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the challenge: incest
   P   h   o   t   o   g   r   a   p   h   y   :    G   e   t   t   y   I   m   a   g   e   s   ;   p   o   s   e   d    f   o   r   b   y   m   o   d   e   l   s
Sibling incest is still something wehope does not happen often — andtherefore it has not been taken serious-ly by professionals. However, a growingbody of research points to the dark realitythat it is far more common than we thinkor want to believe. Some professionalshave asserted for years that it is ascommon as, and possibly much morecommon than, parental abuse.Many parents dismiss it as benignexploration or sex play, a normal partof children’s psychosexual develop-ment. But sexual exploration and game-playing are very different from sexualabuse, and the effects of sibling inceston the victim are severe.
DEFINITION
Sibling incest can include inapprop-riate fondling, touching or sexual con-tact: indecent exposure, masturbation,exposure to pornography, oral or analsex, digital penetration, and actual inter-course between brother and sister orsame-sex siblings.Two categories have been highlighted.One type occurs when siblings providemutual nurturing and protection inabusive and painful family conditions. A second type of incest involves theuse of power, threats, and force bythe offender.It has been reported that the age rangeof offenders is from thirteen to nineteenyears; whereas the victims’ ages usuallyrange from five to eleven years. Theaverage duration of abuse is twenty-twomonths.Sibling incest has been identified byprofessionals as being very differentfrom non-sibling abuse and abuse byadults. One significant difference is thatin sibling incest victims are commonlykept quiet by fear, threats and violence.The victims also indicate that theyare made to feel responsible for theabuse. When an adult assaults a youngperson sexually, the victim is usuallyenticed, given presents, and made tofeel ‘special.’
THE FAMILY CONTEXT
In many families in which siblingincest occurs, parents are caring andloving and have no idea of the existenceof abuse in their homes. However, bybuilding a profile of the family contextin which sibling abuse is likely tohappen, we can be more easilyforewarned and may be able to intervenein a timely manner.Sibling incest usually occurs in familiesdescribed as dysfunctional and chaotic,in homes having a volatile emotionalatmosphere characterised by extremephysical reactions to ordinary events.The second characteristic is the phys-ical and emotional absence of parents.Parents are not available to supervisetheir children, for example because ofwork commitments or substance abuse.Often the father is totally absent, or elseis himself abusive.Detachment and unavailability affectthe children on at least two levels.Often the older children have a greatdeal of responsibility for looking afterthe younger children and this canlead to incestuous activity; and alsotraditionally a younger female child hasless status than an older male and anycomplaints she may make are unlikely tobe believed. Victims reported that offenders oftenhad a privileged position with a parent— usually the mother. An older son mayhave been given surrogate authorityover younger sister(s) when the father orboth parents are absent from the homeor when supervision is lax.One study found that 58 percent ofsibling incest cases had been disclosedto the family, but that months — andoften years — passed before interventionor treatment took place. In many casesthe initial response of the parents to thesibling incest was to yell and screamabout the problem, to lecture the childrenon appropriate behaviour, and to tell thesiblings to stay away from each other.These reactions did not work and theabuse usually continued.The third type of family environmentis determined by the attitude to sexualmatters. This can be manifested in threeways: (a) open and frank discussionand behaviour among family members;(b) sexual rigidity, where sexual topicscannot be discussed, and (c) mixedmessages about appropriate sexualbehaviour in the home. The first typeof climate has included exposure topornography, to nudity, or to sexual actsbetween parents or toward children.The second characterized families inwhich sex was seen as dirty and wasnot discussed. The third type of familyclimate blurred the boundaries.
EFFECTS OF INCEST
■
Poor self-esteem:
sibling abuse isthe most shaming form of abuse.
■
Problems in relationships with theopposite sex:
women who were physic-ally, emotionally, or sexually abused bytheir brothers report difficulty in formingrelationships with men.
■
Difficulty in interpersonal rela-tionships:
survivors report difficulty
thesecret scourge
 
In the last issue of 
TeenMatters 
,
FATHER CHRIS
 received a letter from a young woman who had beena victim of sibling abuse. She said ’I am writing inresponse to an article about sexual abuse in the Autumn 2005 edition. I was sexually assaulted bymy brother who was five years older than me. Theeffect on my life was very serious. I was drinking andsmoking at eleven, promiscuous, raped while drunkat fourteen. I then managed by nineteen to get myself together only to fall into depression and seriouslycontemplate suicide before getting professional help.’Father Chris promised that he would discuss siblingabuse, as it is a significant problem in our community.
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37jlnpermai

Very informative. Can I translate it into other languages for the benefit of other comunities?

reply11 / 04 / 2009
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