Sibling Sexual Abuse

First, I thank all the members who supported my motion. I understand that such matters are incredibly sensitive and, although it might be difficult for us here to debate the subject of the motion, it is important that such difficult issues are discussed in the Parliament, so that we can advocate for all those who have had these distressing experiences.

Indeed, as a survivor told me last night at a round-table meeting that I hosted on mandatory reporting, speaking about the issue and raising awareness in the comfort of our Parliament is much less difficult than the experience of those who were subject to such horrendous injustices against them. I therefore thank everyone who has stayed to support the debate and those who have chosen to contribute.

In my speech, I will outline the characteristics and impact of sibling sexual abuse, explain the complexity of the issue and look at ways in which we can move forward in addressing it in Scotland today.

The genesis of the debate came from a meeting that I hosted in Holyrood in January 2023 as convener of the cross-party group on adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. At that meeting, survivors with lived experience of sibling sexual abuse, along with experts, candidly outlined the nature of the abuse, sharing first-hand accounts, along with the latest research available. Following that meeting, a sub-group was established and, in late 2023, the group published its paper, “Tackling Sibling Sexual Abuse in Scotland”. I recommend that paper to any member who has not yet had the chance to read it.

There are too many people to acknowledge when looking at the work that has been done on the subject, but I must thank the cross-party group’s secretary, Anne MacDonald, who has worked tirelessly to ensure that those who need their voices listened to are heard. She joins us in the public gallery this evening. Likewise, I must thank Stuart Allardyce, director of the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, whose extensive research skills have made this debate possible. Stuart could not be here in the gallery this evening, but he will be watching the debate on the broadcasting service.

Most importantly, I thank the survivors who contributed so powerfully to the discussion and to bringing us to this point. I pay particular tribute to Ellie Forgan and Ashley Scotland, who are in the chamber tonight.

Many believe that, when a child is abused, it is down to a stranger, but that is not the reality. Most child sexual abuse is committed by someone known to the child—quite often, someone in the same household—and, of that cohort, studies suggest that at least twice as many children are sexually abused by a child sibling as by a parent.

Although the most common form of sibling sexual abuse concerns occasions in which an older brother abuses a younger sister, all combinations of sibling sexual abuse have been recorded, including a younger sibling abusing an older sibling, a sister abusing a brother, same-sex abuse and even abuse involving multiple siblings. There are also occasions when disability is a factor for the victim or for the sibling perpetrating the behaviour.

Like other forms of sexual abuse, sibling sexual abuse can lead to multiple negative outcomes and health concerns, including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, substance misuse, eating disorders, relationship difficulties and many other harmful impacts that can affect survivors long after the abuse takes place.

Sibling sexual abuse also has unique and profound effects on the family unit. Parents and carers are put in a position of addressing an awful situation in their own families. Shame, conflict, denial and disbelief are commonly reported responses in families if cases of such abuse come to light. We heard that some parents described the situation as like a bomb going off in their family, such was the impact.

I emphasise the word “if” when talking about cases coming to light, as sibling sexual abuse is thought to be a type of abuse that is seriously underreported. According to a study in which 41 survivors of such abuse were interviewed, it is much less likely to be disclosed than any other forms of abuse. That comes down to reasons such as someone’s fear of being punished, being blamed or not being believed because they are afraid of the sibling, not understanding that what was happening was abuse, not wanting their sibling to get into trouble or not wanting to upset their parents.

Another concern is what happens when the abuse is reported. Responses are often unhelpful and can range from uncertainty about what to do to attitudes such as “That’s just curiosity,” or claims that it is exploration, play or part of growing up—a “doctors and nurses” sort of attitude. Those responses have come not just from adults close to the child but from agencies. From my time as a social worker in child protection, I know how difficult and complex such situations are, and there are no easy answers, as much as we might want there to be.

I thank the member for that intervention, and I will come to address that.

This is probably a good point to move on, however, to say that, if there are child protection procedures under way, or if any children need to be placed in care, before or after sibling sexual abuse comes to the fore and people become aware of it, that can have a huge impact on decisions on whether children can be safely placed in care together—noting all the competing factors with those types of decisions. That is important to mention, with the issue having been explored thoroughly in today’s earlier debate on keeping the Promise. When children are not placed together, there are sometimes other reasons in the background. I suggest that sibling sexual abuse could be one of those reasons, although I agree with the premise of the earlier debate: we need to do a lot more to ensure that siblings can be placed together where possible.

That leads me to an important point that we must remember when talking about sibling sexual abuse: we are often talking about two children, the one committing abuse being a child themselves. They might have experienced abuse and trauma themselves and, due to the complex nature of those situations, there might be occasions when various children in the same household are victims and abusers. It can sometimes be easier for adults and agencies to get their heads around a situation if the abusing sibling is an adult. Sometimes, they are, but that is not always the case.

