Danek
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.
Danek arrived in Australia on a tourist visa in the mid-2010s.
Shortly after he arrived he was viciously attacked. He sustained multiple injuries and spent four months in hospital. Despite more than five operations, doctors were unable to repair much of the damage. Danek lost one eye and now uses a wheelchair. He also has chronic depression.
The perpetrator was charged and eventually jailed.
Danek told the Royal Commission when he was finally released from hospital he had no money and nowhere to go.
Hospital staff put him in a taxi and the only place he could think to go was the suburb he stayed before the attack.
Without the appropriate visa Danek is unable to access most disability support.
‘I went to many organisations for help, they all refused to help me because I am not a permanent resident, so I beg on the street to survive.’
He has unsuccessfully applied for a refugee visa, protection visa and a treatment visa. In 2020 the Australian government was preparing to deport Danek, but due to COVID-19 he remains here on a bridging visa.
A religious organisation and disability advocacy service have given him some support and are providing assistance while he sorts out his immigration issues. They support his application for a protection visa because of his dire circumstances. They believe deportation will cause a significant decline in Danek’s physical and mental health.
Danek said he must stay in Australia because he is unable to work and there is very little support for people with disability in his home country. Also, any application for support would be more complex and challenging because he acquired his disability in Australia. He fears his health and wellbeing will deteriorate significantly if he returns to his home country.
Danek is appreciative of Australia’s medical system but says, ‘Victims of crime with disability who are not permanent residents should be afforded assistance such as a form of social security, particularly when their injuries are through no fault of their own and have occurred in Australia.’
Danek says he’s also been the victim of racism. He suspects some of the knockbacks he’s received from government and community organisations are because of his nationality.
‘There is more to be done to assist people with disability who are victims of indirect racism through the department of immigration.’
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.