Dean and Eva
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.
‘All perpetrators of sexual abuse need to be accountable … no matter what age.’
Dean has cerebral palsy, a cognitive disability and vision impairment. His mother Eve says ‘he has good speech and enjoys listening to music’. Now in his early 30s he lives independently in his own unit with the support of four workers. He is a busy volunteer, including with a community radio station and as a visitor at an aged care facility.
Eve told the Royal Commission that towards the end of primary school, Dean was sexually abused by another student at his mainstream school.
‘At lunchtime while my son was on his own in a playground of over 200 students, he was wheeled into the toilets by another … student.’ Eve says the student pulled down Dean’s pants and tried to make Dean have oral sex with him.
Dean did not tell Eve about the incident until she was putting him to bed that night. Eve notified the school and Dean ‘identified his perpetrator … after looking at all the photos of the boys in his class’.
The school notified the police, who interviewed Dean. Eve was not allowed to be present and he did not have an advocate or support person. He became agitated and ‘lost it’, but the case did go to court. Eve said that the judge believed Dean, but the other boy was not sentenced because of his age.
‘The School was most apologetic, however everyone was … ashamed this had happened under their watch so communication was quite strained and we did feel quite isolated,’ Eve told us.
The school asked Eve if they could shift Dean out of the shared classroom. She thought this was ‘most inappropriate as the other boy should move as he was the perpetrator’.
Eve asked the school to notify the high school the boys would transition to about the incident. The principal ‘stated that he was unable to pass this information on … due to the Privacy Act’.
Eve believes what happened to Dean could still occur today because ‘funded time [for educational support workers] does not include supervising the playground which is where most of the bullying occurs’.
Eve would like to see all school playgrounds monitored so ‘all children can play in a safe environment’. She believes sexual abuse by minors needs to be disclosed to relevant future schools for the ‘safety of others’ and a perpetrator of sexual abuse should be immediately removed from any classroom they share with a victim.
She says a person with a disability should always have a support person or advocate present when being interviewed by police.
Eve also feels the young perpetrator ‘should have been made accountable’ for what he had done.
‘This young man he was not sorry in the least, he knew exactly what he had done to my vulnerable son in a wheelchair … Counselling or community service could have been ordered and may have assisted the boy.’
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.