Melbourne’s international students are raising concerns for their safety after the Islamic State’s threat to Australia in early September, and street crimes which some say disproportionately affect international students.
As a revenge for the death of terrorist Ezzit Raad in 2013, IS recently encouraged its followers to attack and kill people around Melbourne Cricket Ground and suburbs start with a B.
The growing numbers of crimes in Victoria has also been a concern for some international students. Crime Statistics Agency Victoria’s data shows that Victorian recorded offenses increased 12.4 percent in the past year.
“Because there’re lots of Syrian refugees resettle here, and Melbourne is quite chaotic right now. They committed some crimes, like robbery,” said Qiu, an international student from Jiangxi, China.
Apex gang, which is largely formed by migrant teens, were reportedly involved in the Moomba Festival Fight, and robberies on international students.
SomeAsian students worry they are perceived as easy target for gangs, because most of them have valuable belongings which can be traded for money or drugs, and they wouldn’t fight back.
According to the International Student Survey 2014, personal safety is one of the main reasons why students chose Australia over other international destinations.
But safety remains a concern for international students.
International student Qiu said if her family hears about the news of rising crime in Melbourne, they might send her back to China if they feel Melbourne is not safe anymore.
But, having paid many thousands to study here, many international students compelled to finish their studies in Melbourne, even if safety on the street is a worry.
“We need to trust the police. There’s nothing we can do on our own, so we can only trust the police,” said Liu, an international student from Shanxi, China.
Safety awareness is growing among international students as they receive more information and alerts via Chinese social media, like Weibo and WeChat.
