Posted: 2024-09-29 00:46:41

Hui Shan carries an umbrella to work every day and it is not to protect herself from the rain — or even from the sun.

The 38-year-old carries it to protect herself from assault and abuse.

"It's really sad to carry something but it make me feel more secure if I have it," Ms Shan said.

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Ms Hui has taken to carrying an umbrella to protect herself. (ABC News: Jordan Young)

Ms Shan was born in a small town near Shanghai in China.

At her mother's urging, she decided to learn English — despite her own desire to learn Japanese.

She honed the language during a stint in England before moving with her husband to Australia in 2019.

Every day, she travels the 10 or so kilometres from her home in Sandy Bay to her office in Hobart's northern suburbs.

She parks several hundred metres away, wraps her fingers tightly around her umbrella and begins a long and fearful walk to work.

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Multiple attacks have left Ms Hui scared for her safety on her walk to walk. (ABC News: Jordan Young)

"In March this year, there are two young teenagers, one of them riding a scooter, and they pass by my office building," she said.

"I was just two steps away about to enter then one of them shouted at me 'ching chong' and … threw at me with a can."

For Ms Shan, this is not uncommon. She said she's regularly stopped by teenagers who ask for money and then mock her English when she responds.

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Ms Shan was born in a small town near Shanghai in China and English is not her first language. (ABC News: Jordan Young)

"On Wednesday 22nd of May, I still remember that date, I was a bit late for my work so I walk very fast to the building," Ms Shan said.

"On the way I saw 10 teenagers just walking in front of me so I try and slow my pace. I don't want to get any attention from them. But there's a girl that turned back and saw me. Then she began to shout at me.

"She said 'ching chong' at me. I told her 'there is no this word. If you want insult me, you should learn Mandarin or something'.

"She keep laughing at me and mock my pronunciation and the others just followed her, laughing at me.

"The last word she used she said 'bitch'."

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Ms Shan still remembers the date of a racist attack during which she was followed and mocked. (ABC News: Jordan Young)

Ms Shan said police told her they'd given the teenagers verbal warnings and threatened to contact their parents.

"Police didn't do anything after that. They didn't even ask me what kind of outcome I want," she said.

"The law is really lax and you guys need to make tougher measure and laws against teenager crime.

"It doesn't cost much to commit a hatred crime."

Police warn of consequences

Tasmania Police said although there hadn't been an increase in reports of racially motivated hate crime, there had been an uptick in youth crime.

Acting Inspector Jason Klug said it was mostly confined to a small group of recidivist offenders.

"It is extremely disappointing that a member of our Glenorchy community has been subject to abuse," Acting Inspector Klug said.

"Police have a range of legislative powers to deal with anti-social behaviour and will interdict, disrupt, and hold to account those people who offend.

"Powers of arrest, move on directions or exclusions, search provisions are all considerations for police when attending to anti-social behaviour."

He said Youth Crime Intervention Units were engaging with young offenders and that an inspector had been dedicated to engaging with community groups like the Multicultural Council of Tasmania.

A sign for a police station in Tasmania.

Tasmania police said there had been an uptick in youth crime. ( ABC News: Luke Bowden )

Immigrants alone, together

Ms Shan said, despite working next door to a large shopping centre, she didn't leave the office for lunch.

She encouraged others to stand up for people they see being racially abused — if they feel safe to do so.

"If they don't feel safe they should call the police," she said.

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Ms Shan has encouraged others to stand up for people being racially abused, if they feel safe to do so. (ABC News: Jordan Young)

"In my case, on that day, there was only a taxi driver who I think is also a new immigrant.

"He didn't stand up for me. I don't blame him because he can easily be attacked by teenagers too."

Police said witnesses to and victims of anti-social behaviour should move away from the area and call police as soon as possible.

Hobart City Police Station

Tasmania Police encourage bystanders as well as victims to call the police in incidents such as Mr Shan's. (ABC News: Janek Frankowski)

'We are taught racism'

Aimen Jafri's pleas for change have been a constant amid a spate of race-based assaults and attacks in Tasmania this year.

But the chair of the Multicultural Council believes the state is starting to turn a corner.

"We are going through a transitional phase and we will come out the other side of the tunnel," Ms Jafri said.

Aimen Jafri stands in a grassy area.

Aimen Jafri believes "nobody is born with an innate nature of hate". (ABC News: Adam Langenberg)

"And there is light on the other side of the tunnel because I've seen, in my six years, Tasmanians are amazing people."

In June, former premier and chair of the Migrant Resource Centre Tasmania Peter Gutwein, walked the length of the state to highlight the plight of maligned migrants.

Ms Jafri said it had started conversations at an adult level and that it would trickle down to children.

"Nobody is born with an innate nature of hate," she said.

"If they grow up learning migrants are a problem, they're taking away our homes, they're taking away our jobs, they'll think that way."

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It may all be too little too late for Ms Shan. (ABC News: Jordan Young)

Dreams of a 'better life'

Change hasn't come soon enough for Ms Shan.

She said the constant fear had taken a toll on her mental health.

"I come here to learn my English and try to fit into society but those people who shout at me and ask me to go back to China makes me feel I sometimes really regret learning English," she said.

"Maybe if I went to another country I could have a better life."

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