Recommendations Issued by Diaspora Organization to Prevent Indian Student Deaths in United States

April 11 :
The US-based non-profit Foundation of Indian and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) has released a set of suggestions to address the increasing number of student deaths involving individuals of Indian descent in the country.

Concerns were voiced by students, the Indo-American community, and Indian parents following a disturbing uptick in the number of deaths of Indian students in the US in the last four to five months.

Based on their research, FIIDS has determined that these instances can have a wide variety of causes, including but not limited to: suspicious shootings or kidnappings; environmental deaths caused by ignorance of safety measures (such as hypothermia or carbon monoxide poisoning); suicides prompted by mental illness; strange accidents; and violent crimes.

"The sudden surge of deaths among Indian students are alarming and suspicious," observed Dr. Lakshmi Thalanki of Boston, who collated records of over ten students' deaths. 

"Indian origin students, according to the Open Doors Report (ODR), are around 275k, making 25 percent of total foreign students and bringing in $9B per year in terms of fees and expenses," stated Khanderao Kand, chief of policy and strategies at FIIDS. But the recent uptick in their mortality rates is worrisome, and if we do nothing, it will make them doubt the safety of US campuses, which will reduce enrollment.

To help stop these kinds of incidents, the group has published a report with a list of suggestions for the US Departments of State and Justice, Education and Student Affairs, and the Indo-American community. 

Here are the key suggestions:

Raising awareness of any climate- or location-related dangers among international students through the provision of thorough safety education programmes 

Streamlining rescue and search operations to lessen reaction times in disasters. Stricter regulations should be put in place to prevent fraternity ragging, which poses significant hazards to the physical and mental well-being of students and can result in injuries, trauma, and accidents.

Offering mental health services that are sensitive to different cultures to international students, especially those who are struggling with social isolation or adjusting to a new culture. Along with these, the group has sent individual suggestions to each division, in addition to the colleges and community groups that work with pupils.

According to FIIDS, the goal of these proposals is to make the United States a better place for international students to study by making it safer and more accommodating to their needs.