Alliyah bravely recounts her traumatic ordeal. She hopes that having done so, similar cases will be caught and resolved proactively before it’s too late. After 10 years of grooming and abuse at the hands of her teacher, Alliyah is hell-bent on raising awareness about the subtle warning signs that can save other victims from the same destiny. She has given ABC permission to disclose her identity as a victim in this horrific case.
Alliyah’s family had filed several prior complaints against Whiteside to educators, administrators, and the district. Despite those concerns, there was no consequence for the teacher and she was free to continue as a leading member of the school system. Jackie, Alliyah’s mother, tells the story of how it went down. She wonders whether the suspect’s gender impacted response to the threat at all. Dr. Amanda Robertson, a researcher who has spent over 10 years tracking sexual abuse and misconduct claims against teachers, is adamant that gender played a role in the delay to notice the red flags of abuse.
A Decade of Silence
Alliyah’s nightmare began at the age of nine. Underneath those difficulties, for a decade, was the reflection created through the eyes of Kellie Whiteside, a mother of three. The grooming process is manipulative by nature, often taking an insidious form that builds an atmosphere of trust and reliance. As previously mentioned, Whiteside used multiple methods to insert herself into Alliyah’s life and her family’s, painting herself as a motherly person.
Even years later, Jackie remembers how Whiteside’s conversations seemed so nurturing and encouraging. “The manner in which Kellie knitted herself into Alliyah’s life and our family was in a very maternal fashion,” Jackie reflected. It was everything to raise Alliyah, to care for Alliyah, to be there for Alliyah. These dynamics can further bewilder victims and their families, blinding them to obvious red flags and poisonous behaviors.
As Dr. Robertson explains, it isn’t just the racist societal perceptions that cause the problem. “Most people don’t perceive sex offenders to be women and don’t perceive most women to be capable of causing harm, let alone sexual harm,” she noted. This misinterpretation can have fatal outcomes for victims such as Alliyah, whose pleas for assistance were tragically not listened to.
Missed Opportunities for Action
Even after multiple complaints filed by Alliyah’s family regarding Kellie Whiteside’s misconduct, officials were unable to act decisively. In 2014, when Whiteside was caught messaging Alliyah inappropriately, the Queensland Education Department received this information but did not act against her. Alliyah’s parents had advocated for the policy change when Whiteside intended to transfer to the same high school as their daughter in 2016. Despite their concerns, they got no answer.
In particular, Dr. Robertson called attention to a disturbing reversal. As he pointed out, when female teachers are accused, their cases are handled differently than their male counterparts. When a first-time report comes into a school, the statistics indicate that schools are far more likely to take no action at all. That’s particularly the case when the accuser is a woman instead of a man,” she noted. This gap often leaves victims defenseless and allows the cycle of abuse to continue.
Here’s how Sebastian, a friend of Alliyah’s remembers being fed up at the time. “I was like, ‘I’m telling you that I think something is wrong and you need to check this, like it’s a teacher with a student,’ and they just pretty much went ‘the only people that can complain are your parents or Alliyah,’” he said.
Alliyah’s case is symbolic of key research revelations. It highlights that even if female perpetrators are a minority, they remain a dangerous group capable of causing grievous harm to young victims. According to Dr. Robertson, “we were beginning to see this trend of female perpetration—women in their mid-30s engaging adolescent students. These patterns can no longer be overlooked and discounted.
The Consequences of Inaction
Retired teacher Kellie Whiteside had pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual conduct with a minor. She was sentenced to five years imprisonment, with a non-parole period of two years. The irreversible damage done to Alliyah by the lawsuit is beyond comprehension. Jackie Quinn talks about her immense guilt for not being able to save her daughter before it was too late. “I regret not doing more to protect Alliyah at the time,” she confided.
Alliyah simply wouldn’t have accepted this happening to her if Whiteside had been a male teacher. If a man had done any of those things, people would’ve attacked him right away. It would have been over a lot quicker,” she claimed. This sentiment is indicative of a larger societal problem with how we view the role of gender in abuse situations.
When female perpetrators are even mentioned, Dr. Robertson stresses the need to raise awareness about the issue. Because reported rates are lower, this issue tends to be overlooked. The harms for victims are as high as any crime. Child sexual abuse has a complicated emotional element. Due to the complex trauma from entangled relationships that victims often form with their abuser, it can be nearly impossible for them to come forward.
