Sexual abuse by siblings more common than by a parent

SIBLING sexual abuse is more common than sexual abuse by a parent, according to the director of a treatment programme for young abusers.

“Why is sibling sexual abuse so under-reported and why is there a reluctance to talk about it and to take it seriously?” asked Joan Cherry, director of the Northside Inter-Agency Project, a community-based project in Dublin working with young people who have been abused and their families.

Ms Cherry, one of the keynote speakers at the Irish Association of Social Workers conference annual meeting, which takes place today in Dublin, said early detection and intervention are essential.