Cadets forced to rape each other, say reports.
By Sreekanth A. Nair
A hearing of the Royal Commission into sex abuse within the Australian Navy has brought to light the horrific sexual abuse some young cadets had to suffer during their training. Cadets claimed that they were forced to rape each other and suck the genitals of others as part of treatments that were described as a “rite of passage” and meant to “make a man” out of them.
A former member of the navy said that he was sexually abused many times after having ‘snatched’ from bed during the night. “On multiple occasions, I was snatched in the middle of a night and dragged to a sports oval,” he told News.com.
“I was forced to suck another recruit’s penis or lick a junior recruit’s anus…. Other times I was forced to have anal intercourse with junior recruits or I was raped by another junior recruit who was directed to do so by the older recruits or base staff,” he added.
Shoe polish was smeared on the genitals of the cadets and the practice was called ‘blackballing.’ Another ritual was called “royal flush” in which the heads of the cadets were forcefully pushed into toilets and flushed, reported India Today.
Being not able to withstand the abuse, some of the cadets escaped from the navy base, but was punished when they returned. The navy police also threatened them with dire consequences if they complained about what was happening inside the base.
“If you say anything about what happened at Leeuwin, other than it being just boys being boys, you’re going to pay a very dear price,” this was what the shore patrolmen told them, reported IB Times.
When a recruit Glen Greaves tried to file a complaint, a senior officer dragged him into the urinal and forced him to lick the urinal. On another occasion, he was raped with a broom handle when he refused to have oral sex.
A 16-year-old recruit, Eleanore Tibble, committed suicide in 2000 after she was threatened over having a sexual relationship with a 30-year-old instructor.
Another cadet Graeme Frazer was forced to run along the corridor while other threw bags filled with heavy items like iron at him. This continued until he fainted.
The shocking revelations came out after the commission started the two-week-long hearing on Tuesday.