International Students Are Sharing Harrowing Stories Of Campus Sexual Assault
Think Australia's a "safe and sunny" place to study? Think again.
Over the past year, campus sexual assault has slowly become less invisible. More than ever before, survivors are speaking out about what’s happened to them, being listened to, and empowered But some groups are still pretty invisible in this conversation. Chief among them: international students.
A new documentary released today aims to change that, shining a much-needed light on the uniquely awful experience of being sexually assaulted in a country where you know no one, with legal systems in your second language, and with very few support systems to turn to.
The investigation, titled Australia: Rape on Campus, is groundbreaking in a few ways. For one, it centres on the experience of international students. It’s also playing on Al Jazeera’s 101 East program every day for the next week, in order to bring stories about students’ experience in Australia to their often conservative families back home. It aims to challenge Australia’s reputation as a “safe and sunny” place to study, and the stories it reveals are chilling.
In doing so, the film tries to combat one of the biggest barriers for international students trying to talk about their experience of sexual assault. As one student interviewed in the documentary put it, discussion of rape in her home country is extraordinarily taboo — “it’s a shameful thing for us”.
“It’s the thing you will never tell your parents if it’s possible to hide it. You don’t want to upset them, of course. You’re spending their money and coming this far away to study, and you got raped. It’s disgraceful.”
The film delves into many of the other challenges facing international students who are sexually assaulted at universities in Australia. Many of the students described being unprepared for the drinking and party culture of Australian university colleges, and being unfamiliar with the laws that applied to reporting assaults. Heartbreakingly, some thought that they would be deported and unable to finish their degrees if they went to police.
There are also some extraordinary moments showing the effects of trauma on a person, even years after an assault. There is a scene in this documentary where the camera focuses on the face of a rape survivor as she’s told what happened to her wasn’t her fault. I would try to describe that reaction, but you need to see it.
The full documentary is only 25 minutes, but it’s an important watch. You can view it here, or at Al Jazeera’s site here.