Share and Follow
Key Points
- 54 per cent of female international students have allegedly experienced sexual violence or intimate partner violence in the past year, according to a national survey.
- The survey was conducted in five languages, including Hindi, Nepali and Vietnamese, from 2021 to 2023.
- Divya Patpatia, a lawyer who identifies as a victim of physical assault, highlights the importance of reporting such crimes.
According to Sudha, she reported the incident to the police but did not receive a response.
Australia is one of the most popular study destinations for international students. (Representative image of a university) Credit: Darron Cummings/AP/AAP
She said she was too afraid to tell her family, fearing they would blame her for the incident.
“It was just a regular day for me when I was attacked by a stranger, reportedly facing mental health issues. I was physically restrained during the assault and threatened with a knife,” she said.
Divya Patpatia is a Melbourne-based lawyer. Credit: Supplied by Divya Patpatia
“I came to Australia with dreams, but this attack — no fault of my own — left me vulnerable, disrupting my education, my life and my well-being.”
“The impact of sexual assaults or similar crimes is far greater when the perpetrator is someone you know and live with,” she said.
A screengrab taken from a supplied video of a woman jogging in suburban Sydney, who has been attacked from behind by a man. (Representative image) Credit: PR IMAGE/AAP
“I was privileged in a way as I knew the legal system here, which helped me to recover from this incident,” she said.
New study
The authors stated that the survey’s questions regarding sexual assaults were carefully framed to ensure they were appropriate and acceptable for international students.
Over 40 per cent of the participants reported having encountered at least one instance of sexual violence since arriving in Australia. Credit: Chong Kee Siong/Getty Images
“The availability of the survey in multiple languages is also a key strength that may have increased participation and comfort,” it said, adding that it could be due to this the results in the study were higher than those reported in the .
The most common forms of abuse included unwanted sexual comments, staring, actions that made them feel unsafe, groping, kissing or touching, as well as repeated pressure for sex after saying “no”.
A team of researchers conducted a survey in five languages. Credit: VioletaStoimenova/Getty Images
A significant portion of coerced or forced sex was committed by casual dates or hookups (43.2 per cent), friends or acquaintances (37.1 per cent), and intimate partners (37.5 per cent).
“Social support, housing stress and financial insecurity were associated with an increased likelihood of victimisation, highlighting critical areas for improvement in government policies and tertiary institutions,” the lead author, University of Melbourne Professor Laura Tarzia, said.
Time for action
Tarzia said there was also a need for culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate education around such issues for international students.
Laura Tarzia is a professor in the Department of General Practice and Primary Care at The University of Melbourne. Credit: HARRIET TARBUCK/Supplied by Prof Laura Tarzia
Patpatia said she supported the recommendations and urged victims to report incidents.
