After 2 years recovering from a criminal trial to jail a paedophile, I’m thinking of rejoining the workforce.

I’ve done an awful lot. Had things published. Lots.

But I’ve learned businesses punish people like me.

Here’s how;

/1

In 2017, detectives told me to inform my employer that a criminal trial was approaching.

I’d been employed in a long term contract for 2 years. I’d won workplace awards. It was a great team. I loved it.

I thought my boss would be proud of me.

He seemed progressive.

/2

Within a week of telling him, he ended my contract, effective immediately, as though I was the criminal who had stolen company material or some other unforgivable crime.

The team I had loved all clearly knew.

There was no farewell morning tea.

/3

Not one of the team of 22 had the guts to look at me.

My boss said the decision had come ‘from higher up’.

The MeToo movement was supposed to apply to everyone.

But it didn’t apply to me- I wasn’t allowed to discuss the criminal case.

I had no way of demanding better.

/4

The irony was double barrelled.

1. It took another year before the trial actually took place. So I lost my job for nothing.

2. I later discovered my rapist (a serial paedophile) had been thoroughly supported & employed (reported here) all that time.

/5 https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/society/2019/apr/20/uniting-church-allowed-paedophile-priest-to-deliver-sermon-and-posted-it-online

My employer wasn’t some dodgy hole in the wall joint.

They employ the best academics, some of whom write & research about justice, child abuse & every other subject you can think of.

After I jailed Aitchison, I went to recruiters who had placed me before.

/6

I believed articles I’d read about how proud everyone was of whistleblower survivors, especially those who were seeing criminal justice outcomes of custodial sentences.

I thought recruiters (all women, to my horror & sadness), would tell me they were proud of me too.
/7

Finally, for the first time in my life, I thought I could hold my head up high.

But instead I was told that no employer would ever hire me because if I’d spoken up about child abuse, I might not be trustworthy.

That I could be branded as ‘litigatious’.

‘Damaged goods’.

/8

I was told by one female recruiter that she wanted to know who else I’d applied to, so she could ‘warn them of your change in circumstances’.

When #metoo is promoted as applying to every woman & survivor of rape- it isn’t the truth.

You have to fit an acceptable definition.

/9

I didn’t fit the brief.

Administration Assistants don’t.

Women who find themselves in inter generational suffering don’t tend to be high up in employment.

We are scrambling to support our kids in low paid, low status jobs.

When people have power, they abuse it.

/10

Employers don’t listen to the person setting up their company morning tea raising awareness for violence against women.

We are always invisible because that’s how powerful people like it.

So...now I have the uneasy decision of whether to be open about my identity.

/11

Or whether to shut up & hide; like I spent 25 years doing.

And THIS is how Rape & child abuse survivors are truly silenced in Australian society.

Because if we say we want survivors to speak out, we need to pick up the other end of that stick.

/12

What are the long term consequences for survivors who do achieve a measure of justice?

If business embrace ‘diversity’, ‘courage’, ‘innovative thinking’ & ‘achieving under pressure’; they need to accept areas of hypocrisy, double standards & their role in blaming victims.

/13

People may think that what I want is to be the sad sack employee who brings their personal baggage into the office.

It’s ridiculous & insulting.

My career achievements were considerable before I reported child rape.

And what I’ve done since, makes me a better employee.

/14

It’s also nuts because everyone brings their personal life into work.

If you know your colleagues kids names, or if you’ve had a baby, gone on a trip requiring leave or a million other things...it’s the same.

Now, I’m expected to explain the 4 year gap on my resume.

/15

I fought like hell to say my name.

I told the truth & lost an awful lot to demonstrate my integrity & honesty.

That’s what we demand of rape victims, right?

So telling me to lie so employers can feel comfy about my ability to do my job goes against everything I stand for.

/16

And what it really says is that society still believes I should feel ashamed because a serial paedophile chose to rape me when I was 13.

The onus is on me to ‘make something up’ because victims of child rape are icky.

Cant have ‘one of those people’ in our organisation.

/17

It’s asking me to actively participate in stereotypes, perpetuation of rape culture & the accepted ‘fact’ that ‘we hide child abuse’.

I’m so angry about this.

I can’t accept it. I won’t do it.

And I don’t think any business or employer should expect it.

/18

I get that people will think I’m naive in expecting better.

But this is the utter bullshit that people like me have to navigate.

I want to call it out.
I want to be brave.

I want people to think about it.

/end