In Perth, Australia, justice has finally been brought to a victim of lifelong and lasting abuse. Due to Australian law, no members of the family involved in this case have been identified. However, for this article, the victim will be referred to as Nina. These parents kept their daughter in almost complete isolation for her whole life. Nina was homeschooled by her mother, who quit her job to care for her, according to CNN. Primarily, her only access to other children or the outside world was her dance classes. They lived in a wealthy sector of Perth, with her father as the main financial supporter. Among this seemingly regular situation, there is a web of lies that Nina’s parents told in order to keep up their facade. CNN states that when signing her up for dance lessons, her mother lied about her birthday to make her six months younger than she was. In the next application, she took off another year, making her 18 months younger than her true age. The next time, she took off two years. Nina’s appearance was much younger than she was truly, so this was her parents’ solution to covering up their denial of her health. 

Nina’s parents didn’t allow her to grow up properly, as they starved her, mentally abused her, and forced her to live the life of a small child until she was 17 years old. When she was finally admitted to a hospital, at that same age, CNN states that she was only 60 pounds and was four feet and ten inches tall—the average size of a nine year old.

At a certain point, Nina’s condition was so worrisome that her dance instructor decided to call the authorities. When they found her, she had to be hospitalized. She was pale and so malnourished that the doctors said she was at risk of cardiac arrest or even death. She required an electrocardiogram for her heart, however her parents refused to allow it. It was vital to her survival that they helped her gain weight as soon as possible, tube-feeding her. However, her parents opposed their efforts to help with her weight gain as well. According to CNN, Nina’s parents were convinced that the medical staff could not be trusted. They also admired the figure of a separate patient who was lethally thin, and even told Nina that she would get “fat” if she followed the doctor’s orders. Due to her critical condition, they had to call in authorities and put her into state custody to be treated properly. 

While Nina was in the hospital, the mental abuse she went through became apparent. At home, and at the hospital, she watched only cartoons meant for toddlers. According to ABCNews, she watched “Wiggles” and Disney movies, or even less mature shows such as “Dora the Explorer” or “Thomas the Tank Engine.” She also had a love for stuffed animals. Combined with her very juvenile interests, she could not behave at the level she should have been at 17. She could not properly go to the bathroom, brush her teeth, or dress by herself, all of which her parents helped her with as if she was a toddler. She could not do simple tasks either, such as working kitchen appliances or even peeling a banana.