Oona
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.
Oona is an autistic teenager. She wrote to the Royal Commission about the bullying she experienced at two different schools.
‘I was bullied … and the teachers would not do anything about it. I got called horrible names … The teachers thought I was gay for this one student and that student bullied me and my friends … I was called awful slurs like "Spastic" and other horrible names.’
Oona also says she was groomed by a paedophile, her ‘boyfriend’, in high school. She made a complaint to the police, but ‘nothing happened’.
When Oona moved to another town, she ‘was accepted by the boys and girls’.
‘It was heaven.’
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.