International students turning to sex work to pay fees (1 Viewer)

[SomaFairy]

International students turning to sex work to pay fees

By Jasmine Kostas for 'AM'
Some international students in Australia are being forced to work in the sex industry to pay for their degrees.
The National Union of Students says the women end up in the sex industry because their visas restrict them to working 20 hours a week during any one semester, and they need high-paying jobs to survive.
Local student Rebecca, who is studying for her Masters in sexual health, says she found it tough to make ends meet, trying to balance working part-time and keeping up with her studies.
"I found that instead of working 30 hours a week, at $10 an hour and being taxed on that money, I could earn that money in one shift, a shift at a sex services premises, and it allowed me more time to study," she said.
She says that it is even harder for international students.
Dr Sarah Lantz, from the University of Melbourne, prepared a report on student participation in the sex industry.
The report looked at 40 students working in the Melbourne sex industry, over a period of four years.
Dr Lantz says one of the main issues was finance, particularly for international students.
"We had a range of domestic students and international students," she said.
"Domestic students were working their way through the sex industry for financial reasons, and international students for the same reasons, except for the fact that they actually had to come up with a lot more money given the fact that they had to pay up-front fees and so forth.
"So for them they were mainly engaged in the kind of high-risk sex industry and that's largely because they needed huge amounts of money."
Fees for university degrees have risen sharply in recent years.
The average cost of a medical degree for a full-fee paying Australian student is around $38,000. International students doing medicine pay even more.
Visa restrictions

While the cost of the degree is a major hurdle for overseas students, another reason students chose to work in the sex industry is because their visas prevent them from working more than 20 hours a week during any semester.
Sex worker Rebecca says that as well as the financial returns, sex work allows students the flexibility to study.
"In terms of students, I think that I've certainly heard of people doing the right thing - they are doing their uni work, we bring our books in to the brothels," he said.
Dr Lantz agrees with the anecdotal evidence.
"There are very few other industries where you could actually get 50 or 60,000 dollars a year, for example, that they need to get an education, so it's a very accessible industry for high amounts of money and a relatively short working week as well," she said.
"It's flexible, it provided a lot of flexibility for these students, money for these students."
Senate committee

In June of last year a Senate committee investigated the financial strains placed on university students.
The report concluded, "the committee is concerned that students are being forced to work longer hours, often in low-paid or cash-in-hand jobs, as a direct result of inadequate income support. Reports of students resorting to product testing and even turning to prostitution as a source of income raise serious moral, health and safety concerns".
Rose Jackson, the president of the National Union of Students, says that more than a year after the Senate report was published, the financial problems facing university students still exist.
She says more assistance needs to be provided.
" If Australian students in large numbers were involved in [the sex industry] because of financial struggles, there would be a community outcry, but because it's international students I don't think the community is aware of how much of a problem this is," she said.
"But definitely I'm well-aware of international students who have moved into sex work to support themselves while they're studying here in Australia and I think that's a pretty poor indictment on us as a country supporting students who have come here to study."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200611/s1785381.htm

So What are your thoughts? Is this really a big problem in universities today?

 

[*hopeful*]

i've read other articles about this before, i think its pretty sad...

 

[withoutaface]

I'd question why there are such restrictions on their working hours in the first place. Labour is a commodity that should be freely traded, and I don't see how they're doing any harm by working 40 hours a week, in fact they'd be doing the exact opposite.

 

[iambored]

didn't they do an article like that a few months ago about local students?

 

[volition]

I'd question why there are such restrictions on their working hours in the first place. Labour is a commodity that should be freely traded, and I don't see how they're doing any harm by working 40 hours a week, in fact they'd be doing the exact opposite.

Yeah I agree. It makes some of them just do cash in hand jobs, and the government might as well just let them do more than 20 hours and get that extra tax money.

Does anyone know why they're restricted to 20 hours per week? Is it just to stop them from having the same benefits as a 'full citizen' ?

 

[Captain Gh3y]

So they can't "steal" our jobs, thus appeasing the rednecks who probably don't want them here in the first place.

 

[Captain Obvious 1]

Because it's not their visa type. If they apply for that, they are indicating that they have enough money to study and that they wont need to depend on employment or welfare to pay for it. It isn't meant for all people.

 

[breaking]

So they can't "steal" our jobs, thus appeasing the rednecks who probably don't want them here in the first place.

OSTRAYA FOR OSTRAYANS!

 

[withoutaface]

Because it's not their visa type. If they apply for that, they are indicating that they have enough money to study and that they wont need to depend on employment or welfare to pay for it. It isn't meant for all people.

But what's wrong with earning money here? Even though they are paid a wage, the monetary value of the labour they produce is higher than what they are paid, and as such for every hour they work they're pumping money into the economy. They shouldn't have access to welfare, but allowing them to work longer hours doesn't hurt anyone.

 

[katietheskatie]

.. don't study here if you can't afford it?

this dude from denmark in my class was bitching about how he couldn't get youth allowance because he was an international student. i'm not racist, i don't think australians are better than anyone else in this country .. but uh, why should the government pay for your living expenses while you study here? it's your damn choice.

 

[volition]

.. don't study here if you can't afford it?

this dude from denmark in my class was bitching about how he couldn't get youth allowance because he was an international student. i'm not racist, i don't think australians are better than anyone else in this country .. but uh, why should the government pay for your living expenses while you study here? it's your damn choice.

exactly!

 

[phatic]

Bring back the days of free university for everyone.

 

[HotShot]

Australian university charges ridiculous fees for international students. i cant understand why they have to come here to study.. i mean the decline in the UAI has been a result of the reduced number of international students enrolling.

It is clear that there is decline in the number of internatioanl students enrolling, and this only forces the unis to increase their fees - i mean the government intervention is required here.

 

[breaking]

Bring back the days of free university for everyone.

lolno.

 

[Captain Obvious 1]

Australian university charges ridiculous fees for international students. i cant understand why they have to come here to study.. i mean the decline in the UAI has been a result of the reduced number of international students enrolling.

It is clear that there is decline in the number of internatioanl students enrolling, and this only forces the unis to increase their fees - i mean the government intervention is required here.

Decline in the UAI?

 

[katietheskatie]

Australian university charges ridiculous fees for international students. i cant understand why they have to come here to study

australian universities are super cheap compared to studying somewhere like the states, that's one of the main reasons why there are so many international students here. getting a degree in america or wherever can cost you upwards of a couple of hundred thousand dollars.

It is clear that there is decline in the number of internatioanl students enrolling, and this only forces the unis to increase their fees - i mean the government intervention is required here.

decline in the number of international students, are you fucking kidding me! they're everywhere. not that it's a bad thing, but they are.

and government intervention, what are they going to do, ban international students? subsidise hecs for australian students? dude, the government already pays for a huge portion of our education, as well as pay us to help us get through uni (youth allowance etc), there aren't many governments around who do that.

 

[giddycat88]

Fuck this stupid government and the rascist motherfuckers who support it.

Thank god I'm a citizen, I'll just get the government to pay for my Uni fees and then leave the country so I can rip off this rascist government and the morons who elect them. Fuck you Johnny.

 

[volition]

so I can rip off this rascist government and the morons who elect them

As well as the people who don't?

 

[giddycat88]

Yes. Either way, I win.

 

[Captain Gh3y]

Forty grand (or less) is worth it to get you out of the country.