Zora
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.
Zora, now in her mid-50s, has an acquired brain injury caused by an accident when she was a young child. She also has epilepsy, with frequent seizures that are becoming more severe.
When she was seven, child welfare took Zora from her adoptive mother who had been physically and emotionally abusing her. They placed her in a group home operated by a religious organisation and managed by a cottage mother.
As a 10-year-old, some older boys living in the home sexually assaulted her. She didn’t tell anyone about it for many years.
She was also sexually abused over an 18-month period by a man who lived at the property. She told a friend what was happening, the friend reported the abuse to the cottage mother and the matter was investigated.
‘I was interviewed by the police and the director, the psychiatrist and other staff of the home, and I wasn’t believed by anybody. At, you know, 14, 15, I wasn’t believed.’
Years later, Zora returned to police to report the man again. She was concerned he might still live at the property and be abusing others. Police told her all the records of the previous investigation had been lost. ‘I still feel they didn’t believe me,’ she said.
Zora did eventually get an apology from the organisation that ran the home, but it felt insincere. It didn’t help her. Instead, it prompted thoughts of taking her own life.
‘The apology has made it worse for me actually, in my opinion, because … I went to a lot more thoughts of, like, “I don’t want to be here anymore.” It’s like I want to go for a walk at night and not come home the next day. But I have to beat this,’ she told the Royal Commission.
‘And I’ve got friends that – who love me and like me – so I can’t do that to my friends, and I can’t do that. You know, let people win.’
Zora is certain her disabilities arise from the abuse she has experienced. Her main concern now is that other children might be disbelieved as she was.
‘I just don’t want this to happen to anybody again,’ she said. ‘I mean, if people report things – if they are kids or whoever – I want them to be believed, you know … [They] have to be believed.’
Zora enjoys time she spends with a support group for people who used to be in care.
‘It just offers support for us to go and meet each other and talk, and we go on outings and, you know, we can talk about how we lived in the home, or … we just – we just talk about daily things. We don’t have to talk about our lives at the homes.’
Socialising is not always easy for her.
‘I put up a wall so people don’t ask me, “What’s wrong?” because I don’t want to explain every time why I’m down … So, you know, if I have a good day the wall goes down a bit, if I have a bad day it goes back up.’
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.