Emile and Anja
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.
Emile is in his 20s. He has Down syndrome and is non-verbal.
‘He lights everybody up that he sees, like he’s got a smile that just expands and goes through his whole face and he just brings a lot of joy to a lot of people,’ his mum Anja told the Royal Commission. ‘He was very social before the last few years. Now we’re trying to get him to start coming out of his shell a little bit again, but a lovely guy.’
Anja is a single parent and for many years was Emile’s sole carer. When Emile was a teenager, doctors admitted Anja to hospital for a back injury.
‘Child [protection] got involved … they wanted me to sign a form saying that I was neglecting him.’
Anja said she felt she had little choice but to relinquish care.
‘I can tell you it was the worst experience of my life. To this day I struggle to tell people that [Emile] was put in care because I feel like the worst person in the world.’
When Emile turned 18, he entered a group home. One day when Anja visited she noticed a new lock on his bedroom door.
‘I’m like, “Why’s there a lock on [Emile’s] bedroom door now?” and … they go, “Oh well no reason, just for privacy.” And I find out afterwards another young man living in the house had gone in there and tried to strangle him. [They] never told us.’
Anja said when Emile first went into the home the staff treated him well, but when new support workers arrived Emile began to lose a lot of weight.
‘I mean they were giving him milk, regular milk, when he’s lactose intolerant.’
When she asked the provider about his diet plan they told her it was ‘happening’, but later said they’d ‘never received it’.
‘Some of the workers would say to me, “Well we’re taking away his choice if we follow the diet plan.” … At one stage [Emile] was just getting boiled potatoes. That was it.’
Emile’s behaviour deteriorated.
‘We went with the behavioural specialist to have a meeting with one of the workers that knew [Emile] well and we walk in … and she said, “This guy has asked to have sex with [Emile] and we don’t know whether he has or not.” … I got [Emile] out of the house that moment. He never went back to that house.’
Anja said she learnt the other resident had sexually assaulted someone else and threatened to harm Emile. The police told her they couldn’t do much without evidence.
‘Do you know if they have anybody that specialises in the police force with people with disabilities?’ Anja asked the Royal Commission. ‘Or is it that they just don’t ever want to get justice for somebody with special needs? Because that’s what I’m kind of feeling. There was nowhere to go to.’
Anja said the service provider didn’t report the incident to the police until after she reported it.
‘[The] police said to me, “What do you want to happen?” I said, “I would like the person that did it, who has a disability, to be protected so they’re not put in a position where they can do this again. I would like the people that live with this person to be protected … and I would like the company to be accountable because they have hidden and not reported it.”’
Another service provider now supports Emile.
‘He’s now with a good provider. It took a lot, but I was scared for his life.’
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.