It is no wonder, then, that our protection services are not always equipped to deal with such situations as they arise. As an ex-social worker, I would say that there is no blame here. The whole purpose of this debate is to raise awareness and to try to find better solutions. Further to that, although there is a great body of research on the effects of sibling sexual abuse and the forms that it can take, there is no unified consensus on any single explanation as to why it occurs. There are strong links between sibling sexual abuse and family factors, such as marital discord, domestic violence, physical discipline and poor sexual boundaries. When examining the issue, given the clear link between sibling sexual abuse and family factors, we must consider the problem as one of, and for, the family, not just a problem with the sibling who abuses. As I said, they themselves can often be a child who has experienced trauma.

The paper from the cross-party group on adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse asserts that what, until now, have been traditional responses to sibling sexual abuse could often involve siloing the issue and treating the abuser in a vacuum, without providing ample support to the family unit, who might need the tools to make sense of the trauma.

I have talked at length about what sibling sexual abuse is, what its impacts are and the importance of treating it not just as an individual’s issue but as a whole-family issue, but we must now focus on looking forward and opening a discussion on what steps can be taken to ensure that the Parliament supports actions, not just words.

A number of ways forward have been discussed through work with the cross-party group, and I would be interested in hearing the minister’s thoughts on them when she sums up. The first is simply to have better data collection. Although data exists from studies that have been conducted across the United Kingdom, there are no Scotland-specific studies. Case reviews and, indeed, subsequent literature reviews would be invaluable in mapping child protection pathways and how they operate in Scotland today.

Secondly, a reference group that pulled together the expertise of Social Work Scotland, Police Scotland, various charities and those with lived experience would be best placed to advise on policy while identifying best practice.

Thirdly, awareness campaigns or even conference events would greatly promote signposting to key resources for families who are concerned about sibling sexual abuse, as well as keeping relevant bodies informed on the various gaps in service provision.

Finally, I underline the need to establish a dedicated course for social workers and any other safeguarding professionals who might encounter cases of sibling sexual abuse. As I stated, the issue is underdisclosed, and we must ensure that those who are on the front line are properly trained to identify the signs of sibling sexual abuse and to act accordingly. Tied to the concept of improved training would, ultimately, be further funding for a dedicated national service that would support not only survivors of sibling sexual abuse but their families, who are affected by it, too.

Sibling sexual abuse is an incredibly sensitive issue, and I once again thank all those who signed my motion to allow it to be discussed in the Parliament. In order to combat the issue, we need more data collection to enable us to understand its prevalence, we need relevant bodies to work together to identify best practice and to raise awareness in society so that the issue can be identified, and we need funding to ensure that the best support networks are in place.

I was a secondary school teacher long, long ago. Is there a role for teachers in that regard? They often identify changes in the behaviour of children in their classes. Is there a role for primary and secondary school teachers, simply by being aware that the issue might be one factor that they might not otherwise think about? They might think of other types of abuse, but perhaps not that one.

I thank my colleague Fulton MacGregor for once again bravely bringing to the chamber a subject that is profoundly painful but critically important to address: in this case, the trauma and family turmoil caused by sibling sexual abuse. I also thank the cross-party group on adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse for its determined work on the subject and for the comprehensive paper that the motion highlights.

Sibling sexual abuse is a form of family-based trauma that, as we have heard, often goes unspoken. The complexity and devastation that it causes ripples through the affected family, leaving behind emotional scars that can, and do, last a lifetime. We know that sexual abuse by a sibling is often underreported and often misunderstood. When we think of sexual abuse, we might instinctively think of strangers or adults, but the reality is that sexual abuse can occur in the home and between siblings, and sibling sexual abuse is estimated to occur at double the rate of abuse by adults.

Many survivors find it difficult to speak about the topic because of the deep feelings of shame, guilt and confusion that often accompany such experiences. One of the most difficult aspects of sibling sexual abuse is the loss of trust that it represents. Families are meant to be the sanctuary where we feel safe and protected. When abuse occurs between siblings, it shatters that sense of security.

Every family member will be affected in some way. The child who is abused will feel violated, and the child who abuses might be grappling with their own trauma, confusion and hurt. Too often, those complexities remain hidden, leaving no room for healing and recovery. As we heard, there are often other issues at play within the family.

The trauma resulting from sibling sexual abuse is not limited to the victim alone—family members including parents, and even extended family members, will experience confusion, anger, guilt and isolation. Parents in particular are often left wondering how they could have missed the signs or prevented the abuse from occurring, and they will naturally feel torn between their responsibilities to both children—I think that we can all imagine just how horrific that would be. The emotional weight can be unbearable and lead to rifts in the family, misunderstanding and a breakdown in communication. Many families struggle to know how to move forward and will become fractured.

