Joint Statement: Insight into the Experience of Female International Students
Distribution of the survey to female international students (aged+16)
-About Health, Wellbeing, Sexual Consent, and Relationships-
With the opening of Australia’s border, many international students will return to Australia in the second semester. While numerous university students unfortunately experience poor mental health, unwelcome sexual encounters and unhealthy relationships, the experiences of female international students are not well understood due to a lack of targeted research.
In order to fill this knowledge gap, we endorse the distribution of the ‘INVEST project’ survey, developed by the Safer Families Centre at the University of Melbourne. The survey collects confidential information about the experiences of female international students aged 16+ who are enrolled in Australian tertiary institutions, regarding health, wellbeing, sexual consent and relationships. The survey addresses highly sensitive subject matter, however, we believe the survey questions are phrased compassionately. Meanwhile, the survey provides links to mental health resources and support services for students who may be negatively affected by any of the survey topics.
We believe the results will provide important insights into the experiences of female international students. The promotion of this survey will allow GSA to gain more comprehensive data to use in our advocacy to support international students during their studies at the University of Melbourne.
If you are a female international student studying at the UOM and would like to complete the survey, please visit: www.saferfamilies.org.au/invest-survey
From GSA Officers:
Abigail Van Der Zwan – Women’s Officer
Xiangyu Su – International Officer