Eddie

Eddie shared his experience of a few years ago when he belonged to an organised community of people with psychosocial disabilities and mental health concerns.

The community was membership based and focused on rehabilitation and rebuilding the lives of its members. However, Eddie said he experienced sexual harassment, bullying and other inappropriate behaviours from both staff and members that reduced the quality of his care and set back his recovery considerably.

Eddie described how one staff member frequently touched him in inappropriate ways and made him feel harassed and intimidated. This man would continually come on to him, verbally and physically, and talk about his sexuality and sexual exploits. When Eddie asked to be left alone, the man would become angry, sometimes shouting at him, other times sending hostile and threatening text messages.

Eddie said that staff bullied some members to do tasks and showed favouritism to others. He saw many members denied service while staff and other members took overseas trips and were given preference for temporary jobs.

He recalled that some staff would allow particular members to attend the clubhouse intoxicated or high on drugs, which was prohibited by the group’s charter. Some staff and members socialised outside the clubhouse, which was also against the rules of the community. Some members behaved inappropriately, discussing sex, talking about and viewing pornography, and spreading rumours of a sexual nature about other members. One of the staff referred to members with poor mental health, including Eddie, as ‘dirt bags’. Staff and members openly bullied people during meetings, he said, causing them to break down crying.

Eddie made a complaint about these matters to senior management but it was ignored and the behaviours continued unchecked for at least the next two years. By that time, Eddie had left the group.