A Victorian Miss World Australia finalist has revealed she was raped as a teen in a distressing Facebook Live video.
Adau Mornyang, 22, who detailed the assault in graphic detail during an hour-long video posted on Tuesday, says she wants to start a conversation about rape culture in the South Sudanese community.
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Miss World finalist says she was raped at 17
In a Facebook live video, South Sudanese-born model Adau Mornyang tearfully recounts an alleged rape she suffered in Adelaide six years ago.
Through tears, she recounts meeting up with two male friends in Adelaide in 2012, when she was aged 17, after she broke up with her boyfriend.
The men encouraged her to drink alcohol, telling her it would help to forget about the break-up. She recalls blacking out before coming to lying on a concrete floor.
"I couldn't move. My body just shut down," she said. "As they were … taking turns, I was lying there crying to God that I just died."
Ms Mornyang says she saw the men as brothers and had turned to them for support.
"I trusted these guys," she said.
The video had been viewed 35,000 times and shared 394 times by Thursday afternoon.
Ms Mornyang, who had to stop during the video at times and told viewers she had seen a therapist, said it was the first time she had spoken publicly about the traumatic assault.
"I want to speak about it because I want our community to stop victim-blaming women for the actions of men," she told Fairfax Media.
The model said she wasn't believed after the assault and was told it must have somehow been her fault.
"I suffered in silence without the support of anyone," she said.
"Our community doesn't know much about sexual assault, they don't believe it ... and when they do, they blame it on the woman.
"'Maybe you provoked him? Or maybe you asked for it?' It's not OK. We're not back at home right now. We're in Australia."
Ms Mornyang said rape was common in the South Sudanese community, but that women and girls didn't talk about it out of fear of upsetting their families.
She said families of rapists were protective of their sons and encouraged the community to stand beside them.
"[Families are] so afraid about tarnishing the community's name, yet they are OK with the kids running around committing crimes, vandalising, and traumatising people," she said.
"We are teaching men that's it's OK and that they can get away with it. We need to show them they are accountable for their actions."
The chief executive of anti-violence against women organisation Our Watch, Mary Barry, said violence against women was prevalent across every community in Australia.
"It doesn't discriminate by ethnicity or social status," she said.
"All women and children, regardless of cultural identity, ethnicity, religion or language, have the right to live without the fear or reality of violence.
"It's our responsibility as individuals and communities to play our part in speaking out against violence of any sort."
The Miss World Australia official crowning ceremony will be hosted at Grand Hyatt Melbourne on Friday July, 14 2017.
For help in a crisis call 000. For help or information regarding domestic violence call the Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service 1800 737 732.
Online you can visit www.1800respect.org.au.