Lottie
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
‘I don't understand how multiple people can get away with sexual abuse. Abuse in homes. Abuse everywhere.’
Lottie is a young First Nations woman who lives with borderline personal disorder and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
Lottie told the Royal Commission she was physically and sexually abused ‘from three to 14’ while in foster care. Lottie feared if she spoke out to the department for child protection (DCP) or police, she ‘would cop more abuse’.
At the time, Lottie was unaware of her disability.
‘I had the diagnosis when I was born but my foster carer didn't tell me.’
Lottie described one of her foster carers as ‘a white supremacist’ who denied her ‘any association’ with Aboriginal culture and her family.
‘She didn't even want me to go to my mum's funeral.’
When Lottie eventually told the DCP about the abuse, she said they ‘didn’t really care’.
‘Everyone would say that I was a liar, a manipulator.’
Lottie blamed herself and her mental health ‘started declining’.
‘That's all I knew my whole life was that I was jinxed and I deserved to be sexually abused. I started going into hospital more but DCP wasn't really worried about that. I was in and out of drug rehab. I knew something was wrong. I started lashing out … I developed an eating disorder. Any time a man would come near me I would scream and shout and run away.’
In her teens, she ‘eventually started fighting back’.
‘The police started coming coz the neighbours were telling them what was going on. They did investigate … No-one got charged for anything … I don’t understand why. I left that foster carer when I was 16 and DCP took me back. And then they finally realised, okay, she was acting up because she was being abused in care.’
The DCP took Lottie to a psychiatrist who diagnosed her with borderline personality disorder.
‘I was finally taken on board by the NDIS.’
For the last couple of years, Lottie has been ‘bouncing in and out of group homes’.
At one home, a staff member gave residents alcohol ‘and it ended up escalating’. A resident assaulted Lottie.
‘I'm still recovering from a fractured rib. She would kick me, hit me, pull my hair, try and strangle me. Try and strangle other staff members. And every time I went to hospital, went to the police, they're like, “Oh, it's just your disability. Like it's just playing with your mind.” … I feel like everything's my fault.’
Lottie is studying at TAFE and ‘trying to heal’. After about 20 homes, she’s ‘actually in a safe place’.
‘With the support I am growing and learning.’
Lottie said authorities should have ‘stepped in’ to protect her much earlier. She recommends regular house checks of children in care, even those under long-term guardianship.
She would also like to see more Indigenous and mental health supports in child protection services.
‘If a child discloses any abuse to them, please investigate … Because that can save someone's life. They need that support from DCP … I should have got the love and care.’
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.