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Foreign students feel Melbourne is ‘unsafe’
Dinesh Kumar writes from Melbourne
A week after ‘The Economist’ termed Melbourne as the world’s third most liveable city, almost 80 per cent of surveyed international students have reported feeling threatened in Melbourne, with half of them believing that threats suffered by them have a racial, religious or cultural dimension.
The study suggests that there is a need to name and identify racism in all of its manifestations which means acknowledging that racism exists and is at least one element of safety concern.
The survey, which formed part of a study undertaken by Victoria University here, revealed that of the 515 international students surveyed in Melbourne, 403 reported having experienced a threat to safety. The study also found that 57 per cent of the international students surveyed found Australia less safe than they had expected; 49 per cent believed that international students were unsafe; 58 per cent said they had been physically abused; 61 per cent felt that they were more likely to be at risk for racial abuse if their appearance did not resemble white or Anglo-Celtic; and 53 per cent said they did not travel at night as a measure to protect their safety.
The perpetrators of violence were frequently identified to be in groups of young, less educated and alienated men. Along with racism, which was mentioned as the most frequently cited factor as a threat, other factors included lack of access to safe, cheap housing; high-risk employment and poor transport options. The survey, conducted between June and November 2009 and released onTuesday, revealed two other reasons for concern. One, a discrepancy between stakeholders, who felt that violence against international students were opportunistic rather than racist, and the international students, who felt that racism was a more likely reason for attacks against them. Second, some international students said they did not feel that that the police were helpful or effective enough, and some also felt that some police at times displayed ethnic or racial bias.The study comprised an online survey of 1,013 students (515 international and 498 domestic) along with a media analysis. The three largest groups of international student respondents were from South Asia (26 per cent) — India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka; South East Asia (12 per cent) — Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia; and North Asia (10 per cent) — China, Mongolia, Korea, Japan and Taiwan.
A media analysis that forms part of the study also revealed that the polarisation of views about the reasons for the attacks on international students has reflected and compounded a divide in public opinion in Australia on issues of community safety and racism. Moreover, public statements minimising or appearing to deny the role of racism have heightened tensions as reflected in student protests and in international and local ethnic community media coverage expressing concern about the safety of international students in Australia.
Dinesh Kumar writes from Melbourne
A week after ‘The Economist’ termed Melbourne as the world’s third most liveable city, almost 80 per cent of surveyed international students have reported feeling threatened in Melbourne, with half of them believing that threats suffered by them have a racial, religious or cultural dimension.
The study suggests that there is a need to name and identify racism in all of its manifestations which means acknowledging that racism exists and is at least one element of safety concern.
The survey, which formed part of a study undertaken by Victoria University here, revealed that of the 515 international students surveyed in Melbourne, 403 reported having experienced a threat to safety. The study also found that 57 per cent of the international students surveyed found Australia less safe than they had expected; 49 per cent believed that international students were unsafe; 58 per cent said they had been physically abused; 61 per cent felt that they were more likely to be at risk for racial abuse if their appearance did not resemble white or Anglo-Celtic; and 53 per cent said they did not travel at night as a measure to protect their safety.
The perpetrators of violence were frequently identified to be in groups of young, less educated and alienated men. Along with racism, which was mentioned as the most frequently cited factor as a threat, other factors included lack of access to safe, cheap housing; high-risk employment and poor transport options. The survey, conducted between June and November 2009 and released onTuesday, revealed two other reasons for concern. One, a discrepancy between stakeholders, who felt that violence against international students were opportunistic rather than racist, and the international students, who felt that racism was a more likely reason for attacks against them. Second, some international students said they did not feel that that the police were helpful or effective enough, and some also felt that some police at times displayed ethnic or racial bias.The study comprised an online survey of 1,013 students (515 international and 498 domestic) along with a media analysis. The three largest groups of international student respondents were from South Asia (26 per cent) — India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka; South East Asia (12 per cent) — Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia; and North Asia (10 per cent) — China, Mongolia, Korea, Japan and Taiwan.
A media analysis that forms part of the study also revealed that the polarisation of views about the reasons for the attacks on international students has reflected and compounded a divide in public opinion in Australia on issues of community safety and racism. Moreover, public statements minimising or appearing to deny the role of racism have heightened tensions as reflected in student protests and in international and local ethnic community media coverage expressing concern about the safety of international students in Australia.
