Sibling abuse, although often undisclosed until much later in life, is one of the most prevalent issues of sexual violation often carrying with it misplaced loyalty to the perpetrator self blame and a whole list of negative and self destructive thoughts and actions.

Both historically and in the client’s here and now experience, much of the sexual violation work at Jigsaw is based around sibling sexual abuse, in fact some of the alarms we have sourced are in direct response to this – such as the door wedge alarm which alerts the other ‘non sexual predators’ in the household to the presence of a sneak intruder into another’s bedroom.

Being able to disclose this kind of abuse whether as a teenager or after many years can be like having a deep embedded splinter removed from a person’s psyche.

Written by Sue J Daniels © Sue J Daniels 2009 all rights reserved

Case Reflection (ID Protected) Josie

I remember the first time I ever actually spoke about the sexual abuse my brother perpetrated upon me on a daily basis for six years from the age of nine until fifteen. Internally, I felt a sense of betrayal towards him mixed with a feeling of having a huge weight lifted from me. It was like I’d been air lifted to safety and at last; someone was actually listening to me.

Any type of sexual violation can be worked through with a trained professional, it does not have to ruin lives – targets of this type of crime can and do move on and live fulfilling lives.

Submitted by former client of Jigsaw Counselling Services

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