Hakeem
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.
Hakeem’s family migrated to Australia when he was a young child, some 50 years ago.
When Hakeem started at the local primary school, he was an easy target. He didn’t speak English well and he also stood out because of a physical disability.
Both students and teachers victimised Hakeem. Children enjoyed poking him with sticks that had been smeared with fecal matter from the toilets. They would tease him by singing songs that mocked his physical impairment. Teachers punished him physically and by segregating him from other students.
High school was just as bad. Hakeem experienced a lot of physical abuse. Looking back, he thinks teachers’ attitudes towards him were typical of how ‘ethnic’ children were treated at the time. The violence of his teachers – at different times he was caned, hit and locked in a cupboard – made it very difficult for him to learn.
He also began fighting with other students when they picked on him for his difference. He feels he attracted abusive behaviour. He recalled being ‘bashed up’ on a regular basis. He was always in trouble, and always at the principal's office.
Hakeem left school early, as soon as he could.
Having left school, he felt he did not fit in anywhere. He really needed support.
Hakeem spoke to the Royal Commission about other people he knew of who had succeeded despite their disabilities. But they had received help getting an education and other support. But when Hakeem left school he could not even write his own name. He later found out he is dyslexic.
The trauma of these early years and lack of education have affected Hakeem all his life. He has never been married and has never had a serious relationship. He does not have any children. He believes women look for breadwinners, and he wouldn’t qualify as that given his circumstances. He didn’t even have his own bank account until well into adulthood, and has been homeless at different times.
Hakeem completed a vocational education course that qualified him to work on trucks and other vehicles. He owns a small workshop, and is thinking about selling it so he can buy a permanent home.
Different doctors and psychiatrists have diagnosed Hakeem with personality disorders, schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Life is difficult and Hakeem is pessimistic at times. But at other times he counts his blessings. Australia is a much safer place than the country his family emigrated from, and far from the wars that affect so many other places in the world.
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.