Uniform Justice: Women speak out about appalling treatment after reporting rapes to ADF

One young woman was sent to military jail after speaking up about her sexual assault, and another was branded a liar and ‘chained like a dog’. They share their stories in our Uniform Justice campaign.

While Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh denies a widespread culture of cover- up and abuse in the ADF, two more women have told their horror stories and backed The Sunday Telegraph’s Uniform Justice campaign.

One young woman’s childhood dream of becoming a soldier was shattered when she was violently raped by a fellow soldier — and then sent to military jail for speaking up.

Naomi Madams joined the army as a bright-eyed 19-year-old in 2000, only to be immediately subjected to a campaign of misogynistic and homophobic abuse and sexual harassment during basic training.

“They guys would be peering at you while showering, and if you reported them the response was, ‘It’s a man’s job, learn to live like one’ … it was brushed off.

“They knew I was gay so they bullied me a lot. Once I graduated from the basic training I thought my nightmare was over but, no, it just got worse.”

Naomi Madams was raped and humiliated during in her time in the army.

After a night out with a friend after moving to her posting at the Latchford Barracks in Victoria, Ms Madams was followed home by another soldier.

“He came back to my quarters and I was a virgin at the time and he raped me really bad,” she said.

Ms Madams says she was left bleeding and he threatened her not to speak up or he would “make my military time a nightmare”.

“I tried to report it but they were his friends, they said they would sort it out but my life became hell,” she said.

Ms Madams said she endured more bullying after speaking up, her case was not properly investigated, and soldiers would regularly spit in her food. Meanwhile, she was being failed for tests she would usually pass.

She turned to alcohol to cope — and was then charged with insubordination. She was imprisoned in the military jail at Holsworthy, in Sydney.

“It was like a concentration camp,” she said.

Uniform Justice campaign

At the time the military jail did not have a separate prison for women. All were brutalised by the guards but she was singled out for particular punishment.

It began immediately when she was made to strip naked in front of a male guard before she was taken to her cell.

Guards would push her into walls so hard her face would smack against the brick. She was denied permission to use the bathrooms and made to wet herself while listening to the snickering of the guards outside her cell.

Ms Madams also claims guards would watch her on camera while she was held in her cell for their own amusement.

Her life became about completing menial and humiliating tasks like scrubbing toilets with a toothbrush and, when made to do bootcamp training, would have a heavy medicine ball thrown at her back if she fell behind.

Naomi Madams was raped and bullied in her time in the army, pictured here during basic training in Kapooka in 2000.

Even worse was to come. After a seemingly easy marching drill, a male guard returned with her to her cell and she was again sexually assaulted, the man rubbing himself on her and forcing his genitalia into her mouth.

Reporting her abuse while in the jail was impossible. Not only was she completely at the mercy of these guards but she was already being punished for speaking up about her first assault.

After this abuse Ms Madams tried to take her own life, wrapping a sheet around her neck and trying to choke herself. Ironically, the guards’ habit of watching her on CCTV saved her life because they saw what was happening and stopped it.

When she was finally released, Ms Madams went for help at a civilian hospital and received an administrative discharge.

Ms Madams has received an apology from the Ombudsman, who agreed she was a victim of sexual abuse and that her complaints were not properly investigated by Defence.

She received an official apology, but still wants her story heard to make sure the public knows what can happen in our armed forces.

A Defence spokesman said it did not comment on individual cases.

“Cultural reform in Defence has been a continuous and evolving pathway, resulting in changes to Defence policy, safety standards, education, training and reporting of unacceptable behaviour,” he said.

CHAINED LIKE A DOG

Tammy Fuller joined the army to make her father proud, but her dream became a nightmare when she was raped, bullied and chained up “like a dog” for trying to speak out.

At just 18 years old in 1991, Ms Fuller was shocked at how brutal basic training could be.

“I have an intellectual disability and they would call me dumb, an airhead. I was crying and it beat down my self-esteem,” she said.

After basic training, Ms Fuller thought things would improve when she was posted to Holsworthy.

“I was followed home by a guy who worked in the army canteen … I was only 18 and he was older and bigger than me,” she said. “He started to kiss me. I was a virgin and I just froze, hoping he would get off me.”

Ms Fuller said the man, who she didn‘t know, raped her. She was left with bruises all over her body and other soldiers were quick to call her a “slut” and mock her, so she stayed silent.

Tammy Fuller aged 18 after her march out at Kapooka.

In another incident, a soldier came up behind her and squeezed her breasts until she cried out in pain.

She reported the incident reluctantly, because she was scared of the consequences.

“When it was reported my life just got worse, it‘s like I was a troublemaker,” she said.

“I tried to run away, I was just like a zombie.”

Ms Fuller turned to drugs and alcohol to cope with the relentless bullying, but finally opened up to an army psychologist.

Tammy Fuller aged 18 (second from left top row) pictured with her unit at Kapooka.

She told the psychologist about the sexual assault and harassment. But instead of getting help, her superiors punished her.

“I was chained up like a dog … they put a chain around my neck and a sign that said: ‘Don’t talk to me, I talk too much’,” she said.

“That was worse than anything, worse than having love bites left all over my body. The Australian public has no idea how we were treated, all they see is the glamour of the uniform.”

Ms Fuller was discharged after again trying to run away.

The Commonwealth Ombudsman has recognised a culture of cover-up and abuse existed in her service.

In a letter, the Ombudsman agreed Ms Fuller was a victim of this misogynist culture.

“The abuse (was) perpetrated, condoned, witnessed or encouraged by several senior male officers in your chain of command and no action was taken to prevent or stop the abuse … I have assessed the behaviour was viewed as part of the culture and I am reasonably satisfied Defence failed to respond appropriately to your report of abuse and failed to provide adequate support to enable you to report any further abuse,” the Ombudsman ruled.

A Defence spokesman said it would not comment on individual cases.

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