Australia: A landmark report commissioned by Universities has exposed one in five university students experienced sexual harassment on university grounds or in a campus setting last year, with intercontinental students slightly a lesser amount of likely than their local counterparts to experience harassment.
Australian Human Rights Commission accumulated a survey of 30,000 students across Australia’s 39 universities, found 22% of international students had experienced and go through some type of sexual harassment. Moreover, 5.1% had been sexually assaulted and 1.4% in a university setting.
“It demonstrates very clearly that a lot of work needs to be done to look up the culture and customs of our campuses, to raise awareness of our policies and actions, and to support reporting and effectual responses when these circumstances happen.”
Sophie Johnston, the National Union of Students head warned any variances from university to university in the occurrence of assaults and pestering should not be treated as a triumph.
“Students will not allow a battle to the bottom. And [we] will not acknowledge hearing universities praise themselves on being slightly under the national averages,” she said at the report’s release.
“Each rape and sexual attack is a disaster. There are no celebrations or congratulations to be had. There is not anything to party in having less sexual assault than the university next door.”
On the other hand, while the report appears to point out international students are less probable to be victims of sexual violence, some spectators have pointed out the results are out-of-step with ordinary expectations.
Mostly, several felt that as international students are usually more at risk to exploitation due to a lack of awareness, the survey should reveal a higher frequency of harassment and stabbing within that populace than the domestic group.
“This report makes it apparent that Australian universities have to to do much more to deal with the specific needs of international students when it comes to reporting sexual stabbing and abuse,” Bijay Sapkota, CISA national president said in a statement.
