PROJECTS
Siblings and Sexual Abuse Study
In 2005 Women's Health Statewide auspiced a retrospective study about sibling sexual abuse by Marg Rowntree. A report of the study, titled 'Responses to Sibling Sexual Abuse: as harmful as the abuse itself', details the study of 19 community women. Data was collected from 3 focus group discussions to the following three research questions:
- What reasons do women give for disclosing or not disclosing sexual abuse by siblings?
- What are women's perceptions of parental, professional and community attitudes and responses to disclosures of sibling sexual abuse?
- What are the women's views about the effects of these attitudes and responses?
Findings highlight a number of attitudes and responses to disclosures that contribute further harm to the women. The report concludes that these attitudes reflect a public discourse that fails to problematise the sexual abuse of children by siblings.
The findings of the study have been incorporated into the development of a pamphlet for women and education sessions for professionals, both of which can be accessed by contacting the Training Project Officer at Women's Health Statewide. You can also access all of our pamphlets in the publications area of the website.
