Like a previous poster here I have been involved with giving evidence to the Royal Commission. After my experience I would urge all survivors of institutional abuse to think carefully about their health before they get involved.
I have been more distressed in the past two months than any time in the last 20 years. The staff at the Commission have pressured me and overstepped my boundaries constantly. They do not offer any support that is safe or accessible to me. This is because the support agencies they have funded are very institutional and dis-empowering. This is very frightening for former wardies or homies. Most of the Commission staff treated me like I am worthless- they were rude and looked down on me.
I have been retraumatised by sharing my story in an unsafe environment. I feel I have been treated like I was treated as child: like I have no rights and my feelings don't matter. It will take me a long time to recover. I am still crying every few hours and have been this way for weeks now.
It is important that our stories of being abused in 'care' are heard, but at the moment the cost to our health is too high. Why can't Commission staff even be kind to us? They know we have been abused and we are crying but they don't care. I still can't quite believe how badly I have been treated by the Commission. It should have been an empowering experience but I feel like they see me like the perpetrators saw me: worthless, to be used and disposed of, powerless and rightless.
