsylvania Puerto Rico
S. Carolina
S. Dakota
Texas
Utah
U.S. V.I.
Vermont
Virginia
West Virginia Wisconsin
All states provide support for victims of terrorism.27
Working Together
We ask you to:
• Review program statutes
• Share information
We can:
• Assist you with any international-related
issue
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National Resources
 www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc
 www.ncvc.org
 www.fbi.gov/statsservices/victim_assistance/victi
ms
 RAINN
 www.ndvh.org
Find Us, Like Us, Share Us
 Travel.state.gov

@TravelGov
 Facebook.com/TravelGov
 STEP
 There’s an app for that!

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Victim Assistance Staff
Nayda Allridge
Phone: 202.647.6574
[email protected]
Margery Gehan
Phone: 202.736.9250
[email protected]
Vicky Bonasera
Phone: 202.736.4986
[email protected]
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Consular Affairs Contacts
Available 24 hours a day
Overseas Citizens Services
Toll Free: 888.407.4747
[email protected]
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Remember…
Consular staff have
an important role in
assisting American
crime victims
overseas…
But so do you!
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Thank You!
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