The country boy from central Victoria didn't understand the rules of Scotch College when he was sent to board at the exclusive Melbourne private school back in the 1980s.
When Thomas Page's clothes went missing after a shower, he thought his classmates were playing another cruel joke.
![Thomas Page, who was abused by fellow students at Scotch College in the 1980s, is now speaking out about his experiences.](/web/20170418203226im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/u/b/f/z/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.grv546.png/1475648045666.jpg)
The then 16-year-old expected to be mocked as he retreated to his dorm, wet and naked.
But instead, two students ran up behind him and grabbed his wrist, while another two clutched his ankles and lifted him waist high.
A fifth boy then raped him.
"I stopped struggling. I stopped thinking. I think I even stopped breathing," he said.
When Thomas worked up the courage to report the abuse to his school, he was shut down.
In a meeting with the former school house master and two Scotch lawyers, Thomas said he wanted the five alleged perpetrators to be expelled. They should be jailed, he said.
"They told me 'Scotch boys don't go to jail'. They did everything to silence me and make it go away."
Thomas is now speaking out in the hope it prevents other children from being hurt.
"Silence is the perpetrator's greatest weapon," the 46-year-old technology analyst said.
"I want to overcome silence."
While the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has shone a spotlight on adult perpetrators, it has not yet focused on child-on-child abuse.
As schools continue to grapple with this issue and demand for specialist services skyrockets, the Royal Commission is now considering holding a public hearing into sexual abuse among children.
Fairfax Media revealed last year that police are called to Victorian schools three times a week to investigate sex offences that are often perpetrated by children. In May, a seven-year-old student allegedly dragged female students into a toilet at a Melbourne school and sexually assaulted them, angering parents who said they were kept in the dark about the disturbing behaviour.
Thomas left Scotch College months after the assault, returned to his hometown and enrolled at the local high school. But it all became too much and he dropped out before finishing year 12.
He stopped talking to people, could not sleep properly and recoiled when anyone showed affection towards him.
Maintaining a relationship has been impossible, and in 2004 he was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder. He made a statement to police that year, but claims it was never investigated properly.
He said a detective insisted on interviewing him in his apartment foyer, with strangers walking past and someone sitting on a couch within earshot.
In 2006, he reached a settlement with the school.
While Scotch has publicly reached out to victims who were abused in its care, it is difficult for Thomas to trust his old school.
Principal Tom Batty said the school community was "appalled" by the treatment of some former students.
"It is not possible to imagine the suffering victims have been through in the years since they were abused, in some cases by fellow students," he said.
Mr Batty said he had met with old boys who had been abused and apologised on behalf of the college. He said the college's psychologist had also offered support to victims.
"We have tried to deal with all abuse claims with sensitivity, and have carefully and deliberately put in place a process that ensures we act in the interests of those who have suffered abuse," he said.
A police spokeswoman said the incident was investigated in 2004 but then closed pending further information. It was re-investigated last year, with the initial investigation reviewed, but closed again pending further information.
Deakin University criminologist Dr Wendy O'Brien said there was a lack of useful data on sexual abusive behaviour among children. This means it is impossible to know how prevalent it is.
"There is a reluctance to acknowledge that this is occurring, no one really wants to take responsibility," she said.
"It is easier to deny that it is happening and that is where children are being failed."
Department of Health and Human Services figures show that 1372 children in Victoria accessed the Sexually Abusive Behaviour Treatment Services program last year, up from 1160 cases the previous years.
"These programs seek to address problem sexual behaviour or sexually abusive behaviour, and help families and carers to understand and support the child or young person to change their behaviour," a spokesman said.
Australian Childhood Foundation chief executive Joe Tucci has witnessed a huge increase in demand for his program, which helps children in Melbourne's east with problem sexual behaviour.
When it was launched 15 years ago, just 10 children were referred to the program every year. Now it helps up to 180 children a year.
"We have also seen an increase in the severity of the behaviour," Mr Tucci said.
Victorian sexual assault crisis line: 1800 806 292
National child abuse helpline Child Wise: 1800 991 099
National sexual assault helpline 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732
henrietta.cook@fairfaxmedia.com.au