Hi there
I’m really glad you sent this letter. It sounds like things are really difficult between you and your sibling and that it has been like this for some time now.
If I understand you properly, it seems like you might be hoping to speak to someone about this and report it more formally.
The first question you ask is whether there is such a thing as sibling abuse. The term physical abuse is when someone hurts another person by such things as kicking, hitting, punching and so on. This can happen between people who are not related and also between those who are, such as brothers and sisters. Brothers and sisters often fight but it is never right for an adult (which your sibling now is) to verbally abuse you constantly.
Something else that might be important is the age difference between the two people. For example, when you were 8 and your sibling was aged 13, they were a lot older than you and might have been a lot stronger, which could have made it more difficult for you to protect yourself.
Your next question is whether the Child Protection Unit can help. They have a duty to protect children and can investigate complaints of abuse. I cannot say exactly what the Child Protection Unit would do but it is likely that they would need to assess what happened by speaking to you and your sibling and possibly other family members. I wonder how you feel about this?
You don’t say how things are with other family members and I’m wondering how they react when things are difficult between you and your sibling? Parents also have a duty to make sure that their children are safe from harm.
If you would like to talk this through, you could speak to a ChildLine counsellor by ringing 0800 1111, calls are free, or by having a 1-2-1 chat on-line.
You might also find it helpful to have a look at the Explore section of ChildLine’s website – it has some interesting information about the different types of abuse.
Thanks for getting in touch.
Take Care
Sam