Assaults on overseas students have been in the news again in Australia, and for good reason, the most serious being when an Indian student was murdered in a Melbourne suburb.
It’s easy to blame such things on racism: I’m not going to do that, but I’m not going to say it isn’t the case, either. Fact is, no one really knows what happened... yet.
At the same time I often wonder about authorities in Australia when they immediately say it is not possible that attacks like these are racially motivated. I don’t think they know whether it is or not.
I have an open mind on this because I’m married to a foreigner. And, I think I have a good understanding of the problems that can easily occur when a person is living in a country that is completely different to the culture they were born and raised in.
There will be racism.
There will also be simple mistakes made.
Many visitors to countries like Australia think that every suburb and street is like it appears on the colourful brochures. That isn’t the case. Most attacks on students (and I’m not saying all of them) occur because the student has wandered into a dangerous area.
One thing that amazes me about my own country is the lack of information made available to visitors. In fact, my experience is that developing nations have better information systems than Australia does.
When my wife decided to migrate, she had to attend an information session in her own country. It was arranged by her government, and intended to help her adjust to a big change in culture.
When she arrived in Australia, she received some confusing booklets and that was all. Bad luck if she had difficulty reading!
Students – and all visitors for that matter- should be better protected, and the best way to do this is to help people protect themselves. I would have thought, at the very least, a country like my own could arrange something more. Perhaps a locally arranged induction, some contacts numbers for community groups, or even just a DVD with some advice and a friendly face from her country of origin.
To further complicate matters, younger generations like bite sized pieces of information over different delivery methods. Information is sourced not just by traditional resources like television and radio, but via social websites like Facebook and MySpace.
Surely Australia can do more to protect foreign students and visitors, as well as help those people to protect themselves by way of information- places not to go at night and ways to travel safely, etc.
If you’re walking alone at night to keep fit, or perhaps you're a student on campus or just need to get where you're going, it’s understandable that you might feel uneasy from time to time. Here are some simple tips that can help minimise your chances of being targeted by thieves, attackers or even stalkers;
Keep alert. And stay in well-lit or populated areas.
Walk with friends whenever you can, there‘s safety in numbers.
Avoid walking where the lighting is poor, such as parks and laneways.
Handbags should be carried either in front of you or under your arm with the strap secured. Never let the bag or strap hang loosely.
Avoid wearing headphones as it’s difficult to hear what is happening around you.
If you have to walk alone, vary your route and consider a personal duress alarm.
Carry a phone for emergencies
If you need to work, check that the route to work is serviced by public transport. If it isn’t, find another job. There are plenty of jobs in Australia for students, so get a safe one.
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