'My brother abused me under our parents' noses'

Liz Roberts became a victim of sibling sexual abuse at the age of eight

A woman who was sexually abused by her brother as a child said she could not "move on" because the perpetrator is in the family.

Liz Roberts, 61, said the abuse left her feeling "weak, stupid, and unlovable to her core".

To help victims like Ms Roberts, a charity has now launched a website to support adult survivors of sibling sexual abuse (SSA).

Somerset and Avon Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (SARSAS)'s website offers a "virtual home" to survivors where they can share stories without judgement, find support and join a network.

Ms Roberts, who has waived her right to anonymity, became a victim of SSA when she was eight years old.

Her older brother was convicted of 10 counts of indecent assault and sexual assault during a trial at Bristol Crown Court in September 2022.

“This abuse happened over a period of time - it wasn’t just once.

"It happened in my home, in the place where I’m meant to feel safe, perpetrated by someone who was meant to be caring for me, who I’m meant to love and who loves me, under the noses of my parents," she said.

'You can't move on'

Ms Roberts said SSA is particularly difficult to talk about because of the effect it can have on families - especially parents.

"The perpetrator isn’t some anonymous person - it’s their other child," she said.

"You can’t move on because you’re in the family.”

Ms Roberts said she "stayed silent", but by doing so, ended up bottling up her emotions.

The experience left her with issues surrounding her body image, her relationships and her trust of others.

"I felt feelings of rage and worthlessness.

"I believed I was weak and stupid, unloved and unlovable in my core," she added.

She has only began altering her self-perception in the last five years.

SSA is an under-reported form of child sexual abuse

According to SARSAS, which works across Somerset and Bristol, sibling sexual abuse affects approximately 1.2 million children in the UK.

It is an under-reported form of child sexual abuse because survivors often face "additional layers of trauma" as families frequently silence the abuse.

Only 12% of survivors disclose their abuse, the charity added.

The new website allows survivors of SSA to connect with one another in a safe and secure space.

Tanith McCulloch, the charity's project lead, said many victims of SSA feel "marginalised and isolated".

She said: "With our site, [survivors] have found a place with other people that have experienced and understand the trauma they have been through. That is the beauty of it."

"They can learn from somebody else that has gone through it and they can fully emphasise and understand the pain," she added.

Lorri Weaving is the CEO of SARSAS

CEO of SARSAS Lorri Weaving said the charity's vision is a world without sexual violence.

“SARSAS always puts survivors at the heart of what we do and we want the survivor voice to shape our services.

"That’s been particularly important in developing this website - every stage of its production has been developed and co-produced with survivors, for survivors," she said.