09 May 2023 , 16:01
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Two disabled brothers were found naked and severely malnourished inside a squalid locked room in Australia, after their dad's death, despite authorities being aware of their risks.
The unnamed 17 and 19-year-old boys were found unclothed in a bare room with the door handles removed when emergency services arrived in May 2020, Kate Eastman, counsel assisting the Disability Royal Commission, told the Brisbane hearing this week.
Eastman claimed on Monday that the violence, abuse, neglect and deprivation of human rights the boys experienced were preventable.
She said: "There is nothing about their age, disability or their personal circumstances that made it inevitable that they should individually or together experience violence, abuse, neglect or a deprivation of their human rights."
Both young men now receive NDIS support (news.com.au)Despite having no experience with people with severe disabilities, a former neighbour said she found ways to communicate with the two teenagers.
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When they were locked in their room, she would play relaxation music and sometimes whistle through the window.
Eastman said that in May 2020, a neighbour called authorities once she discovered the brothers’ father had died as she could see that they were in a locked room with little furniture, soiled nappies on the floor and excrement on the walls.
She continued: “On the day they were found, they were taken to hospital. They were diagnosed with severe malnutrition and a condition called Kwashiorkor, a disease that’s characterised by severe protein deficiency, which is very rare in developed countries like Australia.”
Among the dozens of interactions between the family and Queensland government agencies between June 2000 and May 2020, there were 30 occasions when concerns about neglect were either raised or recorded.
The neighbour told the commission the brothers were “just lovely” and she cared about them.
Both young men now receive NDIS [National Disability Insurance Scheme] support and their affairs are managed by the Queensland public guardian.
Representatives for the Queensland government are expected to give evidence on Wednesday.
The inquiry continues.