Adau Mornyang

Mornyang a victim of sexual assault herself was inundated after posting her experience on a one-hour-long Facebook video from women who had faced similar assaults as well as positive messages, in the case of her sexual assault and rape she was bullied into asking the police to drop the charges laid against the offenders. Mornyang spoke out against victim-blaming but received a backlash from men in her community.^[2]

Mornyang urged Sudanese parents and leaders in the Melbourne community to be proactive and play a more serious role of the teens who have been involved in violent crime, She believes African immigrants were not taking note of serious mental health issues in teenagers, thus turning them towards a life of violence and drug abuse. Mornyang told Herald Sun that the Sudanese community needed to integrate more by both teaching teenagers about their heritage and the local Australian cultures and laws.^[2][12]

Mornyang offered advice to young girls dealing with something that they feel insecure about their body by talking about her scar she received on her face. She told Teen Vogue that she embraced her scar for the way it made her different and unique, and that people will try to bully others some stage because there will always be something they dislike. Mornyang ended by stating We all have scars, some you can see, some you can't. I'm lucky you can see mine.^[13]

On a January 21, 2019 United Airlines flight from Melbourne to Los Angeles, Mornyang was involved in a physical altercation with a flight attendant. Audio was released showing her drunkenly yelling obscenities and racial slurs and abused the airline crew after they investigated complaints about her behavior from fellow passengers. The incident escalated when she slapped a member of the flight crew and had to be handcuffed by a federal air marshal. About two hours before the flight landed, she was allowed to use the restroom, where she stayed for the remainder of the flight. She was arrested upon the plane's arrival in Los Angeles.^[14]

In March 2019, she was found guilty of a felony charge of interference with a flight crew member and a misdemeanor count of assault by a Los Angeles jury. At her trial, it was disclosed that she had to be carried out of the plane by air marshals. After her trial, she stated that she did not remember what had happened, but might have mixed prescription drugs with too much alcohol during the flight.^[15][16]

On July 15, 2019, Adau was sentenced to 3 years probation and 100 hours of community services. Alongside, she was to receive mental health counseling and submit to drug tests. US District Court Judge Cormac J. Carney said he believed Adau was deeply remorseful for the incident and did not deserve to go to prison and that he wanted her to have a wonderful life. Adau had read a statement that she was currently trying to deal with emotions and anxiety brought on by childhood trauma through proper medical treatment, not drugs and alcohol like she had done earlier in her life.^[17]