Attacks from other children represent a small percentage of reported child abuse. These attacks may range from relatively harmless sibling rivalry to attempted murder.

Abuse by a child outside the family is more likely to be reported to authorities than sibling abuse. Parents are often reluctant to report abuse that occurs at the hands of an older brother or sister. In such cases, parents may be afraid to acknowledge that a child's behavior is beyond their control. Rather than taking steps to protect the victimized sibling, parents attempt to placate the aggressor and downplay the extent of the abuse.

A parent or caretaker's failure to protect children from harmful assaults by another child constitutes, at a minimum, neglect. In particularly serious cases, caretakers may be considered coconspirators in the abuse.

Ironically, mental health professionals, like parents, have tended to focus more attention on the treatment needs of the abuser than on those of the abused child. Victims of sibling attacks, lacking parental support or fearing further abuse, are reluctant to participate in psychotherapy. This being the case, they frequently require extended treatment before improvement is seen.

Battering children attack others for a variety of reasons. These include jealousy, emotional disturbance or a history of being abused themselves. Abusive children are sometimes acting out a parent's wishes. Older children are sometimes given too much responsibility in caring for younger brothers and sisters. Rarely, children may misunderstand a parent's idle threats to strangle a crying child and actually attempt to carry out such a punishment.

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