The Council of International Students Australia has called on education institutions to better protect international students, following a spate of crimes allegedly targeting students in Melbourne.
Since the beginning of the year, 69 people have been arrested for a series of robberies and thefts targeting primarily Chinese students near the University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus and Melbourne Central.
“Suddenly a guy with a knife showed up and robbed me of my cellphone and wallet”
In a statement, CISA said the recent wave of crimes “threatens the daily lives and learning experience of onshore international students in Australia”.
A number of students have posted on social media about their experience of the attacks and expressed concern over their safety in the city.
“One night, after self-study, I was walking nearby Lincoln Square [near the Parkville campus] when suddenly a guy with a knife showed up and robbed me of my cellphone and wallet,” one student posted on Chinese social media platform WeChat.
“I am scared to walk nearby uni at night now,” wrote another.
“The stereotype of international students being rich and unfamiliar with the surroundings might have caused a perception that we are an easy target,” commented Nina Khairina, CISA president.
“But really, when confronted with such attacks and crimes, international students are just as vulnerable as any group of people.”
Police have stepped up their on-campus security presence in light of the attacks, alongside the university’s existing security services, which include a 24-hour escort service for staff and students to nearby locations or public transport.
The University of Melbourne Chinese Students and Scholars Association has alerted its 3,500 members and urged them to be vigilant.
Nevertheless, CISA said more action is needed on the part of institutions, student bodies and local police to ensure the safety of their international students and “restore the morale of students who are growing increasingly concerned about their safety”.
Crucially, Khairina stressed that students must be made aware of how to access support services.
This isn’t the first time the city has witnessed attacks against international students. A string of assaults on Indian students in 2009 and 2010 resulted in negative media coverage of Australia in the country and damaged its reputation as a safe study destination.
A fall in higher education visas for Indian students from 34,200 in 2007-08 to 9750 in 2011-12, identified by an Australian Council for Educational Research study, was attributed partly to the negative publicity stemming from the attacks.
No students have reported being injured in the most recent attacks, but Chinese state media have reported the incidents which may raise concerns of damage to Australia’s reputation in this key market.
