Ambika survived years of her brother’s abuse. That her parents turned a blind eye remains a source of great pain

‘Perpetrators of harm are often implicitly or explicitly protected by the silence of others in the family,’ writes clinical and forensic psychologist Dr Ahona Guha. Photograph: Yurii Karvatskyi/Getty Images/iStock

We’ve broken the cone of silence around most forms of abuse and shame. However, sibling abuse often remains unnamed and unaddressed.

International estimates suggest that sibling-to-sibling abuse is one of the most common forms of domestic violence. In my clinical practice, I’ve had many clients who have attended therapy for difficulties arising from abuse by siblings, including sexual, physical and emotional violence. However, there’s little research about the phenomenon and almost no data about the prevalence of sibling abuse in Australia.