Helpline for Indian Students Abroad

Although we might not have the regulations needed to protect our American students who tread on foreign soil, help is coming to Indian students who are studying abroad from Indian universities. According to an article from the Hindustan Times, India is launching an online helpline to give help to their 300,000 Indian students and researchers who choose to study abroad. The article stated that in recent years, many of these Indian students have fallen victim to crimes spanning from racist attacks to fraud while overseas. The helpline will be run by the ministries of external affairs (MEA) and human resource development (HRD). Students will be able to log complaints, which will be forwarded to a designated officer at India’s mission in that country.
In the beginning, Indian students in 22 countries will be able to access the helpline. These countries include the US, UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, China, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Germany, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain and Trinidad and Tobago. Combined, these countries host over 95% of Indian students studying abroad, according to the article. “The portal is ready and we are just waiting for details of the designated officers at missions,” SS Mantha, chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) told HT.
In 2000, 53,000 Indian students studied higher education and research abroad while nearly 300,000 Indian students now go overseas in pursuit of their education. When these youth have faced crimes abroad, they report significant delays in going to the nearest Indian consulate or waiting for Indian authorities. Satish Reddy, an Indian student who studied abroad in the U.S., said the online portal would have helped the students reach out to Indian consulate officials faster. “ . . . The absence of a prompt complaint system left us alone, to fend for ourselves, right at the start,” he said.
In the past, the Indian government has been criticized for not taking enough interest in protecting their youth who travel abroad. The helpline helps the Indian government become more involved in safeguarding their students who choose to go abroad. “We’ve tried our best but yes, we’ve had to face criticism,” a senior official said. “Let’s just say, this helpline is our way of setting the record straight. We do care.”
Let’s hope that America sees India’s example and puts regulations in place to safeguard our youth as well.