There are also profound emotional consequences for the survivors. Mental health services in Scotland are increasingly recognising the need for specialist support for those who are affected by sexual abuse, but those services are not universally available, and they are often stretched very thin. Survivors of abuse might experience depression, anxiety and PTSD. They might have difficulty forming healthy relationships later in life or struggle with issues relating to their self-esteem or their sense of identity, and they might even turn to substances in order to cope. I have seen that through my work with survivors in Women’s Aid and homelessness services. Support must be all-encompassing—we can have no silos in this area.

As the CPG’s report states, there is so much that we need to do in this area, including creating spaces where survivors feel safe to speak out and where they are believed and their experiences are not minimised or trivialised.

Silence surrounding sibling sexual abuse only perpetuates the trauma and allows it to continue. We need to break the stigma and raise awareness in our communities, and we must ensure that all children in the family have access to appropriate therapeutic support. Sibling sexual abuse, like all forms of sexual violence, requires a multifaceted response that includes not only child and family services but mental health care, social support and family therapy.

Education is also key. We must teach children from a young age about boundaries, consent and healthy relationships. I used to do such work by going into schools and speaking about what a healthy relationship is in the context of domestic abuse. We need to create an environment in which young people can feel empowered to speak up if they are hurt, and in which parents and guardians know the signs of abuse and are quick to respond. We must also ensure that all our safeguarding professionals, be they teachers, police or registered childminders—everybody who comes into contact with children and has those duties—are trained to respond to disclosures and have the support to do so.

In addition, there is much that we need to do on research into sibling sexual abuse. We need to better understand its prevalence, its long-term effects and what type of interventions are most effective. By conducting more research and gathering the necessary data, we can better develop policies and resources for supporting both the victims and the families who are affected by that traumatic experience. We owe that to all of them.

I, too, commend Fulton MacGregor and congratulate him on bringing the debate and on his commitment to what is a complex, difficult and—often—hidden issue. I also commend the cross-party group on adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse for its broader work and for putting the report together.

As other members have referenced, the motion sets out a significant amount of detail and lays bare the extent to which sibling sexual abuse is believed to be underreported in Scotland and the challenges that survivors continue to face in their experience being minimised, not believed, or seen in the context of curiosity or experimentation. The paper that the cross-party group produced recognises and sets out the significant and lasting impact of sibling sexual abuse—the shame, the fear of blame and not being believed—and the physical impacts on survivors, including depression, substance abuse and relationship difficulties, which can be enduring and can last well into adulthood.

I am pleased that the motion makes reference to the complexities of how to respond to sibling sexual abuse. As others have spoken about, it outlines some of the ideas and views on how to respond and how to draw further focus on the issue, bringing together stakeholders, good practice and those with lived experience.

It is worth noting that this debate follows immediately on the debate that the minister led about the Promise, which seeks to create a care system that places love and relationships at the centre for every child and family who need support. I have no doubt of the commitment across Scotland to giving children the best start in life.

In the short time that is left, I will reflect a little on my experience of working in policing, on the progress that has been made over the years on the investigation of childhood sexual abuse more broadly and on the emerging challenges that make tackling the issue even more challenging.

Many members know about my background. It is safe to say that a good part of my service was immersed in complex public protection investigations into child sexual abuse, domestic abuse and, latterly, adult harm. I also spent many years in the development of policy and practice in that space. In 2024, we have moved to a point at which there is a plethora of guidance, legislation and organisations that aim to support the response to sexual harm, including that which is perpetrated on siblings. That is to be commended and recognised. I am pleased that, within that, there is focused guidance and material that is relevant to sibling sexual abuse, which I hope will underpin the response, particularly at a local level, when a disclosure is made. On a point that Monica Lennon made, training is absolutely at the centre of how robust and effective that response has to be.

The cross-party group’s report makes reference to the need for better care pathways for survivors and for joined-up policies. I completely agree with that. In my experience, that is key, but it can take time for organisations to come together and agree roles and responsibilities, information-sharing protocols and so on. Earlier today, in the Criminal Justice Committee, we spoke about the challenges that are faced by individual organisations that work within a whole system such as justice. That brings me to my second point, which is about trusted professional relationships absolutely underpinning work on tackling public protection and, closer to home in the debate, sibling sexual abuse.

I am conscious of time, so I will finish on a couple of points.

Members will be familiar with the bairns’ hoose, which involves a child-centred, trauma-informed approach to enable children to give their best evidence, where that is necessary, in a single space that brings together police, health and recovery services.

