U.S. Senator Mark Kirk is making huge strides in keeping our study abroad students safe by working to increase security by traveling worldwide!
Did you know not all countries are required to check passports and traveler’s documentation against INTERPOL’s Stolen/Lost Travel Document (SLTD) database? This is putting our study abroad students in grave danger! Senator Kirk is working hard to require the Department of State to publish a list of countries and airports that do not check travelers’ documentation against the SLTD database, his official website reads.
"American citizens traveling between foreign destinations should be able to rest assured that individuals on their flight did not use lost or stolen travel documents to board the plane," Sen. Kirk writes on his website.
Even though the United States checks passports against SLTD, we can’t be sure that other countries will do the same. Students going abroad must also understand they are not protected as US Fulbright Scholars. Senator Kirk’s work to increase security in traveling could save many study abroad student lives!
Senator Kirk’s proposal also will require the Department of State to post information about a country’s participation in using the SLTD system, giving students and parents a way to see how much their designated country is using the SLTD database to keep travelers safe.
"The association of terrorists and stolen passports means it is prudent to close the current gap in airline security. We should not wait for a future case of a terrorist using a stolen passport in an attack to guard against this threat,” Dr. Robert Pape, Ph.D., writes on Senator Kirk’s website.
It is time for us to hold travel security and study abroad programs to a standard! Support Senator Kirk’s work and ClearCause’s mission to Protect Our Studetns Abroad! Be a Voice for ClearCause. Safety Means the World to Students Abroad. Students mean the world to us.
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