Katiya
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.
‘I never got the option to go into hospital like other rape victims. How I’ve been treated as a disabled person, it’s not fair, it’s not right.’
Katiya is autistic and has intellectual and physical disability due to a genetic disorder. She lives in public housing, ‘with carers coming in twice a day’. She needs help with everyday things like showering and getting dressed.
‘I don’t work at the moment. I also have anxiety and depression. And I suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.’
About a decade ago, an acquaintance raped Katiya. ‘It took me about a week to come forward.’
Katiya said police gave her no support – they had an ‘I-don’t-care attitude’. ‘When I told them that I had disabilities … they didn’t want to deal with me.’
Katiya said police officers didn’t provide her with a disability advocate or let her speak with a female police officer. They advised her against calling her mum.
‘They said that it would be in my favour not to have anyone present. [That] my story would have more of an impact – if I looked as if I had … no-one around to support me.’
She said police maintained there was no evidence.
‘The evidence was – it was everywhere. There was no excusable reason why they could not of gotten some kind of evidence. My DNA was in the room, it was in the toilet, it was on a cup, it was on my clothing.’
Katiya said the police didn’t even get her to go to hospital to be examined for sexual assault. ‘They knew the extent of the attack. They knew what he did. They didn’t even investigate any of it.’
Police brought the man in for questioning, but didn’t charge him. The first police report claimed Katiya was ‘too frightened to pursue it’.
‘I was frightened, but I did want to pursue it. They twisted what I had said … They didn’t want to have to deal with a severely disabled person … they didn’t give a rat’s about me.’
Katiya said the first detective on the case promised that her ‘case would be heard’, but ‘it never got to court’.
‘Why – how have police let him get away with raping a disabled person? They’ve shut me down. They’ve shut the pain down and said, “Oh, we’ve told you, there’s nothing we can do.” The mental abuse from their position of power has been absolutely disgraceful.’
Recently, Katiya sought unsuccessfully to have the case reopened.
‘I tried to get my voice heard … To, you know, get him held responsible and the police responsible. My rights as a victim of crime have been violated so much.’
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.