ITIC Global 2025 | The dangers of breaking unknown local laws and violating cultural norms

The ITIJ team are reporting from ITIC Global in Venice this week (2–6 November 2025), sharing the discussions that take place at the conference. Read all reports

Dick Atkins, Legal Counsel, International Recoveries, LLC
First to speak was Atkins, who started his session by sharing a phrase that lots of his clients ask: “How can I be arrested? I didn’t do anything illegal.” He said many people get arrested for accidental things.

Atkins outlined laws in different countries that can catch people out very easily.

He started with the US, and said that open container laws – prohibiting the possession and consumption of alcoholic beverages in vehicles and public spaces – can cause big problems. It’s a very serious offence in the country.

He also said that the Trump administration had changed things. If you have a conviction for anything you may never be allowed in.        

In Mexico, he said, carrying ammunition and car accidents are the biggest crimes. If you are arrested, you stay in a “hell hole” jail. Counsel will try to get people into a hospital rather than a jail.

He then spoke about India. He used a case study of a couple who were travelling around the country when the husband was arrested because he had a satellite phone (which have been outlawed). The wife organised counsel, police officers, and finally bail. The case was tried in absentia. This is very typical, Atkins said.

He added that Turkey and the Middle East prosecuted for many cultural and antiquity violations. In Thailand if you disrespect the Thai king it can be serious.

Atkins went on to talk about the case of the carved giraffe bone in Tanzania. An American couple went to deliver wheelchairs. They then bought a carved bone as a souvenir. The bone was found in their belongings and authorities declared it was ivory. The husband was arrested and put in a medical centre, and his wife was put in jail. Eventually they were helped by their congresswoman (nothing else worked), who told the authorities that the press would be awful, and tourism would drop off a cliff if they were not released. They were let go.

He then talked about the Brittney Griner story in Russia. She was a basketball player who had used a small amount of medical marijuana and was arrested. She served nine months of a nine-year sentence. An exchange of prisoners was the only way she got out.

Atkins ended by saying this industry can provide help!

Alex Thompson, Chief Executive Officer, Legaroo
Thompson started by talking about the current gap in international legal support. He said the need for a streamlined, proactive approach to legal assistance in travel risk management was twofold: travellers’ wellbeing, and institutional mitigation of liabilities and reputational damage. He added that traditional methods (for example, US State Department lists and web searches) led to confusion and delays during urgent situations.

Thompson went on to lay out what exactly international legal assistance was. He said it:

• • Provides travellers with efficient and expeditious access to local legal expertise during urgent situations (e.g. detentions, fines, visa disputes)
  • Focuses on timely intervention to resolve legal issues, reducing stress and legal escalation
  • Involves networks of local attorneys familiar with regional laws, languages, and customs
  • Offers a centralised platform of support to expedite the travellers’ legal assistance.

Thompson then went on to talk about international legal assistance as a proactive risk management tool. He said there was a reactive approach, which involves responding to legal issues after they occur, often leading to delays, confusion, fraud, and increased costs; on the other side, there was a proactive approach, which focuses on preventing legal issues through preparation and timely support, minimising risks, confusion, and costs.

Thompson talked about a business perspective for the travel insurance industry. He said the student abroad and corporate travel industries sought international legal assistance to address critical legal challenges in a rapidly changing global environment, and that international legal assistance would become a travel risk management guideline: “It’s not an if, but a when.”

Thompson added that today’s volatile global landscape, marked by geopolitical risks and regulatory changes, presented a unique opportunity to integrate legal assistance services. He advised: “Expand your offerings and increase the travel insurance industry pie,” and said that offering international legal assistance products could be a powerful marketing tool.

Dr Ozan Raimondo Perri, Medical Doctor, Marm Assistance
Dr Perri focused his presentation on the need for comprehensive medical, security, and legal networks. He said there were differences between folkways (social customs), taboos, mores, and laws, and said there could be differing outlooks on things like language, traditions and rituals, techniques and skills, tools and objects, the arts, food and drink, values, greater community, knowledge and stories.He said understanding differences could build trust.

He asked: “As global travel expands, are our medical and security networks ready to protect travellers?” He said mental health was just as important as physical, and cultural awareness was of vital importance.

Language barriers can cause big problems, he added, so translators are very important. Cultural beliefs can also affect how and when people seek treatment, and travel preparation is very important.

Dr Perri then spoke about a few case studies, including one about a 21-year-old American student. She did not realise her medication in Japan was illegal. On her second day in Japan she was arrested after experiencing a psychiatric episode. She was not allowed her usual medication, and was given something that would have been illegal in the US. Eventually she made it home after a lot of communication between her assistance company and the authorities. 

Then Dr Perri spoke about a time when he and his team were escorting an 80-year-old stage four cancer patient from Germany to Singapore – the patient was on morphine. The transfer went well. The next day, the team were on the plane to travel home, when they were arrested. They got the help of a translator, and it was discovered that the morphine ampules in the medical kit were the reason they were arrested. Eventually, the problem was sorted out and they were allowed to travel home.