Brett Robinson was confused when Tasmania's Child and Family Services removed him from the home he shared with his father.
Warning: This article contains content some might find distressing.
Mr Robinson told the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government's Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings on Friday that it set him on a path that led to youth detention and destroyed his life.
Mr Robinson told the commission he and his father had "been arguing" and the police and child protection workers came to their house.
He said he had never felt unsafe with his father and that he had "been my rock throughout my life".
Mr Robinson said he was initially told he was being taken away for a couple of days, then a week, but it was much longer.
Mr Robinson, aged 12 or 13 at the time, was taken to care homes where he lived with other children and carers who worked on a roster system.
"It was quite a bad time for myself, and my father as well. Dad was quite upset and wanted me home," he said.
Mr Robinson told the commission he was sexually abused at one of the homes.
He told the commission he disclosed the abuse to a carer, who told him to keep quiet and did not believe him, but a couple of weeks later, he told his parents and they contacted police.
Mr Robinson said speaking to police about the abuse was too difficult and he was unable to go through with the interview.
"When it came time to give details … I couldn't talk," he told the commission of inquiry.
Mr Robinson said he was moved to a care home further away from his father. He continued trying to return home, but told the commission that every time he did, the police were waiting, and he was returned to the care home.
He said he then took to living on the streets.
"Occasionally I would break into a car and just sleep in the back," he said.
He told the commission he had no access to money.
'Welcome to Ashley, boy'
At age 14, Mr Robinson ended up in the Ashley Youth Detention Centre. He described to the commission how he was "welcomed" to the centre.
"Basically, they take me through in the admissions unit … I was left there for a couple of minutes and then their worker came in and basically started to strip-search," he told the commission.
"I'd already been searched at the police station, and I didn't have to take my boxer shorts off [there], so I didn't think I would [at Ashley]."
But Mr Robinson told the commission he was then ordered by the Ashley worker to remove them.
"I basically pretended that I didn't hear him and went to continue to get my clothes, and he slammed me to the ground, pretty much ripped my shorts off me, and then he said to me … 'You're not listening'," Mr Robinson said.
"Then he ran his finger basically through my butt cheeks and inserted a finger in and said, 'Welcome to Ashley, boy. You do as you're told'."
Mr Robinson told the commission detainees were "treated like shit" and "belittled".
"There were a couple of nice ones that worked there, and they wouldn't treat you like that, and when they were working, they'd basically keep other officers in line I guess," he said.
Mr Robinson told the commission he was "hog-tied" once when he did not go back to his cell quickly enough, and that workers used "control cuffs" that could be tightened so "it feels like it's going to snap your wrists off".
He told the commission that detainees were put into isolation regularly, and that his longest stint in isolation was six weeks.
He told the commission that when he came out of Ashley for the first time, he was placed in another care home and "just went downhill".
Mr Robinson thanked the commissioners for listening to his story.
"If anything does come out of it, whether it's [the current Ashley Youth Detention Centre] or the next centre, just flood the place full of cameras … make sure these kids haven't got an angle where they don't feel safe, because it's wrong," he said.
"It's destroyed my life and it's destroyed so many other lives that I know."
Department secretary apologises
Tasmania's Communities Department is responsible for children in out-of-home care in the state.
Department secretary Michael Pervan also gave evidence on Friday.
"I am so sorry that we were not there for you," he said to the three witnesses who told the commission of abuse what happened while they were in the care of the state.
"The fact that people in our systems did not feel loved and safe I think is a tremendous tragedy, especially for Azra, who was calling for it.
"I would sincerely and genuinely want to say that we're so sorry that the system let her down so badly."
The commission also heard there are no standards for out-of-home care in Tasmania.
Mr Pervan said standards would be issued by the end of this month.
