A study is underway by Australia's Institute of Criminology on the extent of racially motivated attacks on foreign students in Australia. It follows a spate of attacks earlier this year which seriously damaged Australia's international reputation. But in the attempt to get more information, the study has opened a whole new controversy and sparked fears of further damage to relations for overseas students. Because Australia's Privacy Commissioner has relaxed normally tough restrictions and released the identity details of half a million foreign students to police, who'll match them with known crimes. The matched information -- minus names -- will then go to the Institute of Criminology for it's study. But Australia's Race Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes, says it's been done without the permission of individual students. He believes that the research probably won't work anyway.
Presenter: Linda Mottram
Speaker: Australia's Race Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes
INNES: The problem with this area is that I know from discussions with them as to numerous academics who have also done research in this area that there is chronic under reporting of assaults by international students and so even if we get the answer the level assaults against international students are no higher than the level assaults against other groups, that will not necessarily be correct.
MOTTRAM: Is there another way they could go about this that would find out what they want to know?
INNES: Well, I think we need to be addressing the problem, not trying to work out whether there is a problem. The problem is that part of a motivation for attacks against international students is racial, so we ought to accept that and get on with trying to address the problem which is challenging the persistent pockets of racism in our community. Because whilst it is always good to have the data to support your concerns, this approach of taking people's immigration or visa information and running it against police data, firstly, I don't think it will work and secondly, I think that it destroys any trust that international students may have had in Australian government and government organisations.
MOTTRAM: Is it part of your concern that students aren't actually being consulted on the release of their information?
INNES: Yes, I mean I know that were some requirements by the Privacy Commissioner that the issue should be advertised. My understanding is the number of students who have as a result of those adverts sort to have their data withdrawn from the study, can almost be counted on one hand and that suggests to me, as do the fact that I have presented at several events and been approached by many international students who just were not aware of this process. So those things tell me that the advertising has not worked and that effectively this data is being released without the international students being informed.
MOTTRAM: And just going back to your initial point that there is chronic under reporting of attacks on such students. Why is that the case?
INNES: There is a number of reasons Firstly many of these students come from regimes where security and police forces are not viewed in the benign way that most Australians view our security and police forces. Also students have told me that they are concerned in some cases that police are not acting on the reports. And thirdly, students don't want their families back at home to be aware of these issues, because they are concerned the families might say come home, we don't think your safe.
MOTTRAM: So what do you think ought to be done? Should this study be pulled completely in your view?
INNES: Well, I think it is important to try to study these attacks and I think it would be a good idea for police forces to ask people who do report the issues to volunteer such information. I certainly don't think that peoples immigration data should have been given to police to run against police data, but, as I understand it, that decision has been made and the work is going ahead. But what we need to do is develop a greater trust amongst international students for Australian police and Australian authorities and ensure that international students are made far more aware of their rights so that if these sorts of events do occur in the future, they raise it with the lawful authorities and actions can be taken.
MOTTRAM: And do have any particular suggestions as to how that could be done better?
INNES: Campaigns among international students needs to be run, we need to work with international student organisations, and perhaps there needs to be some sort of compact with international students whereby their rights and entitlements when they come to Australia are more clearly set out.
Source:http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/asiapac/stories/201006/s2916590.htm
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