Report Reiterates Need for Clarification on Race-Related Crimes

Mr Sam Afra, Chairperson of the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV) said the release of a new study by Victoria University went some way to addressing unhelpful rumours and misinformation being circulated about the prevalence of recent attacks against Indian students and the perpetrators involved. Mr Afra said the recent flurry of anonymous leaks, contested statistics and speculation about ethnic gangs had started to sow seeds of mistrust and division in the local community.Mr Afra also urged politicians from all sides and authorities to work together on a strategy to unite the community. Mr Afra was particularly concerned by unsubstantiated claims of ethnic gangs preying upon Indian students. “This kind of statement can be deeply harmful to Victoria’s thriving multicultural way of life,” Mr Afra said.

“Three years ago, sections of the media were quick to blame certain migrant groups for a crime which they had absolutely nothing to do with, creating extraordinary distress and alarm,” Mr Afra added. “It is troubling that only months after the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found that sections of the media had breached their standards, migrant groups are again under attack.” Mr Afra said it was time that media practitioners got together with members of migrant communities to establish better relationships and set new benchmarks on reporting and representation. “From my perspective, I know that all migrant communities are deeply distressed by attacks on any particular community group,” Mr Afra said.

Mr Afra said the debate about incidents involving Indian students highlighted the need for more comprehensive data and analysis about the nature of crime in Victoria, especially those offences where race and ethnicity is considered to be a possible motivating factor. “We hope to see the establishment of a dedicated mechanism that will help society understand the extent of racially motivated crime, identify and capture the perpetrators, and help to eradicate this scourge where it exists,” Mr Afra said.

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