More About Silos

I've been thinking about the silo issue (siloing: separating different forms of violence and having agencies that only address one form) and it made me think about a form of violence that is not discussed very often and that is violence between siblings.

Violence between siblings is probably written off by many people as no big deal - just like wife beating was written off as no big deal for centuries. Some probably would still argue that it is still being written off as no big deal.

Violence between the siblings can happen regardless of whether or not there is a battering parent in the home. If you work with families, do you ask about violence between siblings? If you do ask, does your agency/organization/program have anything in place to address violence between siblings?

Just something I've been thinking about lately. I am one of ten children and there was quite a bit of violence between siblings when I was growing up. I believe it is not something to be written off as a rite of passage of growing up with siblings. It's one more element of personal violence that can make homes an unsafe environment.

Schools have been paying more and more attention to bullying behavior in the school setting, but sometimes the bully is also acting out in the home or is only acting out in the home against siblings. If you work with children or families, I encourage you to ask about sibling relationships.