‘International students ignored’ as sexual violence soars

More than half of female ­international students in Australia have experienced ­sexual or domestic violence over the past 12 months, according to a national study.

One in five international students reported coercion, threats, sexual assault, or rape. Picture: iStock

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More than half of female ­international students in Australia have experienced ­sexual or intimate partner violence over the past 12 months, a national study shows.

One in five international students reported coercion, threats, sexual assault, or rape, with claims by a prominent academic that international students have “largely been left out of the conversation” on gender-based violence in tertiary settings

A survey of almost 1500 female international students conducted between 2021 and 2023 in Australia by a group of Victorian health researchers showed that most women (about 54 per cent) had experienced sexual violence in Australia and intimate partner violence in the last 12 months.

Over 40 per cent of the participants had experienced at least one incident of sexual violence since moving to Australia, which most commonly included someone making sexual comments, staring, or behaving in ways that made them feel unsafe, unwanted groping, kissing or touching, and repeated pressure for sex after saying “no”.

Nearly a third of all the participants were born in China, and ­almost all of them had experienced sexual violence perpetrated by a male, predominantly intimate partners, casual dates, hook-ups or friends.

The group of researchers from the University of Melbourne, ­Monash University and Deakin wrote: “Our findings speak to the worrying frequency of SV among women international students in Australia”.

“Tertiary education institutions need to take greater responsibility for the health and well-being of international students. We call on governments, policymakers, and tertiary education institutions to pay greater attention to the issues of SV and IPV for women international students,”

The study has been published in the academic journal Violence Against Women. “Our findings suggest that these issues are common, yet there is little acknowledgment of international student experiences in academic or policy discourse. Better co-ordination between governments, policymakers, tertiary education institutions, and community services is needed to tackle SV/IPV and other health and well-being risks faced by international students.”

In February, the Albanese government introduced legislation to establish a national higher education code to prevent and ­respond to gender-based violence. It followed a 2021 National Student Safety Survey showing one in 20 students had been sexually ­assaulted since they started university and one in six had been sexually harassed.

The government also established a national student ombudsman in large part to address those figures.

Lead author, University of Melbourne professor Laura Tarzia, said while she welcomed the increased attention paid to the issue of gender-based violence in tertiary settings, “the specific needs of international students have largely been left out of the conversation”. “There has been some recognition that services need to be culturally appropriate, but there is more work to be done alongside this,” she said.

“The government also needs to tackle some of the structural issues that place international students at greater risk of experiencing violence and can prevent them from accessing support. For example, lack of access to secure, affordable housing, financial support, and Medicare eligibility. Tertiary institutions could also do more to support international students.

“This could include identifying international students who may be at increased risk of experiencing sexual or intimate partner violence and providing them with ­additional supports if needed, tailoring education on consent and respectful relationships so that it is culturally appropriate and delivered in-language, and ensuring that students have opportunities to connect with peers to enhance ­social support.”