Finally, I want to raise concerns about the escalating incidence of online child sexual abuse, which we need to monitor, specifically with regard to sibling sexual abuse.

I again commend my colleague Fulton MacGregor and the cross-party group.

I start by thanking Fulton MacGregor and the cross-party group for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse for bringing this important debate to the chamber and for their continued focus on this important issue.

Keeping children and young people safe from sexual abuse and exploitation is of paramount importance for the Scottish Government. Today’s debate has made it clear that cases of sibling sexual abuse are often extremely complex and their impact can have lifelong consequences for both victims and their families.

I acknowledge the calls that have been made today for further focus and action on sibling sexual abuse. The overall scale and complexity of child sexual abuse and exploitation is increasing globally, and a whole-system approach is required to tackle this horrendous form of abuse.

In response, the Government has established a new national child sexual abuse and exploitation strategic group, which will first meet on 18 November. The group will bring together practitioners, service providers, the third sector, academics and other experts, including members of the CPG for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, to consider the range of current action and where further activity is needed. Although it will be for the group to determine its priorities, I expect that it will consider many of the issues that have been raised today, which are shared across all forms of sexual abuse and exploitation. Those issues include the challenges of improving data and training and developing evidence-based services for victims.

Fulton MacGregor raised some important issues in relation to data. I cannot speak for the new national strategic group, but I expect that it will consider those issues. I also thank Elena Whitham for her contribution and for relaying her experience in her previous role.

On the involvement of teachers, professionals who work with children and young people are absolutely essential in identifying harmful sexual behaviour. Our delivery group on harmful sexual behaviour published guidance this spring to support professionals such as teachers to identify harmful sexual behaviour in children and young people, including sibling sexual abuse, and to intervene and to prevent that behaviour.

Does the minister agree with the premise of my speech? Our agencies have done a lot of good work on identifying sexual abuse and sexual harm—I take my hat off to the people on the front line in that sphere of work—but does she agree that there are specific issues in relation to this particular type of abuse that are still a major taboo and that are surrounded by a range of difficulties, even when they are presented to professionals such as social workers or teachers?

I absolutely agree. I will go on to reflect on the support for training for teachers and other professionals. However, we are all in agreement that this is a complex area and that we need to come together to think of solutions and ways to improve the situation.

Through the implementation of national policies, including getting it right for every child, we put the experience and the rights of children at the heart of the work that is carried out by everyone who engages with young people and families. That is embedded in our national guidance for child protection, which outlines the responsibilities of and expectations on those who work with young people to protect them from all forms of harm. That resource includes detailed professional guidance on how to respond to cases of sexual abuse between siblings and emphasises the need for a holistic approach to intervention and the provision of support.

In addition, this year, we published a national framework for child protection learning and development, which supports multi-agency child protection learning and training. That clarifies where training is required to support local leads. A national child protection hub has also been established to support practitioners to share learning and best practice.

In response to the recommendations of the expert group on preventing sexual offending involving children and young people, the Scottish Government has established a delivery group on harmful sexual behaviour. Monica Lennon and others asked about what further training is needed for our social work workforce. The group has developed and published guidance to support professionals to identify children and young people who may cause harm through their sexual behaviour, and to intervene and prevent them from doing so. Professionals are further supported through learning and development resources and a practitioner forum that was established by the Lucy Faithfull Foundation and the Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice.

What happens to us all as children shapes who we are and can have a huge impact on us throughout our lives, especially if those experiences are adverse ones that involve exploitation or abuse. I am unwavering in my commitment to ensuring that all victims of sexual abuse can access the services that help them to disclose their abuse, while recognising and responding to the impact of their experience.

Audrey Nicoll mentioned the bairns’ hoose. That model supports children who have experienced trauma, including child sexual abuse, through a child-centred approach to delivering justice, care and recovery. That approach also promotes the Scottish child interview model for joint investigative interviews. It is now operational in all policing divisions in 30 local authorities and, alongside bairns’ hoose developments, provides an approach that supports disclosure and minimises the risk of further traumatisation.

As was highlighted in the debate, victims of sibling sexual abuse and their families frequently require on-going mental health support. Since 2021, we have provided local authorities with £15 million per annum to deliver community-based mental health and wellbeing support and services for five to 24-year-olds and their families.

Before I finish, I will touch briefly on mandatory reporting. Mandatory reporting is one way of ensuring that action is taken when someone discloses abuse. I understand that the cross-party group on adult survivors has had a particular focus on that, and I will continue to engage with the group on that very important issue.

With that, I draw my remarks to a close. I appreciate and thank Fulton MacGregor for bringing the issue to the chamber. It is important that we come together to recognise the difficulties and complexities that are involved and talk about the ways in which we can move forward.